LoireValley
At the September Travel Group meeting Noel Burns shared with the group three of his adventures.

The first was an organised walking tour with a group in the Loire Valley. Each day they set out for an exciting destination often climbing high, viewing the amazing countryside, with grape vines and the only river with out a dam for miles.


Many of the castles and fortress during the wars between France and England, later became private homes.
The limestone cliffs with caves which the group visited are unique on this planet, they provided a safe haven for a village to live and work in while they were hiding from raiders.

DordogneValley
The group cycling journey through Dordogne Valley, turned out to be Noel on his own travelling through the countryside, on his trusty steed. Only getting lost once was a credit to him. At night he stopped at historic chateaux which provided a huge room with beds large enough for a party.

A river cruise with TravelMarvel between Amsterdam and Budapest along the Rhine Main and Danube rivers.

This area has 60 locks, as some of the bridges they passed under were too low for the ship. To overcome this the boat bridge is retractable, needless to say the upper viewing deck was out of bounds!

Cruising along the rivers, stopping at the historic towns, visiting many of the century old castles and cathedrals were some of the highlights. On the way back they visited a musical instrument museum with working instruments which were hundreds of years old. A stop for a special coffee made wth large amounts of cream and speciality brandy was memorable.

Thank you Noel for an entertaining morning.Rhine