2023 - La Loire à Vélo: Day 19: Sun 11 Jun - Tours to Amboise, 35km; total: 384.5km

17-27 degC, partly cloudy for most of the day and a little humid, the wind has changed direction and we had a slight tailwind today

Walk: 4km; total: 146km

After a little sleep-in because we knew we didn’t have far to ride, Greg went downstairs for a coffee before breakfast. He noticed that the staff were setting up extra breakfast tables in the foyer area. So we dressed quickly and went downstairs for breakfast before a contingent of about 20 Americans (mostly young ones) arrived. We had selected our breakfast fare before most of them got there, so all we had to do was put up with the noise. They tend to speak very loud and all at once.

After breakfast we packed up at a leisurely pace and departed the hotel just before 9am, still a bit early Wendy thought. The km ticked over quicker today, probably due to the tailwind. The path today was well signed and well maintained bitumen all the way for the first time. Just a little undulating which didn’t bother us at all. We rode past lots of wheat, barley, oats, canola, broad bean crops, and vineyards, that all looked very healthy and neat.

We stopped at Montlouis-sur-Loire, just because we thought it may have something of interest. There were a few cafes/boulangeries, however, we were not in the market for mornos at that point. We decided that we just needed to kill some time, so stopped for about 30 minutes and didn’t do anything but chat. Onwards we travelled, until we were about 5km out of Amboise. There we stopped beside a lake (perhaps man-made) and had mornos and lunch.

It was market day today in Amboise so it was a bit hectic along the river front when we arrived. We soon found the street we needed to get the hotel and off we went. We would really like it if hotels would declare if their location is up a hill (big, small, or in between). We both engaged granny gears (not quite great granny) and made it to the hotel, Best Western Hotel Le Vinci Amboise about 12:30pm. We knew check-in was 3pm (which is ridiculously late, especially considering that you have to check out at 10am!) and sure enough, our room was not ready. This hotel does not have a luggage room, rather they keep it in the small reception area where people can trip over it when they’re coming or going. The rather stern looking lady manager tut-tutted about having to keep it for us, however begrudgingly agreed. What about the welcoming smile for another paying guest; not cheap either, AS$271 a night.

We set off back down the hill on our bikes, minus luggage, to fill in some time before check-in. Wendy visited Chateau Royal Amboise, while Greg, who had seen it before in 2019, strolled the streets and kept an eye on the bikes. The place was buzzing with tourists, a combination of the markets and the very popular Chateau, which is right in the town centre. There were 100s of cycling tourists amongst the 1,000s of motoring ones. The many cafes, restaurants and other shops were having a great day.

The Chateau itself was not quite as good as Wendy expected it to be. However, the gardens were very nice. “More old stuff”, she said, yeah that’s the idea! The old tapestries are popular in this region, but these looked the same as the ones in Saumur Chateau Royale. Nevertheless, it was an interesting way to spend two and a half hours.

After meeting up again, we purchased some ready made chicken salads from a chain bakery/restaurant/cafe called Paul, to take back to the hotel for dinner. We’ve been looked after by Paul before and it’s all quite yummy tucker, particularly their custard tart. Unfortunately, our other go-to supermarket, Carrefour, had closed at 1pm so we couldn’t get any takeaway grog. We cycled back up the hill and it was much easier without the luggage. We arrived about 3:15pm and the manager still didn’t appear that happy to see us. Anyway, we were soon checked-in to room 108, with the bikes secured in a bike and motor bike shed. Too late for a nana nap today. We unpacked, caught up on emails and stuff (very important) and talked about what to do tomorrow. Not having a city map, we decided to follow our noses.

Wendy managed to buy some beer from the bar at the hotel and we had our delicious chicken Caesar salads. It wasn’t long before Greg was ready for bed, however, he managed to stay awake for a bit longer.

Pics to follow. It’s funny how the Wi-Fi in Europe (1st world) can be so poor, when the back blocks of Cambodia or Vietnam (3rd world) can be so super fast.