Les Jardins du Châteaux

We awoke this morning in our 18th century manor house hotel on the eastern edge of Chinon. Today we were to visit two more châteaux in the Loire Valley. Oh stop the madness...The first is Château de Villandry which has a castle that is OK, but it’s the gardens that made me weak at the knees.

There are 10 acres of gardens in the Italian Renaissance-style arranged with intricate geometric patterns. Gardeners become dreamy at the mere mention of the Château de Villandry. Situated on the Cher River, the 16th century gardens have been restored to those originally planted in the early 1900’s by a doctor and his American wife. The two terraces are planted in styles that combine the French gardens of monks with old Italian designs. We meandered around a walkway up on the hill above the gardens, here we were able to see what looks like gigantic flowered chessboards – a spectacular sight.

I absolutely loved the ornamental garden depicting symbols of chivalric love ... I wonder if this will fit in my backyard?

Please Keep Off the Grass!

A few flowers...they plant thousands and thousands every year. Merrifield Garden Center has nothing on this place...

Ted was most intrigued with the famous potager (vegetable garden) which stretches on for bed after bed in elaborate designs.

Our second visit was to Château d'Azay-le-Rideau and once again we loved the glamorous exterior much more than the interior due to its picture postcard setting. I’m glad we got to see it, even though chateau fatigue was starting to kick in for us. (How many people get to say that... "If I have to look at one more frakking Renaissance Château, I will..." what? Eat more Fois Gras? Drink more wine? Empty threats...bring them on...;)

Boneless Rabbit insisted on renting the audio guide...

Azay-le-Rideau was also built in the early 1500’s and it is one of the earliest French Renaissance châteaux. Built on an island in the Indre River, its rises straight out of the water. This one has an interesting history. The original builder was the King’s treasurer and began expanding this site which was part of his wife’s dowry or she inherited it or something. Being a treasurer, he apparently got sticky fingers and was accused of embezzlement so he had to run for the hills. The king snatched up the château (which may be why the treasurer was accused in the first place) and gave it as a reward to one of his high-ranking soldiers.

Is this not cool? Cinderella eat your heart out.

After château overload, we stopped in a little town for lunch and we were released on our own. What was quickly becoming our core group of mates – Bob, Marolyn, Betsy, and Kathy – headed out with us to find something good to eat. We passed several touristy-type establishments hoping for an authentic French experience when we happened upon a little creperie. What followed was a glorious meal of omelets and crepes. Betsy was overjoyed with her simple crepe of butter and sugar, just like her mom used to make. Mine was a savory buckwheat crepe filled with potatoes, comté cheese, and jambon (ham). Ted’s omelet had similar fillings. I think we were very lucky to find this place.

Yum!

Soon we were back to Chinon in time to scavenge for picnic supplies and nap. More later...

À bientôt.
Caroline

Pays de Châteaux

The day started out crazy as we overslept due to alarm clock ineptitude. Mad packing, scarf down breakfast, then a mad dash to the bus carrying too many bottles of wine. Today is our first trip on the tour bus with our cute French driver, Olivier. We left Paris for our road trip into the Loire Valley – land of 1000 Châteaux.

Up first was a stop for lunch in the small town of Amboise, the quiet little pedestrian-friendly village on the Loire river, overlooked by a hilltop château. It was once the royal residence of the French King François I in the early 1500’s and it’s where Leonardo da Vinci lived at the end of his life.

We decided to forego any touring of those places and opt for drinking it all in from a lovely café. I had researched a few of the restaurants in Amboise so we power-walked to several only to find them closed today or only open for dinner. We ended up at an outside table Chez Bruno right next to the château. We made an excellent choice.

For entrée, we shared some buttery pâté and rillettes – both made of pork and duck. Rillettes is a preparation of meat similar to pâté except that the meat is cubed or chopped, salted heavily, and cooked slowly in fat until it is tender enough to be easily shredded. Then it is cooled with enough of the fat to form a paste.

The pâté...

The rillettes...

Our main courses were a surprise. I wasn’t quite sure what we were ordering. But my eyes closed and guttural sounds came out of me when I got my first taste of the salad consisting of lettuce with a light vinaigrette layered with chunks of andouille pork sausage chunks and thick bacon. Oh yes.

Ted had a moist turkey breast with pasta in a light cream sauce which was actually, really good. This was all accompanied by a nice bottle of local wine.

For dessert we stopped into a pâtisserie for macaroons (my new favorite food). I got 3 – pistachio, orange/chocolate, and strawberry – plus a chocolate almond croissant for Ted. We ate dessert with wine from Ted’s magic pack along the river. Lizard and ducks were sighted.

Back on the bus and shortly we were at Chenonceau – our first French château.

Leading up to the château...

The interior was ok – sort of a check-that-box situation – but the setting and exterior are spectacular. This 16th century great pleasure palace arches over the Cher River. Its nickname is “the château of the ladies” for two women who transformed the original structure into the beauty it is today. Diane de Poitiers was the King’s Mistress in the mid 1500’s and she created the grand arched bridge across the river so that they could access good hunting grounds. Unfortunately, her benefactor King Henry II was killed in a jousting tournament and his pissed-off wife, Catherine de Médicis, kicked Diane’s butt right out of there. Catherine then added the multi-story building on top of Diane’s bridge. Both ladies added beautiful gardens around the château.

Ok, off to Chinon…

Retenez votre souffle.
Caroline