The first time I came unexpectedly upon this view of Montreuil Bellay castle on our bikes 5 years ago, I thought it was stunning. Today, I was expecting it, but I loved it just as much. Montreuil Bellay is 15 km south of Saumur on the Thouet River and 11 km from where Jean Michel …
Category Archives: Cycling
Hot Lips
This delightful flower is a Salvia Hot Lips from the sage family. It’s very prolific and an annual. We now have three in our garden and I love them. They flower from May through to October.. Behind you can see a very high Loire at Amboise. Some of the bike paths further along were under …
The Missing Boat – Pas de gabarre
You may remember the photo below from last summer when we discovered that there was a ferry crossing for pedestrians and bikes over the Loire from Cour-sur-Loire to the bike path leading to Saint-Dyé-sur-Loire and on to Chambord. Imagine our dismay on Saturday when there was narry a boat in sight nor a sign. So …
The New Loire Observatory – Le nouvel observatoire Loire
On Saturday when we were cycling from Blois to Cour-sur-Loire, we discovered a new riverside observatory to promote understanding and interest n the Loire particularly on the part of children. The LPO41 biodiversity group was also present. Inauguration 4 and 5 June at the Parc des Mées. Samedi lorsque nous faisions de vélo entre Blois …
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A Strange Collection – Une étrange collection
This is not a garage sale but someone’s surprising private junk collection on the bike route from Onzain to Veuves! Ce n’est pas une brocante mais une collection privée de veilles choses sur l’itinéraire vélo entre Onzain et Veuves !
The Busy Garden – Le jardin peuplé
We cycled past this busy little garden on our way from Onzain to Veuves on Sunday. The windmill actually looks more like a pigeon house from the south of France. The second photo shows the house that belongs to the garden. Note the weathervane on the top of the roof on the left. Nous sommes …
La bouillie bordelaise
As we cycled towards this wall, I thought it was a painting until we got up close and I realised that the blue is due to bouillie bordelaise, a pesticide consisting of copper sulphate, slaked lime and water used to prevent mildew. Mildew was first observed in 1878 on grapevines in the south-west of France. …
A Church in Spring – Une église au printemps
Taken on the bike path between Blois and Saint-Dyé-sur-Loire, the little church of Cours-sur-Loire that you may remember from our Loire crossing last summer. There was no sign of the boat though. Prise sur la piste cyclable entre Blois et Saint-Dyé-sur-Loire, la petite église de Cours-sur-Loire que vous rappellerez peut-être de notre traversée de la …
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Back on our Bikes at Last – Du vélo enfin!
Today, the temperature was finally high enough (19°C) to go cycling again after a 5-month break. The flat-bottom boats were waiting for us at Saint-Dyé-sur-Loire. Aujourd’hui la température était enfin suffisante (19°C) pour faire du vélo après 5 mois d’arrêt. Les gabarres nous attendaient à Saint-Dyé-sur-Loire.
The Lone Swan – Cygne seul
Yesterday we cycled from Tours to Château de Villandry in beautiful sunny autumn weather. There were many rewards! Villandry is famous for its gardens. Hier nous avons fait du vélo entre Tours et Château de Villandry sous un soleil d’automne parfait. Nous étions bien récompensés ! Villandry est célèbre pour ses jardins.