Phew. Lots has been going on – we’ve been traveling around France on a tour bus and looking at a lot of really old stuff. My goal is to get some of it down before I forget it all. So here goes.
Day 1 – Samedi 24 octobre
Depart and Chateaux of the Loire
We had to leave unbearably early for this trip. We had to be at the train station at 6:45 AM, and let me tell you, it was nothing short of torture. Especially considering that it was raining and we had a lot of luggage (for a 12-day trip). I met up with Kirstin at the bus stop, and we somehow maneuvered our suitcases and selves onto the first bus that showed up. When we got to the station, we were actually on time! So proud of that. We also made the happy discovery that we got a bigger bus than we had had for Normandy. Phew. We had warned Dr. Allen of how difficult that had been. The enormous bus with an actual trunk for our suitcases was literally one of the highlights of the morning. We also made the acquaintance of Jean-Claude, who was going to be our driver until said could meet up with us a few days later.
First on the itinerary were the chateaux of the Loire. We started off with the Chateau of Blois. It’s a nifty indication of French architectural history. Each of the four sections was built at a different time by the a different king in a different style. The chateau itself didn’t grab me, but it was cool to see how the architecture evolved over a few hundred years.
Lunch – at a restaurant in Cheverny (wherever that is). We had what is apparently a regional specialty of guinea fowl and potatoes in a sauce gratin dauphinois. The appetizer was a pate of some kind – they seem to really love it in the south. Dessert – fruit with chocolate sauce. Mmm.
After lunch, we rolled our way through two more chateaux, Chateau de Chambord and Chateau de Chenonceau. Chambord doesn’t have any furniture because it was never an actual residence (just a hunting lodge for Francois I). We didn’t get to go in, but we did see the outside, which is impressive all the same. It also has a double helix staircase that was built to enable those protecting the castle to use the stairs without running into invaders. Very convenient.
Chenonceau is more impressive, seeing as how we were allowed to go inside. It (if I get the story right) was a gift from Henri II to his mistress Diane de Poitiers. However, this didn’t go over so well with his wife, Catherine de Medicis, and when Henri II died, she forced Diane to move to another, less impressive castle. The castle itself was built on a bridge and then expanded later, so whatever window you look out, you get a great view of the river and gardens off to the sides. We finished off the day with a visit of medieval Tours that I have already mostly forgotten, since I didn’t really listen to start with. Oops.
After whizzing through 3 chateaux in 1 day and a visit of Tours, we checked into our hotel, hoping to crash. No such luck. We were forced to go out to dinner at this fondue restaurant in Tours. It was torturous. We had a fondue of 3 cheeses with cold cuts and bread to go with it, and 3 bottles of white wine to complement the fondue. Dessert was a tarte – no one actually knows what was in it still. It was a berry like blackberries, but I think it was something special to France. After scarfing all this down, we finally got to pass out in rooms.
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