European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 6, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse Ter ing by i s the ittle he ans Mabb twin w in <y7 it or m8 vere or say clockwise from top right a Gargoyle from one of the chateaus a View from the Blois chateau to an old Street below two locals hold a a conversation on a quiet Back Road looking across a the Vienne River to the chateau de Chinan k b f it travel tips you can Fly to a few of the cities in the Loire area or make train connections to Many of them. You can even get to some of the chateaus by train. The routes Between Blois and Tours Stop at Amboise and Chaumont ones Between Tours and angers Stop at langeais and Saumur. And you can catch trains from Tours to away be Rideau Chenon eau and Chiron a a there Are also bus Tours out of Blois and Tours. They generally visit two to four castles and run either five hours for 110 francs about $22 or nine hours for 145 francs. But you la get the most from driving the area. If you can t get your car there All the major rental agencies Are represented at Railroad stations and airports. Driving is easy roads Are Good and the French use International Road signs. Some major roads into the area from a10 a toll Road and n20 to ,. Orleans and n10 to Tours. N1q offers the added attraction of running past the Palace at Versailles just outside Paris \. A. A one note to Drivers France does not offer non taxed gasoline so it can be expensive. You can rent bicycles in most cities. The prices Are reasonable 50 francs about $10 per Day plus a 300 to 500 franc Deposit at train stations in Amboise Blois Chiron langeais and Tours. But there Are no Bike paths along the roads. 7 hotels in the area can be expensive. A double a room two breakfasts and dinner for two at a two Star hotel in Blois Cost 666 francs about $135. A easy solution to the problem is to throw a tent Nim nmn into the car. There Are Many campgrounds in France and several towns in the Loire area have two or three. Even the smallest towns have municipal Camps. We stayed at one in laches that Cost 26 francs 1 about $5.50 for our tent and car it did not offer a a a amenities such As restaurants and stores. Most Camps in the area do have those conveniences but it did have Dean showers and toilets and level Grassy tent Sites a a a a Quot a a a a a a. The French tourism system has a Good network of Syndicate d initiative Quot and Quot offices de tourism Quot two offices that were helpful while we were in the a area were in Blois and Loches. You can write them at tourism in Loiret Cher 11 place do chateau 41000 Blois Tel. 54-78 55 50or office de tourism place de la Marne 37600 Loches Tel. 47 59 07 98. The country code from Germany is 0033. December 6,1990 stripes Magazine
