From ANGERS city to ORLÉANS city through the LOIRE VALLEY, its castles and caves/troglodytes (wines, mushrooms, museums)

Themes:

buildings/landmarks: castles, cathedrals, churches, abbeys, fortresses, timbered houses

food: biscuits, galettes, croquants, macaron, rilleaux, fouaces

gardens, vegetable gardens, flowers

horse-riding: Cadre Noir horse riding National School

mushroom: most of the French mushrooms are produced here

stones: falun, troglodyte, tuffeau, caves, undergrounds, sarcophagus

tradition: guinguette

water: rivers, lakes, ponds

wine: beer, cider, juice, liquors (Cointreau, Guignolet), rhums, spirits, syrups, whiskys, white, pink

Cabernet d’Anjou, Cabernet Sauvignon, Coteaux du Layon, Rosé d’Anjou, Saumur

Angers: Lac de Maine, castle and cathedral, Museum Jean Lurcat and Tapistry, Museum of Beaux-Arts and Galerie David d'Angers

Saint-Barthélémy: Pignerolles vegetable garden and Jardins d’Expression

Trélazé: Lac Bleu, Museum of slate

Castles of Plessis-Bourré, Plessis-Macé and Brissac-Quincé

### Rochemenier: the most complete troglodytic village in the Loire Valley : 2 former farms with dwellings and outbuildings digged in the shelly sand rocks, underground chapel (cathedral cave), and modernised dwellings.

=== Saint-Hilaire-de-Florent ===

### Cadre Noir Ecole Nationale d’Equitation (National horse riding school). Resulting from the military equestrian tradition, The Cadre Noir Saumur forms the faculty of the National Riding School. Includes Grand Carousel, stables and saddlery of honor - to discover the history of Cadre Noir since its inception in 1815 and the operation of a unique school in France.

### Museum of the mushroom, duo-entrance along with Pierre et Lumière (cave museum of chalk castle sculptures)

=== Doué-la-Fontaine ===

### Troglodytes and sarcophagus site: the most comprehensive and unusual to show the many ways in troglodyte since the Middle Ages: a kind of safe underground castle, chapel and farm troglos, cellars called "cathedrals", refuge of the last war. The tour also reveals the mystery of the largest in Europe sarcophagi quarry, wine cave. The couple running the site are on CouchSurfing so you can contact them to stay there and sleep in their yurt.

### Site des Perrières, Le Mystère des Faluns, monumental troglodytic scenography.

### Maisons Troglodytes de Forges: houses of Saumurois hamlet, French-style hobbit town.

=== Montsoreau ===

### Marché des Vins de Loire (in a troglodyte)

### Saut de Loups, Champignonnière (mushroom production site)

### Montsoreau castle, great view over the Loire Valley

### Gîte troglodytique Le Clos de la Vignole à Truant (troglodytic holiday cottage). Free visit and wine tasting

=== Fontevraud ===

### Royal Abbey of our lady of Fontevraud, complex of religious buildings founded in 1101.

### Brézé castle, partly troglodytic, including moat (deepest dry ones of Europe), dovecote, drawbridge, magnanery, tuffeau stables, rampart walk, huge press (to make juice out of fruits).

### Biscuiterie Artisanale Les douceurs du terroir: macarons de Fontevraud, galettes angevines, croquants de l’abbaye.

### Candes-Saint-Martin

=== Saumur ===

### Castle + Place Saint Pierre and its old timbered houses and timber frame, made of mud and tuffeau stone

### Distillery Combier, oldest distillery in the Loire valley, still active, discover the secrets copper stills which takes place for more than 175 years, the fabulous alchemy of fruit liqueurs.

### Maison des Vins de Saumur/Loire, free

=== Chinon ===

# Forteresse Royale (royal fortress)

# Cave Monplaisir: wine tasting in a 2500m² old underground quarry cave. Free

# Table des Fées, Chateau and Jardins du Riveau

# Castle and gardens of Ussé

# Castle and gardens of Chatonnière and Islette castle

# Azay le Rideau Castle and Vallée Troglodytique des Goupillières (troglodytic valley)

# Langeais castle (medieval style)

=== Rochecorbon ===

# DOMAINE LE CAPITAINE Alain & Christophe, free wine tasting and cave sightseeing

# Troglodyte village and its open-air café

=== Tours and Vieux-Tours by night ===

Saint-Gatien cathedral

Rue Colbert for its timber houses

Church Saint-Julien de Tours

Wilson bridge and open-air café of Tours-sur-Loire

Musée de l’Hôtel Gouin

place plumereau and timbered houses

place jean-jaurès and the town hall

forteresse de montbazon

=== Montlouis-sur-Loire ===

### La Cave Restaurant troglodyte et plats fins (The cave: troglodyte restaurant and fine course)

### Cave des producteurs: recognized Excellence Cave, 25 winemakers welcome you in the maze of limestone tunnels where ripen about 2 million bottles. Free

