In the Valley of the Loire
Wow, what a weekend (10, 11, 12 October). I spent it alongside the Loire River, and it was 
glorious. I am dividing this entry up into three parts for the three days during which I traveled and according to the places where I traveled.
glorious. I am dividing this entry up into three parts for the three days during which I traveled and according to the places where I traveled.Pt. 1: Orléans, Where is Joan of Arc?
Okay, this title really evokes all that there is to see in Orléans. I must admit that I was a little disappointed when I got to the city. Sure, my guide said that it was only one star, but I thought that it had such a low rating because it does not have a château. Really, it is one star because it is a very small downtown and really nothing very extraordinary makes it home there, so for tourists, it is more or less just an okay town. Whatever, you cannot always go to a tow
n with the hopes of being blown away. I ate some really good pastries and bread there, so I was happy.
As for the title of this entry, it is quite funny. Some of you may know the name Orléans and also know that it is linked with Joan of Arc. Do you know why? It was the site of a siege when in eight days, the French, led by the dauphin, took back the city from the English. This was Joan’s first and most famous victory and the city still celebrates it today, almost 600 years later. I love to laugh at how ridiculous tourism is sometimes, you know. For Orléans, the legend of Joan of Arc permeates almost every aspect of the city and from that legend, they try to attract tourists. There are five different statues of her all around the old part of the city (yes, I did go on a search for all of them…it was quite fun, almost like a scavenger hunt in search of her effigy) and then hotels, cafés, restaurants and squares named after her. If you did no
t know that Joan of Arc had at one time been in Orléans, you would certainly know quickly after spending all of 15 minutes in the city. I went to the home of Joan of Arc and also the center where people can do research about her. Yes, I saw it all according to Joan.
Okay, this title really evokes all that there is to see in Orléans. I must admit that I was a little disappointed when I got to the city. Sure, my guide said that it was only one star, but I thought that it had such a low rating because it does not have a château. Really, it is one star because it is a very small downtown and really nothing very extraordinary makes it home there, so for tourists, it is more or less just an okay town. Whatever, you cannot always go to a tow
n with the hopes of being blown away. I ate some really good pastries and bread there, so I was happy.As for the title of this entry, it is quite funny. Some of you may know the name Orléans and also know that it is linked with Joan of Arc. Do you know why? It was the site of a siege when in eight days, the French, led by the dauphin, took back the city from the English. This was Joan’s first and most famous victory and the city still celebrates it today, almost 600 years later. I love to laugh at how ridiculous tourism is sometimes, you know. For Orléans, the legend of Joan of Arc permeates almost every aspect of the city and from that legend, they try to attract tourists. There are five different statues of her all around the old part of the city (yes, I did go on a search for all of them…it was quite fun, almost like a scavenger hunt in search of her effigy) and then hotels, cafés, restaurants and squares named after her. If you did no
t know that Joan of Arc had at one time been in Orléans, you would certainly know quickly after spending all of 15 minutes in the city. I went to the home of Joan of Arc and also the center where people can do research about her. Yes, I saw it all according to Joan.Pt. 2: Saumur, etc. Because I missed the train
Not surprising, the next day I had the afternoon scheduled as a train ride to Saumur then a bike ride along the Loire and in the forest that surrounds the town. Well, I went to the market that is right next to my house – it is so wonderful and full of delightful things – where I bought a picnic lunch for myself, whole grain bread, goat’s cheese, an apple and a butter cookie called a sablé filled with raspberry (amazing, by the way!); however, I left the market late and was in a hurry to get to the train station. As I reached the station, my train was pulling out. Now, this day was perfect…not a cloud in the sky and a lovely temperature, Indian summer quality but not too hot. I thought to myself that I could waste time and go bac
k home to look at the directions to go to Saumur on bike (about 30 miles) or I could just hope I find some signs along the way. I chose to not waste any time and glanced at the map in front of the train station to look for which part of the city led to Saumur. Finding my coordinates, I was off, not really knowing what kind of conditions one would find on this road. Well, was I surprised! The sign said Saumur, tourist road, so I thought how wonderful, but I was not prepared for the beauty that awaited me. Goodness gracious was the road beautiful. It followed the Loire River for miles and when it left the river, there was beautiful farmland and trees and fields around me. I must say, though, that the Loire was the most spectacular, and more so, I think, because I was not expecting to see it or really did not have any conception of where I was going, like normal.
