Ah! the joys of travel

So today I was to set off for the capital of the Loire Valley - Orleans but before I left Bourges I noticed on one of the town plans an area of blue lines called Jardins des Marais de Bourges (the gardens of the marshes), so headed over for a look and found this most fascinating area of gardens in a mesh of canals and creeks. It was perfect for a 2 hour walk around and to see some of the crazy things on display, such as poetry, models etc. Some of gardens are only accessible by a little barge boat. It was like a secret world of water and foliage and only a few minutes walk from the town centre. Then it was onto my next stop - which of course was another Chateau. However this wasn't just any old grand house but the Chateau of Cheverny, one of the top Chateau's in France and it was easy to see why there was a revolution when you consider some of the ostentatious display's inside. It was €14 so not cheap but the house and gardens were phenomenal. But once again the whole thing was slightly disappointing as they felt the need to put rabbits in every room (something to do with the Easter bunny). There was a pack of some one hundred and twenty hunting hounds (60 males, 40 females and 20 pups) kept in kennels within the grounds which are taken out for hunts twice-weekly. Arrived in Orleans late today, but did stop in a no name town for a wine tasting. Also available was champagne, olives, and snails in garlic butter. Managed to see two big things today - a hound and the big cherry.