Sat 19 Jul- Jardins du Chateau du Pin, 'Chateau du Plessis-Anjou'

Sat 19 Jul- pack and depart for our next garden. Cloudy and cool, 20 C. On the way, stop for lunch at Les Arches in one of the small towns on the way for the E10 plat du jour: 'Domaine Dos Geslets St. Nicolas de Boargueil' 2005 red wine (a Loire valley fine wine); buffet entrees, a good selection of meat, cheese, various vegetable salads, etc.; faux filets with green salad; buffet dessert, vanilla cream with meringue and soft coconut chocolate cake; cafe; total E29.
On to the Jardins du Chateau du Pin, famous for the topiary, the weather clearing to partly cloudy and warm 25 C. The chateau was at the end of a road the GPS didn't know about, but signs pointed the way from the nearby town Champtoce-sur-Loire. The chateau was deserted except for two caretakers, who sold us tickets and gave us a map diagram of the gardens, so we had the whole garden to ourselves. The topiary was indeed amazing and huge. The water features used a theme of statuary frogs of different shapes and sizes.
On to our hotel, the 'Chateau du Plessis-Anjou', which the GPS didn't know about, so we went to the nearby town, La Jaille-Yvon and followed the signs to this rustic pretty chateau off a narrow country road, adjacent to a forest. It has lovely gardens of flowers and vegetables. For dinner, our hostess served a lettuce, tomato, cucumber and zucchini salad of fresh-from-the-garden veggies, which was delicious with oil & vinegar dressing, and a local rose wine.