Amboise to Angers

DAY 12 - Amboise to Angers 16/10/2007

We headed off late to a supermarket petrol station only to find it was shut for maintenance and refuelling. Then after that it would be shut for a 2 hour lunch break making a total of 5 hours that it would be out of action. So we got fuel at an expensive petrol station and headed to Chateau de Chenonceau.

We actually paid to go and see the Chateau de Chenonceau and its gardens. The Chateau was bought by a King for his mistress because she was an efficient maid in waiting for the Queen. It is built out over the Cher River. The Queen at the time got jealous and liked it so much she turfed the mistress out and claimed it as her own. The Queen banished the mistress to another house which she then decorated so lavishly that Queen wanted that one as well.

sitting on the Web-Ellis trophy The Chateau had two gardens one designed for the mistress and one for the Queen. They were both in the middle of replanting so they were a bit bare. There are still lots of Kiwis and Aussies around filling in time before the rugby final between Australia and New Zealand, yeah right. Again we were incognito, but a Kiwi spotted Roger’s jandals and yelled out so the whole Chateau knew that there was a Kiwi in the house. Every time the other New Zealanders weren’t looking I put my All Black teddy on the Chateau furniture for a photo opportunity. Teddy could get used to this lifestyle if Frances was to marry the in-bred owner’s son.

Chateau de Chenonceau (spot the photo of teddy sitting on the rugby world cup)

After lunch we went to Chateau de Villandry over the other side of Tours Chateau de Villandry Gardens built by one of the Kings accountants many moons ago. The gardens were spectacular and included vegetable plots, Queen of Hearts/Alice in Wonderland gardens, topiary hedge gardens, wild woodlands and overhead vineyard walkways.

Chateau de Villandry Gardens

Fungi growing in mushroom caves in Bourré We visited some mushroom caves and a museum. The mushrooms were growing in bags in shelves in the caves and weren’t quite as exciting as I thought they would be. However there were lots of different (and ugly) varieties.

We went to a Council facility in Angers but the site was more for waste discharge and refilling and not camping. So we went to the next free camp in the small village of Feneu. The car park was tiny and unlevel. As it was getting late we parked on the kerb to try and get the bed at least level and get a good nights sleep. We didn’t get much the night before as the campsite was a long grass strip between a motorway and a well used railway line, close to an airport.

Tonigh Bloody church bells! t we have turned off through detour barriers to park assuming it would be quiet, but the barriers obviously mean nothing as every car in town speeds through them. The other noise comes from the church right next door. In France church bells ring every half hour. Roger said at least in a few hours it is only going to chime once. Yahoo, 4 hours to go. Unfortunately the bells ring twice, once 2 minutes before the actual time and then again on the actual time.

The town of Feneu must have a population of 2000 looking at the houses, I reckon 1998 drove past to see the tourists in the night. The other two waited until 7.00am the next morning to start the jackhammer. The only consolation is we had a nice tea. Being mushroom country we had three different types of mushroom pate and French shandy.

In France we can buy "panaché" which is pre-mixed lemonade and beer in small bottles. It tastes exactly like a good DB Export shandy.

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