Autumn In The Loire
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We’re back home in Perth in body but with heart still in France. I read over my notes and reflect back on our wonderful time passed in beautiful surroundings …..
FRENCH HOSPITALITY IN LE GRAND PRESSIGNY
We’re in the Loire region for an indulgent ten days to bask in the land of grandiose royal chateaux, and bask we are doing. Edith, the friendly owner of the Monpazier house we’d rented, and her husband Paul are keen to meet us at their 18th century weekend country house in the Loire Valley. So, the village of Le Grand Pressigny is unexpectedly on our agenda. |
| Edith's garden, Le Grand Pressigny |
Under an arbour of acacias in the warm sunshiny autumn in Edith’s untamed walled garden the four of us get to know each other as we sip on Vouvray champagne (a small wine growing village in the Loire) and feast on platters of cold seafood salad, smoked salmon with crème fraiche and boiled potatoes, a refreshing zucchini salad and prosciutto with a crisp lettuce salad. A French tarte is next followed by small cups of espresso indoors behind the coolness of huge shuttered windows.
“Do you ever get tired of seeing chateaux or are you amazed every time you see one?” I ask Edith. In their salon, we gaze at old prints of some of France’s immense array of castles. “No, I love them. They are part of French history”, she replies. Her response reassures me. We’re a few days into what will become an “8-chateaux in 10 days” line-up and I’m hoping it won’t be a case of ‘shattered by chateaux’.
Edith is an elegant, charming hostess with excellent English, a passion for learning Italian and a curiosity for meeting strangers such as ourselves. Husband Paul is retired whose passion is Egyptology. He has us captivated as he describes being trapped in Cairo during the riots earlier that year and of being airlifted out of the country amid great fear and panic. Before we know it, almost 6 hours of convivial company passes by in a flash and plans are made for catching up in Paris where they live. It’s time to make the 1½ hour road journey back to our accommodation about 12km further past the attractive little town of Amboise.
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| Town views from Chateau Amboise |
LOGIS LE FLEURAY
We are in the Loire to celebrate my birthday and we base ourselves at a gorgeous country lodge, the Logis Le Fleuray, that has all that we are not accustomed to as budget travellers – a sparkling swimming pool, tennis court, gracious staff, an outstanding restaurant and a king-sized bed (in other words monumentally big, not the typical French Napoleonic size) with crisp white linen in a spacious charmingly decorated room. It is situated about 12 km from the lovely town of Amboise which is renowned for its fortress chateau that overlooks the pretty town and for its famous inhabitant, Leonardo Da Vinci.Ordering an afternoon tea tray after a swim in the pool is an extravagant treat so we sit outside our room’s French doors facing the peaceful countryside whilst a waiter brings us a large tray of white crockery and delicate slices of cake and biscuits from the main lodge. A bright red hot air balloon drifts by and we watch with fascination as it slowly descends into the neighbouring field. We take delight in the moment and remind ourselves how lucky we are.
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| Birthday celebration at Logis Le Fleuray |
On other days we soak up the never-ending glorious balmy afternoons and dusks on our terrace with improvised dinners of local wines and typical French food staples – baguette, cheeses, dry sausages, various duck pates, terrines and luscious mini gateaux picked up from local supermarkets. Oh, what a blissful lifestyle. After a cold, wet summer the French are appreciating the exceptionally warm sunny autumn season and we are thankful for the Indian summer conditions. We’re not yet ready for the dampness and cool of a traditional autumn and impending winter.
The Loire Valley has numerous gorgeous chateaux to choose from, all within a relatively short drive from each other. This is the land of real-life royal fairytales that come with huge doses of intrigue, love affairs, plots of murder and betrayal, secrets and clandestine ambitions amongst kings, dukes, courtesans and courtiers thrown in over the centuries. To stand out from the others, chateaux pitch their theme or uniqueness for their share of tourists.
CHATEAU D'ANGERS
The military-inspired fortress of Chateau d’Angers at the western end of the Loire region was a midday stopover on our way to Amboise after farewelling our friends in Brittany. It sits in the centre of the lovely city of Angers with its striking squat black and white-striped towers, nowadays protecting the famous and priceless 14th century Apocalypse Tapestry. In a modern, specially-designed museum built to house this magnificent 100 metre-stretch of medieval tapestry is a vast dimly-lit space of grim depictions of death, strange fantasy animals and scenes from The Book of Revelations. They read like a visual horror story. The castle grounds are a quiet respite for a picnic lunch.
