Saumur

We have been traveling through France for over a month now and the wheat and barley that we saw early on in the trip is now being harvested. The sunflowers are in full flower and the corn cobs are starting to fill out on the stalks, which are now taller than us. The grapes are still green and the fields around Saumur are full of vines. We cycled through them yesterday, on our way from Chinon and arrived in the mid afternoon of yet another hot day. The castle here is very prominent, but we have seen enough now and only stop for a few minutes to take in the view. You can have too much of anything.

Today started off wet so we decided to get our hair cut in town as it was forecast to clear as the day went on. It was interesting trying to explain what I wanted, so I tried drawing my head with suitable annotations. It did not turn out too bad, but is a little on the short side.

On the way to Saumur from Chinon






Saumur






The day was overcast, but perfect for cycling, as we set from Saumur around midday. The track wandered around away from the river and was a little hilly at first. We have been traveling along the Loire for so long now that hills are a rarity, but a pleasant change from the flat cycle paths that follow the river bank. We enjoyed the fresh weather and made good progress despite the late start. There were more cyclists on the road today, perhaps now that the peak holiday time is approaching, but the countryside is still very quiet. Some days we hardly see any people in the villages. All he places we passed through today are built from a white stone which is common in this area and gives an affluent look to the buildings. Most have gardens with vegetables and fruit trees, sometimes across the road from the houses and facing the river. We took a side trip and came across some standing stones by a lake before cycling through a wood. In the villages we passed through there were churches with centuries old frescoes and artwork. Crossing over to the north side of the river the cycle route took us back into farmland and towards the outskirts of Angers, where we are now staying.

Standing stone and lake






Overcast day on the Loire





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Location:Saumur, France