On our third day in Amboise we got up pretty early so we could rent bikes and ride around the countryside. We chose a path that was 40 km (about 25 miles) that went to Chenonceaux and then back. I was a little unsure because that’s more miles than I ever do in a typical way but I knew it was fairly flat and we had all day. As soon as we exited the city and were biking in the countryside I was so happy we were doing it. It was even more beautiful than I imagined and so peaceful. We passed a few bikers early on but for the most part we were on our own and it was glorious. It felt like the whole countryside was ours. Just how I like it.



Around noon we saw a great little spot along the river to stop and have lunch. We pulled out our picnic supplies and soaked in the scenery. After a nice break we rode along the river some more and through a couple of small towns. Just outside of Blere we were biking near the river when Walker said did you see that? I was like huh, what? When I realized what he must have meant I said you mean the camels? We just began laughing because we were not expecting that at all. After seeing a sign for a circus in town it all made much more sense. A bit farther down almost directly on the path we encountered another camel, a lama, a horse, a miniature horse, and a longhorn (hookem!). It was the most surprising moment of the ride.





We finally made it to Chenonceaux but chose not to visit the castle (perhaps we are regretting it now-pretty much everyone we met later that day went on about how beautiful it was). It really did make the most sense at the time and I honestly don’t regret it. It gave us the time to really enjoy the ride which was what we were wanting. I keep hearing people talk about slowing down and not jamming everything in and I think if we would have toured around we would have felt rushed the rest of the day. On the way back we stopped a few times for wine tasting and ended up with about 6 bottles of wine added to our bags (they were just so cheap!). Unfortunately both of our right knees started to hurt so the ride back was a bit painful. When we got back to town we picked up the rest of our stuff and biked a few miles out of town to our next airbnb-The Troglodyte Cave! They were super warm and welcoming and the room was quite romantic. And seriously after that day of biking a soak in the tub was just about the best thing next to sleep.

On our last day in Amboise it was a bit rainy and overcast but it sort of worked perfectly because we were still tired from our ambitious bike ride from the day before. We had breakfast served to us by our hosts and then we took a walk nearby to a viewpoint and vineyards. Originally we had planned to bike around again but our knees were still hurting and I really didn’t mind the slower pace and not really having a plan. After our walk we went out in search of a grocery store and laughed pretty hard when we realized I had taken us to a food distribution center. Google maps wasn’t working quite like I’m used to. Our mishap did lead us to finding a double decker bus serving pizza in the middle of an industrial area. It was bizarre to say the least but we did end up eating here 2 times mostly because it was cheap and easy. We had an early night since we’d be traveling the next day and enjoyed our last night in the cave. The overnight train and Lisbon is up next!