a nature reserve along the Loire

I visited this area (espace naturel de L'Île de Bondésir) a few days ago for the first time (a 45 minute ride by bike from Amboise).  It's a magnificent undeveloped area along the Loire and open to the public.  Here you can follow trails and discover wonderful views of the river as well as a wide variety of plants and birds.  In today's view, you see an area that changes dramatically with the water level of the river.  When it's high, this is mostly under water and the trees on the right are on an island.

Eglise Saint-Laurent

This church in nearby Montlouis sits atop a steep climb up from the Loire.  This scene gave me a good excuse to get off my bike to take a snap.

le Chemin de Bellevue

The name Chemin de Bellevue says it all, "the pathway of the beautiful view".  Just to the right and out of the photo is a lookout from a cliff overlooking the Loire.  I always take this little diversion from the marked bike path to enjoy the view and the beautiful homes and gardens that line it.

the cottage of Laura and Peter

On a recent bike ride through the nearby town of Montlouis, I stopped to snap this cottage proudly labelled with the names Laura and Peter.  Somehow these names don't sound too French to me. Anyway, I find the architecture quite interesting.  Yet another obscure history that I could not find on the internet other than an old post card shown below.