We left Les Eyzies (and yes, we all got a laugh out of the name Hotel des Roches) and set out for Saint-Nexans around 9 am - with one last photo that included tour friends Nino and Shirley.
There was rolling terrain with some "warming climbs" (our morning temperatures are in the high 40's but reach the 70's by midday) - we enjoyed some great cycling along canal paths with minimal traffic. The route was 76km (47 miles).
Great churches and quiet roads - the biking has been super!
We had planned to stop at a cafe on this street in Lalinde, but saw a small food market first that just screamed "have a picnic"! So I went in an stocked up on cheese, meats, nuts, cookies and a baguette - now we just needed to find a good spot!
Our picnic spot was perfect - a little town square in Lanquais, just 6km down the road from the market.
The perfect picnic locale - a bench, shade, refuse receptacle and water from the pump!
Another 5k brought us to my #1 favorite town name - if only I'd known in advance, I could have held up a sign that said "VRAI OU..." . Just one of those missed opportunities :)
More picturesque vistas through Faux.
This day also brought my sweetest encounter with a local - neither one of us needed to speak the language to have a perfect exchange of love and affection...
We had a wonderful visit to Montbazillac Chateau that included a tour and a wine tasting - both were fascinating! We loved their sweet white wines.
Peter in front of the marvelous Montbazillac Chateau - we think Walt Disney must have copied some of the architecture. The first family to settle this land dated back to 1200.
Harvesting of grapes is now done by machine - the vines are trimmed to a regulation height and the grapes all grow in tight clusters at the bottom of each vine. The machine has "beaters" that can strip the grapes from the stems cleanly. It is quite amazing to watch.
The best surprise came when we did the final climb to our hotel - La Chartreuse du Bignac. Look it up - it is magnificent. The room was of a royal scale and to my right are doors that open directly to a grassy terrace overlooking fields and vineyards. It was extraordinarily beautiful. Way to go Experience Plus!
Peter had a lovely spot to sketch and paint - that is the hotel from the back, and our room was to the far right in this photo.
And here is the outcome.
I was enchanted by the resident black swans in the mill pond.
Tour leader John Giebler pouring fabulous white wine for me - I had too much but didn't care!
It was a late night as we lingered at the table until well after 10 pm (almost 3 hours!) - fortunately we have been told that Wednesday's ride is mostly flat and down for 77km - long, but not as strenuous. Tomorrow is another adventure day!
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