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Published: October 26th 2007
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Chateau Chenonceaux
Chenonceaux, France A Couple of Days in Castle Country
cha•teau also
châ•teau 1.
a. A French castle.
b. A French manor house.
2. An estate where wine is produced and often bottled, especially in the Bordeaux region of France.
3. A large country house.
France really is all about the Chateau experience. Everywhere you go there are signs pointing to huge old castles or smaller, younger (yet still quite old) manor houses, many of which you can actually stay in like a hotel. The castles vary from small stone edifices perched by rivers to huge old fortifications that have withstood hundreds of years of weather, war and peace. Often, to me at least, even more impressive are the manor houses which date from the 1500’s or later that have had families living in them for hundreds of years.
Sometimes, as you drive around the Loire Valley, you feel a bit like you are in a fairytale land. Manor houses are a dime a dozen around these parts and castles pop up at least once every twenty minutes. In mainland Europe there really is no place like it. Everything feels old, timely and beautiful. Like an extension
Parks of Beauty
Chenonceaux, France of the beauty of Paris, the French countryside starts to make you think the place was invented to make other countries feel inferior.
Tourism Rears its Ugly Head With our time in Normandy almost complete, we stopped, ever so briefly, at Mont St. Michel. This giant town/castle/fortification which stands on a rock outcropping in the tidal basin at the mouth of the Couesnon River is an amazing sight. From miles away, across the completely flat river bed, you see this enormous mound which is practically covered in buildings.
I would have to say that Mont St. Michel is one of the most photographed historic sites in France (outside of Paris of course) and is also one of the most visited tourist sights on the French coast. Sadly the thing that makes this place great, its image as a whole, is best from a distance. Due to the tourist boutiques, cheap restaurants and toy sword stores which line the interior, it just starts to feel fake the closer you get to it.
We stopped in the city/town for lunch and marched up and down the hill along with the thousands of other tourists. Tour buses
Mont St. Michel
Mont St. Michel, France of Japanese, elderly and Americans pulled up all during our brief stop to get food and marvel at Mont St. Michel’s magnificence. It is a beautiful and wonderful place, if you can get through the crowds. My recommendation is to take some pictures from a distance and keep on trucking to other less crowded places. Sadly tourism can ruin a place and Mont St. Michel is not far from being ruined.
The Most Lovely Part Of France Is Off the Beaten Path During our quick trip south we have found that our best experiences have been those that have taken us away from the tourist sights. Our Bed and Breakfast book has really aided in our ability to have genuine interesting experiences. If you want to see France and experience its wonders, try staying at a B&B or Chateau that’s in the middle of nowhere.
With that in mind, Kel found us a B&B half way between Mont St. Michel and the Loire Valley. We found ourselves near Vannes but way, way out in the country with nothing but cows and our hotel owners for company. As we drove up the long wooded drive our
Amboise Chateau
Photo From Amboise, France jaws dropped with the sight of Auberge du Chateau de Castellan. The manor house, which is an actual historic monument, is amazing.
The interior, while a bit spartan, is still very much decorated in the style of an 18th century hunting lodge. Our room was a bit dark and the beds were a bit small but it was worth every inconvenience to stay in a place that was so perfect in its fairytale quality. To make matters even more cool, our hosts, who spoke zero English, cooked us a fabulous duck dinner. Obviously we enjoyed ourselves, I can’t say enough for experiencing France without staying in hostels or hotels.
A Few Days Exploring the Loire Our next fabulous stop on this train to Barcelona was the Loire Valley with our main base being in Amboise. While it’s a quaint little town with a pretty cool chateau, we found ourselves disappointed with Amboise after staying in such cool little manor houses and out of the way town like we did in Normandy. Amboise was just a touch too touristy for us.
During our time in the area we ventured out to see a few different
chateaux but our favorite was Chenonceaux. This unique building which is part manor house and part castle resides in the middle of the Cher River and uses it as a protective moat. But, probably more beautiful that the castle itself are the grounds and parks which rest on the banks of the river.
We really enjoyed wandering through the park, playing in the hedge maze and just enjoying the beautiful fall weather. This seems to be a great season to travel in France since it is cool but still relatively rain free. A couple of hours in a beautiful garden is certainly not a bad way to spend an afternoon!
Well, enough info about France for now. Hope everyone back home is doing well. Thanks for reading!
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amanda
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yay pictures
your pictures are getting so good. Thanks for keeping me entertained with your sweet travel stories!