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Chateau d'Angers above houses the Apocalypse Tapestry |
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ABBAYE DE FONTEVRAUD
From military to monastic, not far from the town of Saumur, is the massive Abbaye de Fontevraud. Friends Odile and Patrick had suggested that it was definitely worth a look and we were glad to have made the detour. Built in the 12th century this amazing site has beautiful cloisters, an unusual scaly-roofed multi-chimneyed Romanesque kitchen and an enormous abbey church all but empty except for the faded sculpted figures of King Henri II, his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine and their son, Richard the Lionheart lying in repose. After the French Revolution, much of the site became a prison until the early 1960’s.AZAY-LE-RIDEAU
Enchanting Chateau Azay-Le-Rideau proudly sits looking narcissistically at its own reflection in the stillness of the lake. Amboise Chateau is small and quaint with an unfortunate tale to tell of how King Charles VIII unceremoniously died by running into a low doorway and knocking himself out. Chateau Villandry is outstanding for its spectacular gardens. Its ornamental love gardens in red, pink and white begonias symbolise the 4 types of love – fickle love, tender love, passionate love and tragic love. And then there are its Renaissance kitchen gardens originally set up by the monks. Who would have thought landscaping with vegetables could look so amazing! |
| A small part of Chateau Villandry's extensive grounds |
CHATEAU CHAUMONT-SUR-LOIRE
Chateau de Chaumont-sur-Loire hosts an annual Festival International de Jardin (an international garden festival) which we were lucky to view in its final days. Innovative, experimental and futuristic would be the way I’d describe some of the unusual plots with names such as the Pixelated Garden, the Garden of Extinct Plants and the Memory Library. It truly deserves a whole day’s outing to take it all in. Within the chateau itself, of interest is Catherine de Medici’s royal bedchamber and that of her astrologer’s, as well as the beautiful 17th century floor tiling in the Council Chamber brought across from Palermo in Sicily.
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Chateau Chaumont-sur-Loire and in the grounds, below a Chinese-inspired garden in the Festival International du Jardin |
CHATEAU DE LANGEAIS
Then there’s the medieval Chateau de Langeais which is entered through the picturesque village of Langeais and over the drawbridge. It’s small but packed with brilliant medieval furnishings and beautifully tiled floors. It was here in Chateau de Langeais’ grand hall that Duchess Anne de Bretagne at the age of 15 was secretly wed to Charles VIII, therefore uniting Brittany with France. In its parklands are the remains of a 10th century fortress tower, the oldest in France, and one of the biggest treehouses we’ve ever seen. Climbing it was de rigueur, of course (so I told Max)!
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| The town of Langeais viewed from the chateau's drawbridge |
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Chateau Langeais' treehouse in an ancient cedar  |
CHAMBORD
And the granddaddy of all chateaux – Chambord - can’t help but take your breath away. With its lavish, riotous roofline and sheer size looming up from a vast estate, this is King Francois I’s elaborate Renaissance grandeur on a boastful scale.Chambord was a favourite re-visit for us. Inside the castle is an intertwining double helix stone staircase designed by Da Vinci in such a way so that if two people were to climb each staircase they would never meet. Max and I mounted the staircases and immediately lost each other. Searching for each other on all the landings at every level and through the thick of the crowds was futile. Thank goodness for mobile phones! Like the phone ad, Nokia does connect people.
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| Chateau Chambord |
BLOIS
Nearing the end of our ten day stay we move on to Blois and downsize to VERY budget but clean, comfortable accommodation, a short walking distance from the town’s large chateau.Lording over the city and Loire River the grand Blois Chateau is a mix of architectural styles from various centuries. It was here that seven of France’s kings ruled. We check out Catherine de Medici’s secret cabinet of poisons, her bedchamber in which she died and the king’s bedchamber where Henri I was assassinated.
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| Entrance to Blois Chateau |
Eight chateaux done and dusted but, remarkably, neither of us feel chateau-ed out. We have admired each and every one of them for their own individuality, history and unique backdrop. However, after all that gluttonous French living our waistbands have popped out – BOOM! – just like that. So, we try going from gourmet dining to cup-a-soup. I say ‘trying’ because it’s a huge hurdle adjusting from wanton eating to minimalist style. Once again, we have feasted on lovely foods, lovely sights and feasted on every other sensory level.
It is about now that I discover that Paris will be hosting a huge international Chocolate Expo on our arrival there. How important is that, I ask you, to a chocaholic like moi? Very, with a capital VIP (Very Important Pleasure). That’s enough incentive, I hope, to stick to breakfasts of black tea and dry biscuits and cup-a-soup dinners. Goodbye chocolate chaud and pain au chocolat until we eventually make our way to gay Par-ee!
Hi, I'm Eva - world traveller, cultural explorer and experience seeker. Together with my husband Max, we've been globetrotting for over 20 years.
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