Conference noted::bicycle

    There are  a  lot  of  outfits doing this, ranging from AYH groups
    staying  in  hostels  to  some  with  sag  wagons,  mechanics, and
    expensive hotels.  I haven't gone on any of them.

    A good  place  to  get  a  list  would be the LAW TourFinder issue
    (available  from  LAW  if  you're  not  a member, members get them
    automatically.) Also the back of Bicycling always has lots of ads.

    Sierra Club  runs  some  similar  tours with volunteer leaders, so
    they may well have the best price.

    Most of  the  tour companies are quite small, and they'll be happy
    to talk to you about what they offer.

    I've run into the Mallorys (True Wheel Tours) and found them quite
    helpful, so I'd try them first.

--David

    
    Yes, there seem to be lots of companies doing this, mainly small
    outfits.  Another place to look is at the back of Bicycling or
    Bicycle Guide, etc.  Lots of ads.
    
    Even Vermont Bicycle Tours (VBT) offers England and Holland tours
    this year, I recall.
    
    -john

	Vermont Bicycle Touring
	Box 711, Bristol, VT  05443

	(802) 453-4811

    Thanks for the input; I'll check the ads.  Since there seem to be so many 
    outfits offering European bike tours, can anyone help me home in on the 
    ones with the better reputations?  
    
    I'd also prefer touring with a group made up of mixed nationalities, 
    rather than one made up exclusively of Americans.

    I too am looking for a European Biking Tour.  In the May 1990 issue of
    Bicycling Magazine there are several articles on European Tours.  One
    is titled "Euro Tour Planner".  It has lots of good info on touring in
    several European Countries.  There are long lists of Tours Companies at
    the end of the article.
    
    	All Outdoors Adventure Trips 2151 San Miguel Dr. Walnut Creek CA
    94596 (415) 932-8993
    	Adventures Worldwide, Inc 830 Cemetery Ln., Aspen Co 81611 (313)
    925-4371
    	Backroad Bicycle Touring, Box 1626-LC, San Leandro, Ca 94577 (800)
    533-2357
    	Baumeler Tours, 10 Grand Ave., Rocville Center NY 11570 (800)
    622-7623
    	Bicycle Adventure Clud, 2369 Loring St., San Diego, Ca 92109 (619)
    273-2602
    	Bicycle Beano Vegetarian Tours, 59 Birch Hill Rd, Clehonger,
    Hereford, England KR2 oRF (0981-251-087)
    	Bicycle England 531 Northview Rd, Box C, Santa Barbara, Ca 93105
    	Bicycle France 2104 Gelnarm Pl, Denver co 80205 (303) 296-6972
    	Bike Tour France, Box 32814, Charlotte,NC 28232 (704) 527-0955
    	Chateaux Bike Tours/Bike France, Box 276, Denver Co 80201
    (303)296-6972
    
    There's lots more, but I am running out of time and need to get to a
    meeting.
    
    If anyone finds out any info please enter into this note.  Thanks
    
    Phyllis
    

    Phyllis I'm replying to your posting in CYCLE_RACING.  I (and I'm sure
    many other of us Europeans) will be happy to make suggestions for some
    cycling tours.  These would be of the do it yourself type (ie a
    smattering of french helps) carrying your own baggage etc. But can you let me
    know a bitwhat sort of cycling you want to do and what sort of things you
    want to see -
    
    	Hills ?  Or mountains ? or flat ?  Historic places, if so what
    epoque ? Forests ? Plains (Maquis) ? Straight agriculture ? How many miles
    per day ? Will you have a car ?  When abouts in the year (quite important) ?
    Where will you be based (for the other 7 days) ?
    
    A Michelin guide to France would be a good investment at this point in
    time to give you some more ideas of where you want to be.
    
    Finally, more with repect to the base note there used to be an organisation
    called `cycling for softies' which was based out of Marseilles, but I know
    nothing more about them..
    
    rod

    
    Rod's questions in .-1 are quite good.
    
    What I have refrained from saying, but will say now is: 
    why not do it yourself?  Depends on your tastes, and
    whether you know (or can learn) French at all, but armed
    with the Michelin (and the experience of people in these
    notes), you can construct a rewarding/challenging/pleasant
    trip of your own.
    
    What you get (for the same money or less than with a tour)
    is freedom to spend longer or shorter time at any spot;
    to go up an interesting valley not on the itinerary, or 
    see a ch�teau you hadn't planned on; or skip dreary areas
    or awful weather.
    
