Tour Day 6 - Loop Ride from Sarlat, Canoe Trip on the Dordogne, Beynac Castle - and Farewell to Four New Friends

FSunday's adventures were fabulous and bittersweet - we had our last tour day with Nanette, Eric, Debbie and Carol (as well as guide Bruno). They were on the 7 day tour and this was their last full biking day before leaving for Paris via train on Monday morning. So 13 touring cyclists and our intrepid guides set our 10k path to Vitrac, where we traded bikes for canoes and terrific vistas from the water.

The guides make everything seamless - bikes are taken to the end of the canoe trip, and bags are always waiting for us at the end of each ride!

Enjoy the sights of the Dordogne Valley from canoe! The current made our 12k on the river a delight.

The castle in the distance is Beynac - and we will be climbing again for 5k to visit it.

The guides had a superb picnic lunch spread all set for us near the end of the canoe trip. Everyone felt that it might be our favorite meal of the entire trip thus far (and we are eating really, really well)...

Off the canoe and back on the bikes - the castle awaits!

The climbing by bike and by foot was so worth it - note that I am looking at Castlenaud La Chapelle in the far distance (center high) - we visited that yesterday! The English (Castlenaud) vs. the French (Beynac) - a microcosm of the Hundred Year's War.

Regal Beynac - it is privately owned but was restored and open to the public to pay for the maintenance.

The views are breathtaking at every turn.

This armor display dated from 1190 A.D. - used in the Third Crusade. 

Yes, I really did this - and it was so worth it. Amazingly claustrophobic, by the way. But how cool to actually feel what a knight's helmet felt like, if just for 20 seconds!

We returned to Sarlat late in the afternoon on a hilly, beautiful route. The final dinner for the group of 13 was in a most lovely courtyard restaurant in the heart of Sarlat. Farewell and hugs to Debbie, Carol, Nanette, Eric and guide Bruno - we will miss you!

Eric and Nanette at the "first farewell" dinner in Sarlat.

June does a close and reverent examination of dessert - magnificent!

A close-up of dessert - we don't do many food pictures but this one was too beautiful not to record.

Au revoir for now - we leave Sarlat Monday AM for Les Eyzies. Lots of climbing yet to come but we are really adapting to the task!