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Our Family Adventure in the Loire Valley offers glimpses of how French royalty lived and provides the whole family with memories to share. For centuries French kings and queens gathered here to attend elegant balls in magnificent châteaux, to hunt in forests rich with game, and to plot against one another with the highest of stakes in power and wealth. Our route takes us to the grand châteaux of Chenonceau and Amboise, both once lively centers of royal life. Bright sunflower fields, shady forests and endless vineyards provide an idyllic backdrop as we bike on quiet country roads between the Loire and Cher rivers. In the evenings we dine like royals, enjoying such local specialties as sander (freshwater pikeperch) with beurre blanc, sanglier(wild boar), goat's cheese, and a superb variety of pastries and puddings such as crèmets d'Anjou.
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• A private guided visit of Catherine de' Medici's glamorous Château de Chenonceau on the Cher River
• Creating your own scrumptious galette at a crêperie
• Climbing atop the Pagoda of the charming Château de Chanteloup
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Highlights include:
Our guide will not only show us the ins and outs of this famous and unique castle but we will learn what life for children and young people was like in the Middle Ages.
Stopping by a local crêperie and watching how crêpes and galettes are made, crafting our very own, and then dining on our delectable creations.
Exploring a pagoda, the unusual remnant of the grand 18th c. Château de Chanteloup.The pagoda is a 7-story tower built in the Chinese style with each story smaller than the one just below; and the uppermost story has impressive views all over the park.
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Hotels:
• One night at the Château de la Tortiniere, a lovely manor house overlooking the Indre River Valley.
• Two nights at Le Choiseul, a former 15th c. royal residence.
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Dates: Jul 14-17, Jul 28-31, Aug 4-7, Jul 13-16, 2009, Jul 27-30, 2009, Aug 3-6, 2009, Aug 10-13, 2009
Length: 4 days/ 3 nights
Level: 1 A/B
Daily Mileage: 15-35 miles on flat to gently rolling terrain.
Cost: $2380
Single Supplement: $400
Meals: All breakfasts and dinners;picnic lunch
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