France: Azay-le-Rideau

Bike: 23 miles, 700 feet of climb

Accommodation: Troglodelice (Booking.com); hosts Anita and Philippe Sarrazin. Guest suite in tuffeau structure below old mansion, double bed and twin bed, separate entrance, garden access, wifi, kitchenette, a/c, NO washer, .75 miles from town center.

Dinner: Host recommended The Caves, Orangerie, and Ripaille, all .5-.75 miles away. We ate at Ripaille, which specialized in beef. Excellent meal and service.

Meghan headed off on her own today; she will rejoin us in Angers in a few days.

Ken, Konur, and I had an awesome ride through Savonnieres and Villandry to Azay-le-Rideau. This area is full of tuffeau (white or cream limestone) structures, including mansions built from the stone and dug nto the sides of cliffs.

Our room for the night was one of three renovated storage caves below an old mansion. We had a patio and lawn chairs in a private garden. Konur claimed a lawn chair and made himself at home with his book. After showers, we biked back to a restaurant at the edge of town, about half a mile away. Konur ordered his new favorite—hache (ground steak), fries, and a salad. Ken and I splurged on real steak (not ground).

A beautiful day cycling along the Loire.

We had plenty of time to wander around the small Chateau d'Azay-le-Rideau before we could check in to our guest room.

The chateau is built on an island from 1518 to 1527, during the reign of Francois I. It's architecture is influenced by French and Italian styles.

Konur's bed in our tuffeau guest room. The room stayed nice and cool even in the evening, when it was quite warm outside.