    You miss socializing with a cycling-group (which would be
    nice if they were international); and you have to improvise
    on lodging (that's what I always did, with increasingly 
    successful results); but the freedom and closeness to the
    people and landscape are worth it (at least to some).
    
    Just something to think about...
    
    -john

    I agree with John (I think that everybody ALWAYS agree with John). 
    When I decided to hike the Inca Trail, I was considering an "adventure
    tour".  What you get for your big $$$ is somebody to take care of your
    logistics and have people carry your bags (sag wagon in the case of a
    biking tour).  It is intimidating to attempt to do it on your own but
    once you get to your destination, your worse fears disappear.  As John
    says, you also get the freedom of movement (stay an extra day in a
    charming village, etc). 
    
    The language may be a barrier but then I remember renting a bike in
    Beijing to tour instead of joining a bus tour.  I got to see much more
    because a bike allowed me to cover more area in less time (Forbidden
    City, Tiamen (?) Square, etc).  I even got lost and still managed
    only knowing how to say Thank You in Mandarin...
    
    Eric
    
    P.S.  My total expense for the Inca Trail was 1/10 of the tour price.

    After seeing some of the prices of these tours, I agree that going by 
    myself would be much cheaper.  About 10 years ago, I spent 2 months
    wandering around Europe with a backpack.  I stayed in hostels (never
    again!) and camped out.  I did met a lot of interesting people, but I
    think that was mainly due to the fact that I was hitch-hiking, travling
    on trains, and staying in hostels.  I like to share my experiences with
    people, and bicycling around Europe by myself sounds like a pretty
    solitary activity.  Besides, the language would be a problem, 
    particularly in France.
    
    If enough people in the conference are interested, maybe we could
    organize our own tour.  What say ya?
    
    

    There are  often  ads  from  a  person  trying  to find travelling
    companions  in Sierra Club, Appalachian Mountain Club, and similar
    club newsletters. I organized a tour of Ireland for myself and two
    other  people,  and it's remarkably easy. Get the maps, and relax.
    It helps to go a bit off season so places won't be full.

--David

	Re Rod's note - I think "Cycling for Softies" was a UK thing from Susi
Madron (can she be anything but a poseuse with a name like Susi? ;>).....), I
think maybe up North somewhere.  A guy from Welwyn office went to the Rhone
Valley and said it wasn't bad.  Most of these tours seem to offer bike hire
inclusive which may be a big plus (or even a big minus!!) - it depends on what
you want.
	I vote for DIY, choose a small area, in France preferably, say Auvergne
Cevennes or Herault and just doodle about.  Look for small places full of the
locals, be prepared to look foolish with the language, and forget about
everything else.  If anyone wants to come here and leave a load of stuff and do
just that, give me a mail.

    I lead tours (Vermont) for Vermont Country Cyclers.  They also have 
    European tours available.  The international operation is called 
    Travent International.  The number (same as VCC) is 800-325-3009.  Call
    them for a couple of great catalogs, VCC and Travent, photographs alone
    will get you psyched to go.
    
    Tour              Days   Price
    Loire Valley       8     $2525
    Dordogne Valley    8      2325
    Provence           8      2375
    Burgundy           8      2350
    French Immersion   6      2475
    Taste of Burgundy  5      1375
      "      Provence  5      1475
      "      Normandy  5      1275
      "      Switz.    5      1475
    Swiss Lakes        8      2375
    Cotswolds          6      1775
    Ireland            8      2175
    Holland            8      2150
    Venetian Heartland 8      2525
    Japan              9      2275
    
    $350 deposit per person
    
    Includes:
    Double Occupancy w/ private bath
    Daily local breakfast
    Dinner daily except where noted on daily itineraries
    All taxes and hotel gratuities
    All maps and detailed route directions
    Support van and baggage transfers
    Two bilingual tour leaders, usually 1 male, 1 female
    Group size from 11-32 persons, average about 18
    Bike helmet and handlebar bag
    Nishiki 12 or 18 speed bike, mixte/diamond/ATB frames
    Gourmet picnic lunch
    
    Note: Mention my name/code when calling...Tom Mayo  L-24
    
          If you want to see what/how the tours work, etc... suggest a 
          weekend tour in Vermont from $239-329 for two days.  VCC
          provides all the training/organization/model for ALL the tours,
          ie; New England, Mid-Atlantic, West, and Europe.
    
