Bike trip to Villandry

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On Sunday, 5 of us did a full-day biking trip from Tours to Villandry (about 50 Km return). The weather was perfect--not too hot, not too cold, no wind.
The company which guided the tour and rented the bicycles arrived with about 15 bikes trailored behind a large van. They were very organized with tools, helmets, etc.
After assigning each of us a bike, we set out from in front of the main train station in Tours and headed across the Cher River. The city of Tours is located in between the 2 rivers: Cher and Loire.
We were able to stay on bike paths along the rivers for most of the day.
Our first stop was at a communal vegetable garden. It was interesting to me to see how they had planted their vegetables, all in large raised beds with an irrigation system.
Next, we stopped at Savonnieres -- les Grottes Petrifiantes. I asked why it was not "petrifiees". It is because the action of petrification is still going on. We had a guided tour of the underground caves and saw the calcification actually happening. They put articles in certain places in the caves and turn them frequently; the calcification takes from 1 to 2 years.
We stopped along the River Cher for a picnic lunch. We could soon see Villandry in the distance. It is very close to where the Loire and the Cher meet. The Chateau is very impressive, but we spent our time in the gardens. There are 9 full-time gardeners and I could see why. Each section was meticulously trimmed, surrounded with boxwood hedges. The gardeners are artists: they combine vegetables, shrubs, and flowers in very interesting ways. There was also a labyrinth and a medicinal garden.
Our trip home was along the north shore of the Cher river. My favourite sight along the river was an old mill--from the 10th Century maybe?
Just before arriving back at our starting point, we stopped in to see the gardens of the Prieure de Saint Cosme. Pierre de Ronsard (poet) was the prior here in the 15th century. Some of it is in ruins, but a lot of the buildings are intact. There are 9 rose gardens. If you've ever read any of Ronsard's poetry, you will remember the roses.
Just as we were dismounting from our bicycles, the rain started! It was such a pleasant day that I didn't mind getting soaked during our 35 minute walk home (no busses on Sunday).

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