We awoke this morning to the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and freshly baked croissants. In my estimation there is no better way to wake up!
Today's breakfast consists of French Toast, French pressed coffee, juice, scrambled eggs, hash browns, and so much more that I can't even begin to remember what else we had, but what I do remember is taking breakfast outside into the formal gardens. It was such a beautiful morning as the sun rose over the Western Lorie Valle and the morning dew glistened off the soon to be harvested grapes. Just amazing!
After breakfast everyone (Walkers, Riders, and Crew-members) assembled for the morning review of the route. Today we will be walking close to 14 miles, but in between we will stop at Le Puy du Fou, a themed amusement park, located just 7 miles from the Chateau. The Riders have a little bit further to ride about 40-miles today, but we all end up at the park.
We waved goodbye to the Riders, knowing we would be seeing them again in a few hours, and headed on our route. This morning we walked the 7-miles north to the park, along the way we passed freshly bundled hay and sheep making their way into the fields. The roads this morning are quiet and less traveled than some of the other days.
We arrive that the Park just after 11:30am, which will give us plenty of time to explore each of the 5- regions of the park. Each region is a different themed-show bringing you through the ages of France's history. This is the second most visited park in the country after the one the mouse built, but you won't find any amusement rides.
Lunch today is in the park; we join up with the Riders and Crew-members and head off to the "local tavern" for lunch. It's a themed lunch bring us back to the early 1700's. There is singing and dancing and the best grilled meats and vegetables I have had today! (Seems I have been saying this every day about the food!)
After lunch we continue to explore the park till it is ready to leave, we have another 7-miles of walking till we get back to our Castle. (What I love about this walk, besides the fact we stay in a real castle, is we stay in one central location throughout the week, so there is no packing and unpacking every day!)
We walk back to the castle on a different route from whence we came, giving another vantage point of this amazing country. The sun is now starting to set as we make our way up the Castle drive, which is bordered by trees that must be 100's of years old and create a canopy overhead. The setting sun casts rich red and golden hues against the castle walls, looks like its going to be another great day tomorrow!
Today the Riders made it back before we did and are there to cheer us home! Some folks head back to their rooms for a quick shower, while others take a dip in the swimming pool, but everyone is enjoying a glass of wine that is produced locally. Yummy.
Tonight's dinner is pot-luck, that is we break off into groups, Walkers, Riders, and Crew-members and each group cooks a different part of the dinner, one group taking the entree, one group taking the appetizers, and another group taking dessert. For those of us that remember the movie "The Big Chill," is sort of like that, lots of drinking wine, laughing a little too loud, and enjoying some amazing food. This is a great way to get to know everyone a little better... For those that don't cook, they go about setting the table and helping where they can, but everyone pitches in.
After dinner some folks go about writing in their journals (they don't want to forget a moment of this amazing trip, and I can't blame them) a small group has started a game of charades and others take a walk in the formal gardens. I am going to take advantage of some quiet time and soak in the most amazing tub I have ever seen and watch the last of the sun set over the Western Lorie Valley, the perfect ending to a perfect day.
Tomorrow it's off to a new destination. I am told we will be visiting a local winery for a private tour and lunch with carefully selected wines. I can't wait.