loire valley

The first of many goat cheese salads, frequently the only vegetarian option on menus.

Steve walking along the Vienne River in Chinon.

The Madeleine Dolmen (Dolmen de la Madeleine) sits in an open field outside the town of Gennes, near the Loire River. In recent times it was used as a bakery. You can see the remains of the oven inside. Well worth a visit if you are in this area. A dolmen is a single-chamber megalithic tomb...

Looking at the bakery oven from behind.

The dolmen was used as a bakery for many years. You can see the bakery oven they built.

Open east side of dolmen.

The dolmen sits in an open field on the edge of town.

Near the town of Gennes, by the Loire River.

The Bagneux Dolmen (Le Dolmen de Bagneux) is the largest dolmen in France, second largest in Europe (the Spanish dolmen in Antequera, near Malaga, is bigger). This dolmen is HUGE and worth visiting for that alone, but its location makes it even more interesting. The city has grown around the...

Information sign.

One side of the dolmen.

One side of the dolmen.

Inside the dolmen - this thing is huge!

The dolmen is in the back yard of a building with a cafe.

The dolmen.

Entrance.

Entrance.

Fontevraud Abbey (Abbaye de Fontevraud) was founded by Robert of Arbrissel in the 12th century as a religious community dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Although Fontevraud housed both monks and nuns, its founder decreed that the order's leader would always be a woman. The Fontevrist movement...

Steve walking along the Vienne River in Chinon.

Lunch at one of the restaurants on Place du General de Gaulle.