Holiday in France

We took the Hoverspeed Seacat from Dover to Calais then drove town to the Loire Valley to stay in a small Gite, near Saumur. Chateaux, wine, cheese, fresh bread, vinyards, rivers, relaxation. Great!

	We left Dover behind us as we sailed on a Hoverspeed SeaCat...
	... a fast crossing to Calais, but rather cold even in the sun.
	Wind power at our first (emergency map-reading) stop in France.
	Ruth and Ray breakfasting in the sun.
	Ruth chilling by the pool. The pool was a bit chilled too this early in the year...
	...being solar heated and sitting at about 16 degrees centigrade. We were too chicken to use it!
	This is the front of the converted stables we were staying in...
	...and the farm house on the other side of the courtyard.
	There is also barn (complete with table tennis) and a petanque court.
	A friendly lizard that used to sunbathe with us.
	A nearby Chateau at Giseaux...
	...where Ray made friends with the locals much to Kirsty's amusement.
	A more spectacular Chateau, this one at Azay-le-Rideau...
	...and the obligatory couply photograph.
	Azay-le-Rideau is set on the river and surrounded by running water...
	...you could even go fishing out of some of the windows if you wanted!
	From the back it looks like something out of a fairytale.
	Ruth was unreasonably happy to be watching...
	...a torrent of water pouring over a wier!
	This is the clock tower of the Chateau at Chinon....
	...where the Chatueau is in a dominant position on the hill...
	...providing spectacular views...
	...which Ruth felt compelled to partially obscure...
	...as of course did I!
	Ruth in subterranean passage once used by Kinsg to visit their lady-friends in the town below.
	The chateau also overlooks some vinyards... location, location, location!
	The clock tower from the town of Chinon below.
	The view upriver from where Ruth and I stopped for to eat our ice-cream, under the shade of a spreading tree.
	The zoo at Doue satisfied Ruth's obsessive need to observe giraffes...
	...which all wanted to eat out of the highest feed box in spite of a variety being provided!
	Red panda's. Very cute.
	Parrots...
	...Flamingos (and a lesser spotted Ruth).
	The flamingos are so vain they have a large mirror in their enclosure!
	My animal identification skills are starting to fail me, but I think this is a lynx...
	...and these are leopards. Rare ones.
	Powerful looking animals. Nice Kitty!
	Smile for the camera! Oh well...
	The zoo was in an old lime quarry, spectacular in itself in places.
	Iguanas...
	...lions (sleepy)...
	...and vultures. There are truly nasty, sinister animals.
	I was a little nervous this close to them...
	... and I'd only just left (fast) when this photo was taken, because I though the one on the pole was going to jump onto my head!
	Monkeys picking feas off their babies...
	...swinging from the trees...
	...and eating apples.
	This play-fight was soooo cute to watch (the one at the top is just a youngster), they look so human.
	Photo with a human for comparison.
	Tigers...
	...just pacing the perimeter, as if looking for a way out.
	Goats with a scary llama. Ruth tells me it was something else, but I swear it was a llama.
	Otters were also very sweet...
	...playing and chasing each other round their enclosure.
	These monkeys were really little, and totally fascinated by me and my camera.
	More monkey business.
	Ruth also loved the penguins...
	...and wanted to steal one...
	...to amuse her in the bath I think!
	Ruth with the jaws of a primordial shark.
	Cheetah, also patrolling like a caged animal.
	It was pretty hot so that thick coat must have been quite un-bear-able...
	...unless you sit in a tree to capture the breeze.
	A modern troglodyte (cave) dwelling at Rocheimer...
	...complete with Ruth posing as a troglodyte.
	Ruth with the case of wine we purchased from a small vinyard. And the one that got away!
	Vinyard. Source of all wine. Ian like.
	The French seem to feel that it is normal to use sweetcorn husks as fuel for a barbecue. I disagree.
	Postcard buying in Saumur...
	...before a visit to a local cafe.
	Ruth with another missed acquisition opportunity. So much fizz, so little time!
	Old banger at Le-Mans museum...
	...and an old 24-hour race car..
	...and finally a more modern one!
	Me on the ferry back. Looks like I caught the sun a little.
	Ruth sheltering from the wind. Again. The end of a beautiful week.