More on the Loire

Following the Loire, each small area has its own type of wine, differentiated from its neighbors by local microclimate, soil make-up and type of grape. It was pretty interesting to see how much variety could come from such a small area... But to my untrained palate, I can't say I tasted too much difference. Below is a map of the various wines grown along the Loire- each color represents a different wine type.

Turning inland at one point, the bike path goes through a series of tunnels and dug-outs made hundreds of years ago. Riding through there alone was kind of eerie. Not just because of who might be hanging out in there, but it's strange to think about what history might have occurred in those old passages. The French Revolution was extremely violent...

When you're wine tasting along the Loire, you're either in a chateau or what's called a "cave." I never understood "cave" until I realized that the wineries were literally built into a hillside and were in fact caves.

Here some old caves were turned into some really cool boutiques.

And below, is a cave winery and the buildings surrounding it; all built into the hillside!

Signs point the way... Pretty easy to follow compared to the Camino at times...

Despite the well-marked route, you can't know everything along the way and this incredible castle was not on my planned itinerary.

Next to it, was the castle's own private church as well.

And then I got sick... Relegated to a full day in my hotel I left only for lunch and dinner but did manage to stumble upon a small parade in Ginon.

Not sure what the occasion was, but everyone was dressed like the olden days, walking and drinking wine alongside decorated carriages and 1950s tractors.

Ginon was a nice place to rest, though in my haste to keep riding I never really allowed myself to recover and after the full day in bed, found myself riding on towards Tours bright and early the next.