    Regards,
    Tom
    

    A DEC tour sounds great.  I am looking to go to France.  Being a runner
    and not a biker (I did triathlons though a few years back) I will have
    to train a bit on my bike.  I think I would be looking for something
    with historical/"the real France" flavor and not too hard.  After all I
    want to enjoy myself.
    
    Any one else with these tastes?
    
    Phyllis

    I have the brochure for the Travent tour.  While it sounds and looks
    wonderful, I find the prices  too high for my DEC salary.  Are there
    any less expensive tours?
    
    
    Phyllis
    

    re .9
    
    > I stayed in hostels (never again!) ...
    			   ------------
    
    	Why not?
    
    

    
    re .15, yes, I was about to ask the same question, "why not?"
    
    I biked in Europe last spring, went by myself, for two weeks,
    to Belgium and Holland.  Staying in the youth hostels, I would
    meet fine people from around the world to have dinner with,
    and go around the cities with.  If you a) don't want to really be
    by yourself *all* the time, b) can't find a friend  to go with, and
    c) don't want to spend a lot of money on an expensive tour
    (personally, I never would), then I don't see how you can beat the
    hostels.  Another advantage is that you need not carry camping gear
    because the hostels are located very conveniently within any day's
    ride.  Also, at least in Belgium and Holland, I had no problem finding
    people who spoke English.
    
    For this trip, I spent just under $1000 for the entire two weeks,
    including airfare, gifts for my family, a train hop, and eating *very*
    well.
    

    
    On hostels: I have occasionally stayed in a hostel on my bike
    tours - once in W�rzburg, once near Vicenza, and once in Kanazawa
    (Japan), and once in Valais (Switzerland).  By and large the experiences 
    have been good ones.  I have had fellow-travellers to talk with, with 
    whom I exchanged cards/letters later, and one of whom (a German young 
    lady in the Italian one) is now a good friend.  
    
    My Britain End-to-End route repeatedly encountered hostels at what
    seemed to be convenient distances from each other.  (But I stayed
    in B+B's the whole time, as I usually do on my tours.  Why?  Just
    prefer the privacy, and a whole room to re-organize my bike-ware.)
    
    So I have to admit, hostels have some things going for them ...
    including the cost.  Certainly an option to consider.
    
    -john

    I am a hostel fan but....
    
      German language hostels have a full time risk of being full of 
    badly behaved schoolkids.  Some of the larger ones (eg Garmish) have
    separate rooms to keep the kids out of the way but I have a lasting memory
    of being kept awake for a large proportion of the night the day before I did
    the Grimsel/Susten/Furka.  Also Bavaria has some restriction on age.
    
    I have stayed in at least one English hostel which didnt have a shower
    (but this can be found out before).
    
    I like French hostels (but I like most things french).  In addition
    France is well equipped with "G�tes d'etapes" which tend to be put
    there for walkers and climbers - these are rather like youth hostels
    but not for Youths.
    
    Having said all that I tend to take my tent and rough it - by the time
    you are carrying baggage (and have made the investment in the correct
    gears) the extra weight is really not an issue.
    
    rod
       

	
	I know about two organizations putting on bike tours in Europe.
	One of them (the first) sells trips fully organized. I mean
	from the trip it-self of several days, split up in stages of 50
	to 150 km, to the hotel reservations. 

	The adresses:
	KRAPF Veloreisen, CH-6231 Schlierbach, phone 045 / 74 27 25 and
	AGENZIA BELLIA, CH-5400 Baden, phone 056 / 22 08 55

	Just ask them for propaganda.

	Norbert

>     > I stayed in hostels (never again!) ...
    			   ------------
    
>     	Why not?

As a general rule, you have to be in your bed with the lights out by 10 pm.  

Need I say more?    
    

    re .19
    
    	Sorry, I don't understand those addresses.  Can you tell me how
    	to address letters from US to these tour organizers?
    
    	Thanks.
    
