It was cool cloudy and drizzly this morning and after a good breakfast the LLW had to deal with some clients.
The Abbey at Fontevraud is very impressive and dates from the 12th century when it was founded by Robert of Arbrissel and where Henry II, Eleanor of Aquitaine and their son Richard the Lionheart were buried.
Ray was sent off for a cycle ride and as he unloaded the bike from the back of the BMW he could not help but notice that the BMW parked next to ours with a Belgian number plate was from the very same garage in Mechelen, Belgium where we bought ours all those years ago (2000).
Once the ride was underway Ray, having entered a Zone Militaire, encountered dragons in the form of le deuxieme regiment de dragons of the French Army. He had strayed into the dragons car park and was told very politely but firmly to leave immediatement! Back then to Fontevrauld and Ray met a new girlfriend in the tourist information office! Actually I think she was so bored and I was probably the first visitor of the day that she was delighted to talk about the joys of cycling in the region and tasting the wines. With her good english and my rudimentary french we managed a very interesting conversation.
When I returned to the hotel, I was immediately dispatched to procure une grand creme
Lunch was once again lovely quiches and cakes from the local patisserie which was remarkably inexpensive for one in the middle of a very well visited tourist spot.
Next stop was Varrains where there were many vineyards and we plumped for Domiane de La Clos de Maurice for our tasting. Numerous wines were tasted and almost as many purchased. Our host was very charming and delighted in presenting his wines; a very nice experience.
On to Saumur which was slightly disappointing and we had planned a cycle ride along the banks of the Loire but it was windy, very grey and wet. The LLW put her foot down very firmly!
The nest priority was to refuel the BMW and petrol stations had been very elusive over the last day or so. Finally the WWN was persuaded to switch on the SatNav and ask it to direct us to the nearest petrol station. which transpired to be at an Intermarche hypermarket just 1 mile away.
We drove back along the Loire to Chinon and took the lift up to the castle to enjoy the views. A beer and glass of wine was now required so we could decide where to have dinner. This proved somewhat difficult and outside of the tourist season most restaurants were closed. Eventually we found a very nice creperie in Montsoreau where a very charming lady provided excellent fare for all and on her own.
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