Day Ten - Looking for Troglodytes but Nothing is Open on Sunday

The Good News is That We Won't Be Slowed Down by Shopping

---

The shop door to the right has an "open" sign on it, but it looked like it was also locked-up for the season. The only people we saw in town were from the car that parked next to us. People must enjoy sleeping in on Sunday mornings in France.

A Look Back at Sainte-Suzanne

---

We had no time to dilly dally. We had many more "Beaux Villages" to see.

Why We Love to Tour Europe by Car

---

Following the GPS' directions out of town and toward our next scenic village we spotted a little sign pointing toward a medieval fortification. Taking a bit of a detour off the chosen route brought us to this interesting structure out in the center of farmlands. At first it looked much like many other rich farm estates with stone walls surrounding what looked like a farmhouse and stables. Closer inspection revealed small towers and turrets. Time to hop out of the car and take some photos.

From Here We Can Seen Sainte-Suzanne

---

We found a huge but vacant gravel parking lot next to this complex of stone buildings. A weathered fabric sign told us that this was some kind of Renaissance or medieval faire site during the tourist season. While writing up this blog back at home I read that the English army had built a huge complex of earthenworks around their encampment when besieging the town of Sainte-Suzanne. Because of its ideal location perhaps this might be built on that old English campsite.

Closed for the Season

---

When Gail and I got closer to these buildings it became pretty obvious that this was just a re-creation of an old Middle-Ages fort. It would've been interesting if it had been open. Imagine a Renaissance Faire atmosphere with all those loonies speaking only in French.

Saving This Location for That Last Ultimate Trip

---

While we were traipsing around the grounds yet another camper with Dutch license plates showed-up in the big empty parking lot. He simply did a U-turn and headed onward obviously in a hurry to get in front of us and impede our progress. Before long we caught up to him on the main road and had to wait for miles before we could get around him.

Bridge on the River Loire

---

It almost looks like one of the local steel bridges over the Susquehanna, but this metal suspension bridge took us from Champigny to the southern side of the Loire River, to the village of Montsoreau.

They Were Expecting Us

---

Montsoreau was recommended on the same website that Sainte-Suzanne had been. I was expecting much more. As we got off that long bridge we were drawn to a big chateau overlooking the river and a small village. I decided to park in this spot for "Lunds" in order to take a few photos.

Who Goes Sailing in This Weather?

---

Eevn though it was a very bright sunny day, the temperature was in the mid 40's, winds were very brisk and the river was swollen and muddy after all those days of rain.

Montsoreau Chateau

---

Apparently the river has shifted over the years. From Wikipedia: "The Château de Montsoreau is a castle in the market town of Montsoreau, in the Maine-et-Loire département of France. It was constructed in 1455 by Jean de Chambes, a senior councillor to King Charles VII. Erected on the bank of the Loire river, it was a strategic fortress, controlling river traffic between Chinon and Saumur. In fact the castle of Montsoreau has an exceptional position at the confluence of two rivers, the Loire and the Vienne, and at the meeting point of three historic regions: Anjou, Poitou and Touraine. Unlike other castles by the Loire, Montsoreau was directly built in the river."

Rather Disappointing

---

Despite all the signs telling the obviously clueless tourists exactly where the chateau was located, there didn't seem to be much to look at. You've seen one chateau, you've seen 'em all I guess. My colleagues never left the car.

Another Detour

---

This one nearly resulted in another one of our famous off-road excursions similar to our Scottish expedition through sheep pastures in the dead of Winter. Since the chateau had been so "meh", I figured there had to be more in Montsoreau for it to be deemed a "Beaux Village". Following a long stone wall that paralleled a narrow street we rose up above the heights of the town. Hoping the road would bring us to a beautiful vista above the village and castle we continued upward as the road grew ever narrower. Finally it ended at a small farm's driveway - with the farmer in the driveway with abucket of feed for his sheep. With a quick salute we reversed in his driveway and headed back downhill praying no one was coming up this way. This picture is about as good as the view got.

Back on the Right Road

---

I always though "troglodytes" were some sort of mythical monsters or pre-historic creatures. It seems that it just means "people who live in caves". The town of Saumur along the Loire has numerous dwellings dug into the cliffside. We found a cave that was being used to cultivate mushrooms. Naturally it was closed.

Wrong Season to See the Mushroom Farm

---

While Cassie and I sat in the car and calculated our next move now that the mushroom farm was closed, Gail and her mother hiked up the hill to take a long around.

It Would Have Been a Much Different Story Had It Been Open

---

The two biggest mushroom lovers in the family had no interest in hiking up this hill to look at a boarded-up cave.

A View at the Top

---

Gail took this photo of the entrance to the mushroom caves. I didn't miss much.

Looking Out Across the Loire Valley

---

I do regret not seeing this view of the flooded river plain. It must be typical weather in the area however because no roads were blocked-off and nothing was being reported on the news. The damp weather helps the mushroom growth.

Home of a Troglodyte

---

As we continued our journey we found more and more homes and garages built into the cliffs along the Loire. It can't be good for one's health living in a damp musty cave but maybe all that wine and bread cut down on the incidence of tuberculosis and negate the cancers caused by radon.

So Where's the Abbey?

---

Next on the day's itinerary was to take a look at Fontrevaud-L'Abbaye. Not exactly a big attraction according to the green Michelin guide or my online research, but with so many brown historic roadside signs pointing the way, we set course for our next adventure. Somehow we ended-up on another ultra-narrow one lane farm road that provided some scary but interesting views of life off the beaten track in France. Eventually we came to the abbey where a decent sized village surrounded the complex. But the big abbey parking lot gave us no indication of where to walk to find the actual lobby. A good ten minute hike through an apartment complex and some narrow alleys eventually got us there.