    	Mike
    

    Info on "Gites d'etapes"?
    

    re -.2
    
    These are addresses in Switzerland (hence the CH).  Just bung that on
    the envelope and put switzerland at the bottom.  FWIW in certain
    european countries you can internationalise a postcode by putting the
    country letters in front of the (national) postcode.
    
    re .-1
    Sorry I dont have any details, perhaps dome of the francohabitants can
    give more - all the G�tes I've found have been `by accident'.  A good
    start is your local French tourist information office (normally
    attached to a consulate or Embassy).
    
    rod (the one in cold, wet England)

    
    So the line breaks in the addresses would look like this,
    where "xxxstra�e yyyy" is the street name & number
    (not supplied in .19 - maybe the post office can find
    these companies anyway, or you can via a phone call):
    
	KRAPF Veloreisen        	AGENZIA BELLIA
        [xxxstra�e yyyy]                [xxxstra�e yyyy]
     CH-6231 Schlierbach             CH-5400 Baden
    
        [Switzerland]                   [Switzerland]

    re .20:
    
    WRONG!  You DO NOT have to be in bed at hostels by 10 PM with
    the lights out!  I stayed at about a dozen hostels in Europe (Belgium
    and Holland) and they all had bars and did not have a lights-out curfew.
    In fact, the hostels in most of the cities don't have curfews at all.
    
    Just how long ago did you use hostels?  Sounds like it was at
    least 20 years ago!  Things change - why don't you check it out?
    
    I would agree with the other noter who said that you do run the
    risk of large groups of schoolkids being loud, obnoxious, and
    generally immature.  But in the dozen hostels I stayed at, this was
    only a problem on one night.
    

    
    At all the hostels I have stayed at in the U.S. the curfew was around
    10:00pm.  Of course depending on how the hostel is set up someone could
    easily break curfew.  Alot of times the bed I was assigned was not
    attached to the main building.  
      One time at the Nantucket hostel I never went to bed.  I spent
    the night sitting on the beach talking with a girl from Australia.
    We were never missed.  Another time I jogged along the Cape Cod
    National Seashore by a full moon.
      With a home hostel this would be harder to do.
    
    							Norm
    

    
    re .26:
    
    Yes, the rules in hostels in the US are stricter (unnecessarily
    restrictive, in my opinion, but I won't get into AYH politics here)
    and more variable from hostel to hostel than they are in Europe,
    particularly with regard to alcohol and curfews.
    
    If you would like to use a hostel here in the US but don't want
    the restrictions, call the hostel ahead of time and find out.
    Particularly, the ones owned by National AYH are very restrictive
    (no alcohol at all, curfews of 11 PM or so in all by the city
    hostels).  The privately-owned ones are generally less strict,
    but that, too, varies.
    
    Again, no such problems in Europe (at least in Belgium and Holland).
    

    I have vivid memories of *running* back to several hostels in order to 
    make the 10pm curfew.  This was about 14 years ago; the hostels were 
    in the following cities:
    
    	Munich
        Cambridge (England)
    	Bath (England)
    	Grindlewald (Switzerland)
    
    Mind you, I stayed at many more hostels with 10pm curfews, but I don't
    recall having to run to get back on time.
    
    Most of the really fun activities in most of these cities take place
    on summer evenings.  If they have changed the curfew rules, I will 
    certainly consider using hostels again.
    

    The attitude of the YH tends to be on a countrywide basis (the
    exceptions being the YH's in big cities).
    
    My experience:
    	Bars, no curfew &c in:
    		France, Holland, Belgium
    	Run is a more traditional manner
    		Germany, Switzerland, England, France
    
    NB in several countries there are Hostels which are not aligned with
    the country wide federation and so no curfews &c.  Bahmers in
    Interlaken springs to mind as an example of one.
    
    Personally I dont have anything agaist curfews - when I'm on a cycling
    holiday I tend to be asleep by 9 and so having a curfew is a positive
    advantage when seen against the pleasures of being woken up at
    midnight, one and  two O'clock in the morning by a drunken rabble.
    
    FWIW
    	rod

    
    To echo Rod, curfews have their place, if you (like me) become
    a sleep-sponge after several days of centuries-with-panniers 
    through steep places.  I guess that's why I aim for the B&B's.
    Of course, in France it is usually small inns instead, where
    you sometimes get the pleasure of pinball machine vibrations
    rumbling up from the dining area on the ground floor.  I guess
    there are compromises everywhere.  :-)

This note describes a bicycling trip to France's Loire valley that we 
just completed.  It presents personal opinions based on our wants and 
tastes.  

In sum, we're very happy to have done the trip with our two boys (ages 15 
and 12).  We will do it again (without the kids) to see more of the 
chateau country.

The trip went almost exactly as planned.  We enjoyed the biking, 
sightseeing, food, people, everything.  The kids gave it a rating of 
6/10, about as high as I could have hoped they would give, for a trip 
that spent most time sightseeing ancient chateaux and cathedrals, and 
drinking wine %^).


BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

My wife and I are seasoned travellers.  While we know Paris well and have 
travelled to Burgundy, this is our first time to the Loire.  We're fluent 
to passable in French.

We have never toured by bike before, so we didn't want too much biking 
distance per day.  We planned to bike every other day or so, with an hour 
or two on the road, several hours of sightseeing and lunch, and then 
another hour or two on the road to reach the next destination.  Daily 
distances varied from 35 km (20 miles), to 55 km (35 miles) on the day 
that we had the heaviest rain and strongest wind.

We decided to travel to the east, to take advantage of the prevailing 
westerly winds.  This was a good idea.

Having our sons with us certainly influenced our plans.  They needed 
variety, with not too much time at any one place.  They quickly 
discovered the French love of video games and "flippers" (pinball 
machines), and spend some fun hours after a day's travel or sightseeing 
by spending 3-5FF per game (expensive by North American standards!), 
giving mom and dad some quiet time.

We wanted a budget vacation, with clean, comfortable, quiet rooms.  We 
first investigated guided bike tours, and found them to be MUCH too 
expensive.  Even the cheapest French-based tours would have cost us 
perhaps twice what we wound up spending, and I don't think that we missed 
anything thanks to our careful preparation.  

We reserved rooms ahead of time, using the Gites de France and Michelin 
guidebooks. As mentioned elsewhere, the Gites can be delightful, with 
good to great rooms for 2 costing in the order of 250FF a night including 
continental breakfast.  Other notes suggest that off-season, you don't 
need reservations; this is probably good advice.


MONEY

(To assist in understanding the prices quoted later, the exchange rate is 
approximately 4FF per C$ or 5FF per US$.)

We took some FF travellers cheques and French cash before leaving Canada, 
and got FF from bank machines in France using a VISA card. 

Recommendation: Comparing the effective exchange rates (after purchase 
rates and the minimum 2% exchange fee for FF tcheques), I would certainly 
take minimal travellers cheques and cash,  and use VISA to get cash 
advances of up to 2000FF per day from bank machines that are everywhere.  
(Note: From comments in other notes, it seems that you need a personal 
identification number of no more than 4 digits.  Mine has 4 digits and 
worked fine, every time. You can change your PIN number at your bank.)


TRANSPORT and BIKES

We shipped our bikes as baggage. I investigated packing the bikes in 
boxes ahead of time (for improved protection), and was told that the 
boxes would be oversize and therefore would be charged an enormous amount 
to ship them that way.  However, they could be shipped unboxed as one 
checked bag (Air Canada, Canadian Airlines, and Air France) if they had 
their pedals removed and handlebars turned.  Air Canada and Canadian 
provided a large plastic bag; Air France provided a box at a charge of 
50FF.  The bikes suffered only very little cosmetic damage.

Getting from Charles de Gaulle airport to downtown Paris had been a 
concern before the trip.  We decided to take the shuttle bus to the 
commuter train ("RER"), and then the RER to the Gare du Nord.  This was a 
mistake: bikes are not allowed on the RER, but the ticket taker allowed 
us to go on since it was a quiet Sunday afternoon.  Getting the bikes and 
pannier bags across turnstiles and up and down escalators was a hassle.  
On our return, we used an Air France bus from Gare Montparnasse to CDG, 
no problem; I took a few minutes at the station to prepare the bikes for 
travel (pedals and handlebars), and loaded them in the luggage bay 
stacked four-high.

We used the TGV from Paris to Angers and then for our return from Tours 
to Paris. What wonderful technology!  What a wonderful experience!  
Exceptionally fast, smooth, quiet, comfortable, restful.  

It cost an expensive 150FF shipping each way for each bike, and they 
could not guarantee delivery in less than 2-3 days.  I suspect that we 
could have taken a local train instead, and that as a result the bike 
shipping costs would be much less expensive and they would have travelled 
with us; however, we didn't try to find out.  Next time....

We had only a few minor troubles on the road: 1 flat, and then one soft 
tire on the same one that had the flat (but the cause was never found). 
There was one broken brake cable for a rear brake, and we were without a 
spare (never again!).  Fortunately, although we were in a small town when 
it happened, there was a bike store with spare parts, so repair was quick 
and painless.  (Good thing it wasn't on the road!)  Also, one spill, on a 
wet mud-slick road, with no damage except for a cut knee.