### Domaine les Lutinières Dardeau Jean-Christophe, free 14-19h, Wine tasting and pure grape juice, Cave of excellence, during the tour, explore the old cellar-exposure ancestral wine-cellar and tools, the Sparkling developing cave, all complemented by a wine tasting accompanied by my garnished toast

### Chateau de la Bourdaisière, garden and vegetable garden of 600 tomato varieties

=== Around Amboise ===

### Chateau de Valmer, included in the Inventory of Historical Monuments and labeled Remarkable Garden: beautiful Renaissance gardens, Italian terraces, unique panorama: balustrades, statues, columns, stairs and fountains follow one another over eight levels. Checkerboard colors and flavors, edible plants and flowers adorn the vegetable garden, exceptional troglodytic chapel altar. Gastronomic workshops: picking and cooking wild plants or gourmet pastries, surprising pairings wines.

### Domaine National d’Amboise (chateau et jardins)

### Chateaux de Clos Lucé (Maison et Parc Leonard de Vinci)

### La Pagode de Cantaloup

### Mini-chateaux du Val de Loire: all the castles of Loire Valley in miniature

=== Around Chenonceaux ===

# Chédigny garden town

# Chateau de Chenonceau, reflets du Cher, jardins traditionnels français (Diane de Poitiers, Catherine de Médicis, labyrinthe et Jardin Vert), jardins illuminés à partir du 1er juillet de 21h30 à 23h30

# Bourré, La Magnanerie, Site troglodytique

# Bourré, La Cave des Roches, village pittoresque, extrait de tuffeau (pierre des chateaux) et creation d’un réseau souterrain de plus de 400 km de galeries sur 7 etages a 40 metres sous terre, seule champignonniere en pleine activité agricole et actuellement ouverte au tourisme (2 visites guidées: Cave - Carriere et Ville souterraine)

# Saint-Aignan-sur-Cher: zoo de Beauval

# Saumur Place de la Bilange 1/07 19h30 onward, Silken blues rock pop concert

### Domaine de Chaumont sur Loire, propriété de Catherine de Médicis, festival international des jardins, jardins de Lumière à partir du 1er juillet

### Villandry: Chateau et jardins à la française (potager, d’eau et d'ornement) de Villandry, labyrinthe, vue depuis le belvédère, nuit des 1000 feux et ambiance Renaissance (2000 bougies) et feu d’artifice les 3 et 4 juillet, Expo Jardins Renaissance en Val de Loire

# Blois - Chateau Royal

# Domaine de Cheverny and its English-style garden, jardin des apprentis

# Chateau de Chambord

# Beaugency town and castle

# Meung sur Loire town and castle

Vocabulary / glossary:

belvédere: panoramic viewpoint

chemin de ronde: wall walk, rampart walk

croquants: crispy puff pastry / almond biscuit

douves: moat

écurie: stable

fouaces: round airy French bread somewhat similar to pita, served with pork rillettes (meat similar to pâté and commonly made from pork), salted butter, goat cheese, mogettes (white beans), and chocolate

galettes: shortbread

guinguette: open-air café

magnanery: site of sericulture (rearing of silkworms for the production of silk), or silk farming.

pâté: mixture of cooked ground meat and fat minced into a spreadable paste. Common additions include vegetables, herbs, spices, and either wine or brandy (often cognac or armagnac). Pâté can be served either hot or cold, but it is considered to develop its fullest flavor after a few days of chilling.

maisons à colombages: timbered houses

pigeonnier: dovecote

pont-levis: drawbridge

potager: vegetable garden

rillettes: meat preparation similar to pâté. Commonly made from pork, the meat is cubed or chopped, salted heavily and cooked slowly in fat until it is tender enough to be easily shredded, and then cooled with enough of the fat to form a paste. They are normally used as spread on bread or toast and served at room temperature. Rillettes are also made with other meats, goose, duck, game birds, rabbit and sometimes with fish such as anchovies, tuna or salmon. Le Mans, Tours and Anjou in central France are notable sources of rillettes.