September 9

Left Paris today and it was quite a travel day. We walked about a half mile down Charles de Gaulle rolling our bags to pick up our car. No issues renting. But we couldn't figure out how to get the car to change gears and then it magically started working. David was the pro at driving out of Paris. What a nightmare with traffic. We finally got out of town and Avi needed food and we needed coffee. Stopped at a little town called Orsay and found the Europe we remembered. Nothing was open for food. Nothing. We found a bakery and bought quiche and sandwiches and carried our food into an Asian restaurant that was open for coffee only. The lattes were actually decent. Back on the road again, we made our way to Chateau de Chambord. Decided this would be the castle we would view and bought tickets. The castle was an incredible place but once again, construction restoration marred the view of the beautiful castle. We stopped again for some coffee and it was decidedly awful. France is not getting my vote for coffee. Does not compare to Italy or Greece. We drove on to Vouvray and tried to find a place to eat. Other than our quick bakery experience in Orsay, we had not eaten. Nothing was open yet in Vouvray so we checked into our cave house. What a place. Unforgettable. This is a true cave house with the musty smell to accompany. But it was well appointed and very comfortable. But definitely one of the strangest places I have ever stayed. Back to trying to find a place to eat. Nothing in Vouvray was possible. All filled up with reservations. Finally we drove back to Amboise and found a pizza place that was Italian that would seat us. By then, we were no longer picky. The food was passable and we were grateful. On the drive back home, the beauty of the Loire Valley was unreal. A full moon hung in the sky and the river wound through the countryside. Just a beautiful place.