One minor annoyance: the automobile service stations don't have outside 
compressed air hoses for tires, as they do in North America.  We stopped 
at a station at the beginning of the trip and asked for help.  The 
mechanic took at least 10 minutes from his job to pump all 8 tires 
(hassling with Presta adapters and translating pounds per square inch 
into whatever), and wouldn't accept any payment at all.  I felt so bad 
about taking his time that we didn't try anywhere else afterward, and 
drove the rest of the trip with somewhat soft tires.


WEATHER

It was not too good, most of the time. We only had a few days of sun, 
most days were cloudy, and there were perhaps 4-5 days with at least some 
rain including one or two days that were downright cold. Aside from the 
rain and the really cold days, it was ideal cycling and sightseeing 
weather.   (It turns out that it was the same at home (Toronto, Canada), 
so we didn't miss anything by being away.  The summer that never was.)

 
FOOD

As always, eating in France is a pleasure.  Lunches were almost always 
picnics, with a baguette (well, 2 to feed the teens), charcuterie, 
cheese, and of course, wine.  Breakfasts were almost always croissants, 
bread, jam, hot chocolate and cafe au lait.  

Suppers were somewhat variable.  In Paris, we relied on a book called 
"Paupers' Paris" by Miles Turner (Pan Books) which helped us find good 
home-style meals costing about 60-80FF for a 3 course meal.  A good place 
to browse for restaurants is in the area around rue de la Harpe, on the 
left bank just across from Notre Dame.  Outside of Paris, food was much 
better for about the same price.  

Paris can be very expensive, so we didn't try anything fancy...except... 
against my better judgment, we stopped on the Champs Elysees for a drink 
one afternoon. It cost 200FF for 3 beers, 2 soft drinks, and a coffee! 
#$(*&$%.  NEVER again!

Outside of Paris, prices were very reasonable, except for some things 
like bottled water and Cokes (5-10FF for a small bottle).  


SIGHTSEEING

Everywhere, the French are spending literally 10's of millions of dollars 
per year to restore and renew their national monuments and museums.  It 
shows in two ways:  the results are usually great, but the closed 
buildings and scaffolds were somewhat annoying.  

In Paris, we walked everywhere (as we usually do); I wouldn't recommend 
biking in Paris.  Sites included Notre Dame, the Louvre, Sacre Coeur, the 
Eiffel Tower, the Champs Elysees, the Arch de Triomphe, and the left 
bank.

This was my first visit to the new Musee d'Orsay.  (Caution: make 
allowance in the following for an impressionist fanatic.)  What a 
collection!  What a beautiful setting for the French specialty of 
impressionist paintings!  What imagination and courage to take an old 
train station and turn it into a museum!  

In the Loire Valley we used the Green Michelin Guide (indispensable) for 
sightseeing.  For hotels, we used the Gites de France for lodging out of 
town and the red Michelin Guide for larger towns.  

We used the French IGN maps (scale 1:100,000) for navigation, and got 
tips for bike routes from La Federation de Cyclotourisme de France.

Angers was charming.  The medieval fortress was very impressive and well 
worth seeing.

The chateau in Saumur was less interesting but worth a stop. We stayed at 
a gite 5km west of town called "Croix de la Voulte", a 15th-17th century 
farmhouse that has been impeccably furnished by a very charming couple.  
I can recommend at an excellent restaurant called "La Croquiere".

The fortress at Chinon was the place where Joan of Arc met the King. It's 
a charming medieval town.  We stayed at a real 16th century chateau, 
("Chateau de Coulaine", 4 km west of town), with newly-renovated modern 
bathrooms and what must be 50 year old beds, 100 year old doors, and up 
to 200 year old furniture, run by a crusty old grape-grower/winemaker.  
The inside of the chateau was just a little spooky (for example, the 
large, dark dining room has 4 snarling fox heads overlooking the table). 
The owner said that one night two Canadians arrived with reservations, 
had supper, and then refused to stay; they decided to stay in town!  70FF 
for a great 5-course meal including good wine.  The first night we shared 
dinner with a group of people doing their sightseeing by horseback.

The abbey at Fontevraud was OK, but undergoing extensive renovation.  
Give it at least 5 years before spending much time there.

Azay-le-Rideau is a beautiful chateau and setting, but the inside was 
disappointing.

Chateau d'Usse is supposed to have been the inspiration for the "Sleeping 
Beauty" story.  Well worth a stop.

The gardens at VIllandry were spectacular; based on my hazy memory, they 
beat Versailles.

Tours, our last stop, has a medieval section worth seeing, but aside from 
that, it's not worth much time.

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Please fell free to send me a note if you want any more information.