Rugged and striking Brittany might have dampened our quick stop in Tours, the staging area for the Loire Valley. This countryside valley was once the region where princes, dukes, and nobles erected chateau after chateau as their getaways, and as a result, there are now far too many chateaus to see within a single visit. Within the city of Tours, there appeared to be a strong white wine making industry, as seen by the number of signs for wine cellars and tastings along the roads. In fact, we even ended up spending a night for free on the property of a…