2006-05-03 - Cycling in Tours, France

			28 April: Tours -> Villandry 21 images   After flying into Tours, we picked up the bikes and packed all our gear into the paneers. The guy renting the bikes recommended a good restaurant for lunch before we set off. The first day's cycling was fairly short, a good way to start the trip. The thing that hit me first was simply how quiet it all was. The cycle tracks were wide and well sealed. Perhaps they were used by tractors or farmers at other times of the year - but the whole trip we barely saw anyone using them but us. It was really beautiful. We found the main attraction in Villandry to be closed, so we just checked in a the hotel, and found a quaint wee shop for wine and cheese, followed by dinner at the hotel.
			29 April: Villandry -> Usse -> Chinon 69 images   The next morning we got up to explore the Chataeu at Villandry. Amazing gardens - as you'll see many a photo of herein! Then setting off for a long day of cycling. The first stop before lunch was the Chataeu d' Usse, a.k.a. "The sleeping beauty castle" - as many of the rooms were set up as scenes of the Sleeping Beauty story. We stopped nearby for lunch, and the continued on to the town of Chinon, where we were to stay for 2 nights.
			30 April: Chinon 63 images   The 3rd day was spent in and around Chinon. Everyone else when up to visit the local castle ruins, which were undergoing some reconstruction. Personally, I took off to do a bit more cycling myself and cycled a loop back through Usse and through a forest. I met up with the others again mid-afternoon in another small place, just 8 km out of Chinon. The plan was to do some wine tastings, and we were fairly successful - managing to find two places open in spite of being Sunday. Afterwards we did a small ride (many of us with heavier paneers after stocking up on wine!), and then back into Chinon to find another restaurant for dinner.
			1-2 May: Chinon -> Samaur 52 images   The ride on the May the 1st was also a fairly long one to the town Samaur, where we had arranged to drop the bikes back. A few extremely steep bits, including 2 streets where I think all but 2 or so had to walk the bikes up. Quite interesting streets through the little towns which dotted our cycle route. We also passed the ruins of what appeared to be houses carved out of the cliffs themselves...
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