Day 41 Saumur to Chinon

Day 41. Saumur to Chinon. 45.80 kms cycled. 3.01 hours cycling. 42.63 km/h max speed. 15.16 km/h average speed. Weather – sunny and hot with no wind.

I might be starting to sound like a broken record, but I think I have found my favourite Loire Valley town yet – Chinon.

  Small, but oozing with history and charm, it really is an incredible destination. Now, the fact that I have just enjoyed a great bottle of local wine, am sitting overlooking the Vienne River – a tributary of the Loire - and the town’s historic chateau has absolutely nothing to do with the abovementioned statement.

  The town absolutely oozes history and unlike most French chateaus, towns and places of general interest, has all its printed information and place signs in English.

  So as you can imagine after wandering around this wonderful town for 4 hours, I am right up to speed with Chinon and the surrounding area’s history.

  Once again, much of the town’s history seems to have gone over the top of my head in ’07 when I was here, but after wandering around the chateau and reading closely all about its history, I now understand the chateau’s link to Joan of Arc and its general importance in French history.

  But while the town’s history and strategic importance to a succession of French monarchs is long and interesting, the legacy of its long history is a beautiful town full of character.

 There are also buildings dating back to the 1200s, cave houses carved into the hillside from centuries ago and much, much more.

  And to top off what should be a great visit, there is a jazz festival in town over the weekend and there is a free concert in one of the nearby abbeys tonight. Guess who is just about to go to get a dose of jazz????

  Prior to arriving in Chinon, my day basically consisted of jumping from one historic chateau to abbey to another. I made the effort to revisit the Fontevraud Abbey, the former home to Richard the Lionheart earlier in the day, despite the tough 6km hill climb. 

  Montsoreau chateau was also impressive on the banks of the Loire, although I unfortunately arrived at midday on a Saturday and it was closed along with the rest of France for a midday lunch break.

  Tomorrow I head off for Tours and a succession of more historic chateaus and abbeys.

  Boring this part of France certainly isn’t!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

captions: Pic 1: Fontevraud Abbey, the home to Richard the Lionheart when not fighting Holy wars. Pic 2: The tombs of Richard the Lionheart (right) and his wife. Pic 3: Another shot from inside Fontevraud Abbey. Pic 4: Montsoreau Chateau. Pic 5: Chinon Chateau from across the river. Pic 6: Looking down at Chinon from the Chateau. Pic 7: An old wooden frame house in the town.