Not surprising, the next day I had the afternoon scheduled as a train ride to Saumur then a bike ride along the Loire and in the forest that surrounds the town. Well, I went to the market that is right next to my house – it is so wonderful and full of delightful things – where I bought a picnic lunch for myself, whole grain bread, goat’s cheese, an apple and a butter cookie called a sablé filled with raspberry (amazing, by the way!); however, I left the market late and was in a hurry to get to the train station. As I reached the station, my train was pulling out. Now, this day was perfect…not a cloud in the sky and a lovely temperature, Indian summer quality but not too hot. I thought to myself that I could waste time and go bac
k home to look at the directions to go to Saumur on bike (about 30 miles) or I could just hope I find some signs along the way. I chose to not waste any time and glanced at the map in front of the train station to look for which part of the city led to Saumur. Finding my coordinates, I was off, not really knowing what kind of conditions one would find on this road. Well, was I surprised! The sign said Saumur, tourist road, so I thought how wonderful, but I was not prepared for the beauty that awaited me. Goodness gracious was the road beautiful. It followed the Loire River for miles and when it left the river, there was beautiful farmland and trees and fields around me. I must say, though, that the Loire was the most spectacular, and more so, I think, because I was not expecting to see it or really did not have any conception of where I was going, like normal.At one point, I stopped because I noticed that there were people on one of the many sand bars in the river. It looked so lovely, that I had to stop and enjoy the beauty. It has been a long time since I have walked on a sand bar, and I do not think I have ever walked on something quite as interesting as this. I sat down on a large fallen tree trunk and ate part of my lunch. It was the perfect picnic, even though I was alone. It was actually k
ind of nice to be alone on this trip. I kind of missed the solitude a little. I mean, every once and a while, well maybe a little more often than that, I really do enjoy being by myself and really experiencing things just as I see them, thinking and praying and getting things ready in my mind. This day was definitely a day where I benefited from aligning many things in my head and in my spirit with God. The cloudless sky and relatively balmy weather also contributed wonders to this sense of freedom and balance.
The bike I was riding was not however made for these long distances. I think that I ended up riding 55 miles or so, and by the end of the day, I could barely sit down nor did I have any desire to see that bike again. I must say though that I would take a poorly fitted bike any day than have to refrain from exploring because you do not have one, so I cannot complain nor did I throughout the day. I simply laughed whenever I noticed that the seat had completely fallen so my knees were almost up to my face and I was painfully aware that something was wrong. It is always like this in my life, I never can tell that something is wrong until it hits me right in the face. I suppose the upside of that is that one complains rarely, but the downside is that by the time something hits you in the face you have no time to prevent it from hitting you.
I reached Saumur a little later than I expected, but since I cannot seem to ever keep a time schedule (I simply love roaming too much), I just changed my plans a little, which involved seeing less but enjoying my time more. I mean at the end of the day, if you have missed a couple châteaux or were unable to see some historic sites, your life is not ruined and in fact, maybe you are the better for it since I am beginning to wonder how much historical sites one can truly absorb in one’s life. I might be reaching the max; well, maybe I have some years left J After a stroll around the city and a nice continuation of my picnic lunch near the château, I was off again, on my search for another couple of châteaux and an abbey.
ind of nice to be alone on this trip. I kind of missed the solitude a little. I mean, every once and a while, well maybe a little more often than that, I really do enjoy being by myself and really experiencing things just as I see them, thinking and praying and getting things ready in my mind. This day was definitely a day where I benefited from aligning many things in my head and in my spirit with God. The cloudless sky and relatively balmy weather also contributed wonders to this sense of freedom and balance.The bike I was riding was not however made for these long distances. I think that I ended up riding 55 miles or so, and by the end of the day, I could barely sit down nor did I have any desire to see that bike again. I must say though that I would take a poorly fitted bike any day than have to refrain from exploring because you do not have one, so I cannot complain nor did I throughout the day. I simply laughed whenever I noticed that the seat had completely fallen so my knees were almost up to my face and I was painfully aware that something was wrong. It is always like this in my life, I never can tell that something is wrong until it hits me right in the face. I suppose the upside of that is that one complains rarely, but the downside is that by the time something hits you in the face you have no time to prevent it from hitting you.
