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Day
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Friday |
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Depart USA — Please keep in mind that most international
flights arrive the morning after you leave the US. |
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1 |
Saturday |
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Arrive in the Loire Valley |
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Morning and Afternoon |
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This morning we meet at the Paris airport and travel together by train to
the town of Blois, where we settle into our home base for our first two
nights, a charming country manor. Later, we'll get our bicycles and try them
out, making any necessary adjustments. Feel like a ride right away? Then
we're off to explore Blois, maybe even make a visit to its château. |
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Evening |
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Tonight we’ll enjoy a welcome reception and light dinner. Your Tour Director
will introduce you to the incredible food and wine of the region. |
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2 |
Sunday |
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Chambord and Beaugency |
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Morning |
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After a leisurely breakfast at
the manor house, we’ll embark on a ride to visit Chambord, one of the
valley's most famous châteaux, noted for its
architecture and the famous corkscrew stairway designed by Leonardo da
Vinci. You may enjoy lunch on your own, or we may bring along a picnic of
regional cheeses, bread and wine, maybe a galette or quiche.
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Afternoon |
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The afternoon includes a ride to
Beaugency and tour of its château, which has great
period rooms that give a real sense of château life.
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Evening |
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Tonight
we enjoy a fabulous dinner together at our manor house. Our hostess is a
Cordon Blue-trained chef who enjoys preparing regional specialties to serve
her guests. She is also a member of the Ordre de Tastevins, and prepared to
answer any questions you may have on local wines. |
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3 |
Monday |
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Chenonceau |
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All Day |
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After breakfast
this morning we pack our things and ride to Chenonceau to tour the château,
then on to Loches to view the dungeon and stay at a picturesque hotel in the
town where Georges Sands was born. |
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4 |
Tuesday |
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Montbazon |
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Morning and Afternoon |
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This morning we
ride toward Montbazon (we may visit the château of Chenonceau today if it works
out better). |
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Evening |
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Tonight we stay
at a great country inn
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with excellent food
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located in a restored mill. |
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5 |
Wednesday |
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Azay le
Rideau, Villandry, Sache |
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Morning and Afternoon |
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This morning we
have a ride to visit Azay le Rideau, Villandry and Sache, the
French home of Alexander Calder and Balzac. |
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Evening |
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We return to
our hotel in time for a gala dinner of regional specialties. (Be sure to
save room for one of the exotic desserts our host is fond of preparing.) |
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6 |
Thursday |
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Langeais |
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Morning and Afternoon |
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Today we ride to Langeais to stay at an organic farm serving hearty farm meals
of their produce. It is very well kept and simple, and there is a nearby
guesthouse for overflow, which is good for anyone who might feel a little
slighted at the farm accommodations. It is possible to see the Château at Usse, the model for the Disney Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland.
A
good excursion is Fontevraude Abbaye, the tomb of many English kings. |
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Evening |
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Free time. |
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7 |
Friday |
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Tours |
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Morning and Afternoon |
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Possible to visit a museum of Artisanry in Tours. This
includes the "master pieces" made to show expertise in an art or craft and
thus earn the right to be a master. From musical instruments to cake
decoration, bookbinding, etc. |
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Evening |
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Free time. |
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8 |
Saturday |
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Amboise |
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Morning and Afternoon |
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Then on to Amboise. Here we stay in a 17th century manor house lovingly
restored by its American owners. Formerly a convent, there is rumored to be
a tunnel connecting it to the château. Then it is
time to part with your trusty cycles. We'll return the rental bikes or pack
your own bike for the trip back. |
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Afternoon |
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This afternoon
you'll have plenty of free time to explore the town. You may
visit the Château Royal d’Amboise. The Château was built over the reign of three
kings and partly designed by Leonardo da Vinci. Its most prominent occupant
was François I, who at 22 enticed 65-year-old Leonardo da Vinci to spend his
final days here in Amboise.
And stroll up the hill to visit Clos Lucé, the 15th
century manor house where Leonardo settled at the end of his life.
He brought with him just four paintings to enjoy, including an unfinished
portrait of Mona Lisa di Anton Maria Gherardini, the third wife of a
Florentine businessman named Francesco del Giocondo, which is how the
world's most famous painting arrived in France.
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Evening |
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Dinner tonight is
on your own. Your Tour Director will be glad to recommend several of
Amboise's great restaurants. (Care to splurge, and dine at one of France's
greatest restaurants? It's just down the street . . . )
After dinner, take your seat
for Amboise's spectacular Renaissance Sound and Light Show. This annual
event features hundreds of townspeople, from toddlers to pensioners, dressed
as their ancestors and acting out the history of their town. |
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9 |
Sunday |
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Farewell and
au revoir! |
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Morning and Afternoon |
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If
you have an early flight, our van will transport you directly to the
airport. Better yet, book a late return to the States and give yourself time
to enjoy a leisurely breakfast and train ride to the airport. Either way,
you'll leave France with a greater understanding and appreciation of one of
the most fabulous cultures anywhere. |
