Day 6  Friday 23rd May 2008

Another sunny day. We went Azay-le-Rideau to visit the Chateau. It is a very beautiful chateau on the banks of the River Indre (a tributary of the Loire). We also walked around the town to find where Elaine stayed as a teenager on a language exchange. We think we found it. After buying some stamps and sandwiches for lunch we moved on to Villandry. We did not find a pleasant spot for a picnic en route, but the car park in Villandry village was also a picnic spot with proper tables and benches. 

Chateau de Villandry was very interesting but the gardens are the most famous feature of the chateau. The gardens are extensive and include a water garden, ornamental gardens, the herb garden, a maze and most notable, the kitchen garden. This later has 9 squares of equal size but with different geometric patterns, each planted with vegetables of contrasting colours.  

Later we drove back and visited an engine and transport museum at Marnay. That was most interesting and made a complete change from chateaux. 

We stopped in Richelieu on the way back and sent some emails from a computer shop before returning to the cottage.

Start Mileage	 12033	Finish	12099		Miles Travelled = 66
							Total Miles = 614

Day 7  Saturday 24th May 2008

It rained heavily this morning and did not stop until close on lunchtime. We uploaded our website in a computer shop in Richelieu and dealt with emails. We also did some food shopping.

After lunch we went to Brézé to visit a medieval castle (no garden as it was raining). The castle was 2 in one as there is a subterranean castle in the chalk rock below the later chateau. The upper chateau was Renaissance but had neo-gothic refurbishments.  We explored both at a cost of €28 and it took quite a while. The chateau had to be a guided tour as it is still lived in. The tunnels underneath were really extensive and approached by a tunnel leading to the dry moat. We only saw a fraction of them. There was also a magnificent pigeonnier.

On the way back we called in Montreuil-Bellay but the massive medieval castle was closed to the public for some event.

Start Mileage  12099	Finish  12176	Miles Travelled = 77
							Total Miles = 691