Castles, Coteaux and Cushy Cannondales

tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538080659252842485.post-39178907652603926272007-02-25T15:44:00.000-08:002007-10-22T08:56:40.680-07:00Castles, Coteaux and Cushy Cannondales<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.trustedadventures.com/blog/3_/uploaded_images/La-Loire-737191.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; CURSOR: pointer" alt="" src="http://www.trustedadventures.com/blog/3_/uploaded_images/La-Loire-737151.jpg" border="0" /></a>As your Boeing 757 heads east en-route to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris">Paris</a> you peer out the window at the clouds blanketing the Atlantic and wonder what you've gotten yourself into. Your wife sits next to you, flipping through her Rick Steves<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rick-Steves-France-2007/dp/1566918111/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-3612947-3691040?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1182785522&sr=1-1"></a> <a href="http://www.eurobike.com/biketour/2007/loire.html">Loire Valley</a> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rick-Steves-France-2007/dp/1566918111/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-3612947-3691040?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1182785522&sr=1-1">guidebook</a>, excitement bubbling from her ears. </div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"> The trip was her idea, and it took some convincing to get you onboard. Eight days on the seat of a <a href="http://www.trustedadventures.com/pursuits.cfm?type=bike">bike</a>? Seriously? Aching quads and a sore caboose weren't exactly your idea of the perfect vacation. Wasn't there an easier way to explore <a href="http://www.trustedadventures.com/destinations.cfm?Country=1&Region=6">France</a> than straddling an aluminum tube? Sure, was your wife's response. You could travel by tour bus with hundreds of other Americans, make all of the expected stops and squint at most of the country through fingerprint-smeared windows. Or you could do it the fun way, by bike--off the beaten path, on local turf, with the wind in your hair. Well, when she put it that way... So you acquiesced, stomaching your concern--how could you complain to your wife that a biking tour sounded "too hard?" Fast forward to day three of your 8-day <a href="http://www.eurobike.com/">Euro-Bike & Walking Tour</a> <a href="http://www.eurobike.com/biketour/2007/loire.html">Loire Valley</a> itinerary. You've spent the morning leisurely criss-crossing through vast forests and vineyards, stopping for photographs and a Coteaux winery tour. You've meandered the gardens and stables of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C3%83%C2%A2teau_de_Chaumont">Chateau de Chaumont</a>, and chatted in rusty <a href="http://www.frenchassistant.com/default.asp">French</a> with a local farmer at a roadside stand. As you coast into the driveway of your hotel, perched tastefully beside the luminous <a href="http://www.castles.org/castles/Europe/Western_Europe/France/france12.htm">Amboise Castle</a>, it occurs to you you've ridden 36 miles over the day--36 miles! You're pretty darn proud of yourself. (Never mind the fact that when you do that math, that only comes out to about 4 miles per hour.) You feel great. Energized. The smell of ancient forest and taste of homemade crepes and Coteaux de Loire still tickle your senses. Sure, you exerted more energy than you would have on a normal day, but thinking back on it, pedaling was about the last thing on your mind. The few hills you encountered, you took in stride, which you attribute to your natural athletic ability. ...Or maybe it was your suped-up <a href="http://www.cannondale.com/">Cannondale</a>, sporting gel seats, hydraulic breaks, adjustable handlebars and shock absorbers. Whatever. As you and your wife stroll through the Amboise gardens with some time to spare before dinner, she wonders out loud if there is a better way to <a href="http://www.eurobike.com/biketour/2007/loire.html">explore the valley of the Loire</a>. You'd bet your biking shorts there isn't. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.trustedadventures.com/blog/3_/uploaded_images/Picture-5-784659.png"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; CURSOR: pointer" alt="" src="http://www.trustedadventures.com/blog/3_/uploaded_images/Picture-5-784605.png" border="0" /></a> Check out the Euro-Bike & Walking Tour Loire Valley <a href="http://www.eurobike.com/slideshow/2007/loire.html">slide show</a>. </div>Trusted Adventureshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10831520997868141577noreply@blogger.com