EN VERON

EDF1 at Avoine with its characteristic dome.

Today I did make it to the Ecomusée. I waited until the afternoon to make sure that it would be open. The manager gave me a brochure in English and pointed me the way for the self-guided tour. The museum flows through the rooms of an old house of the region. In te first three rooms the exhibits are all to do with the history of winemaking in the region. The wines belong to the AOC of Chinon which means that they are made from the cabernet franc grape for reds and rosés or the chenin blanc grape for whites. Originally white wines predominated in the region until the phylloxera struck in the late 19th century. Now red wines are the chief product. I also learned that there are two kinds of wine produced based on the soil that the vines are grown in. The chalky clay of the region produces wines that are high in tannins and the sandy loam produces lighter and sweeter wines.
In the temporary exhibits room of the museum there was an interesting presentation on the history of the nuclear power industry and the building of the reactors at Avoine. I learned that the first nuclear reactor in France for electricity generation was built here in the late 1950’s. Since then several more reactors have been built and the economy and demographics of the region have been transformed.



Monument to Armand de Montmorin “tombé pour la France”.

From the Ecomusée I headed north, intending to cycle to Bourgueil. I passed the Centre Nucleare and stopped on the bridge over the Loire to take some pictures. I continued on the D749 as far as Port Boulet. At that point it was already six o’clock so when I saw a little boulangerie open I stopped to take refreshment. Even though I was only about 4 km from Bourgueil I decided that it was time to head home.
I cycled back along the D7 which parallels the Loire. I passed a roadside monument and decided to go back to check it out. It was a memorial for a young man who was killed by the Germans in 1940. I wondered how many people ever stop to remember him and his valiant deeds “pour la France”.



The church at Candes perched high above the Vienne River as it flows into the Loire.