{Tours, FR}

After meeting in Bruxelles and returning to Paris afterwards, Jon and I decided to take another day excursion somewhere else. We've spent a lot of time in Paris, and it is always FANTASTIC, but we both wanted to try something new and go somewhere that neither of us has been. (Insert winy "I live in Paris and get tired of it sometimes" comment) We woke up before the crack of dawn and ventured down to Paris Montparnasse train station and took a train to Tours, France.

I've always wanted to travel to Tours. UA has a summer study-abroad program there and many of my French major friends participated in it so I've always had a little envy about the French country-side lifestyle.

We arrived at 8:30 in the morning (a little over an hour for a direct train ride from Paris) and set out to walking around the city. We ate breakfast in a park, explored the gardens of the Musée des Beaux Arts, visited the large cathedral in the center of the city and found a large stuffed elephant.

#typical #RTR

Flags along the Pont Wilson crossing the Loire River

Hotel de Ville (Town Hall)

I've heard through various avenues that you can rent bikes and go about the city for the day but when I started doing research I found this company that allows you to rent bikes for anywhere from a 1/2 day to lots of days to choose the length of your own excursion. They have bike locations in cities all along the Loire River valley and you can turn you bike back in at any of these locations. 

The Loire River stretches from the Atlantic Ocean through the central region of France. 

It's banks are dotted with chateaus and villages and little swimming holes. 

The trail we biked was mostly right along the river. It was an absolutely PERFECT day weather wise. 

We stopped and ate our lunch on a rocky beach next to the water's edge. It was like being in a dream!

Jon + bicycle on a plaza overlooking the river.

We decided we wanted to do a half-day (4 hours for 10Euros/bike) and bike to Amboise. Amboise is a town about 30km away from Tours and it's home to the chateau where Leonardo Da Vinci is buried.

This is a view of Amboise from a bridge crossing the river. We didn't actually go into the chateau because it was crazy expensive! We did, however, eat gelato and visited a museum in their town hall. 

We were super thankful for a sunny and warm day together... even if it meant sore muscles and extreme sunburn the next day.

Grâce à Dieu!