I reached Saumur a little later than I expected, but since I cannot seem to ever keep a time schedule (I simply love roaming too much), I just changed my plans a little, which involved seeing less but enjoying my time more. I mean at the end of the day, if you have missed a couple châteaux or were unable to see some historic sites, your life is not ruined and in fact, maybe you are the better for it since I am beginning to wonder how much historical sites one can truly absorb in one’s life. I might be reaching the max; well, maybe I have some years left J After a stroll around the city and a nice continuation of my picnic lunch near the château, I was off again, on my search for another couple of châteaux and an abbey.
Finding myself on some lovely roads and in the middle of a beautiful forest, I was so thankful that the light continued to stretch on and on, or what seemed to be a long while. However, as soon as the hues of the sunset dissipated, I started to get a little nervous about riding my bike in the dark with a black shirt on. Okay, not the smartest thing to do, but I did avoid taking a backwoods path along the river because I wanted to be prudent (well, you know, prudent for me…I was seriously tempted, but then thought better of it…good choice, I am thinking). I was not really scared as I was riding though because I just figured that if it was my time to go, how much more exciting could the end be. When I arrived back in the city, it had taken on another type of glow, affected by the lamps and the half moon; it was almost a different city. It is amazing to me how cities can take on such a different appearance depending on the time of day and what type of weather is hovering over the environs.
Pt. 3: Tours and Chenonceau, oh those Frenchies
After such an
impeccable day the day before, I was a little disappointed that the weather was grey and looked as if rain was imminent. Boy, was I wrong. Sure the weather did commence as if a large rainstorm would hit us at any moment, but it ended up being just as clear and radiant as the day before; but this time it was a lot warmer. My friend and I took a train to Tours, which is another one of those cities I have always wanted to visit since I was little (there was a very large battle there in the 700’s now named the Battle of Tours where the French defeated the Ottoman Turks…okay, I think that is what happened, but I did not verify my facts, nor have I regarded that type of history in a long while, so do not use this info as truth). I was not disappointed for it was a lovely city, home of one of the best pastry shops ever known to man. I mean seriously, I have never seen pastries this large except at a local truck stop near where I live in WI and frankly as much as I love the Pine Cone and there 2 pound éclairs, it really cannot compare…not surprising. Well, okay, so this pastry shop was not exactly in my tour guide book nor did it receive as many remarks as the Loire River or the ugly château of Tours, but it was nevertheless one of the best parts of the city. Surprised anyone?
After such an
impeccable day the day before, I was a little disappointed that the weather was grey and looked as if rain was imminent. Boy, was I wrong. Sure the weather did commence as if a large rainstorm would hit us at any moment, but it ended up being just as clear and radiant as the day before; but this time it was a lot warmer. My friend and I took a train to Tours, which is another one of those cities I have always wanted to visit since I was little (there was a very large battle there in the 700’s now named the Battle of Tours where the French defeated the Ottoman Turks…okay, I think that is what happened, but I did not verify my facts, nor have I regarded that type of history in a long while, so do not use this info as truth). I was not disappointed for it was a lovely city, home of one of the best pastry shops ever known to man. I mean seriously, I have never seen pastries this large except at a local truck stop near where I live in WI and frankly as much as I love the Pine Cone and there 2 pound éclairs, it really cannot compare…not surprising. Well, okay, so this pastry shop was not exactly in my tour guide book nor did it receive as many remarks as the Loire River or the ugly château of Tours, but it was nevertheless one of the best parts of the city. Surprised anyone?Tours is a relatively small city, and by small all I am discussing is the old part of the city. I mean, it is actually a pretty large city if you were to count where people live, etc. But I am a tourist, and tourists look at cities from a very limited perspective. We walked the whole old part of town and along the Loire River in about 2.5 hours, but it was so lovely and I thoroughly enjoyed my experience. We went to the famous St. Galien Cathedral, which is one of the more well-known aspects of the city, but unfortunately the whole front was undergoing construction. I do so hate it when I go to a city and want to see a lovely church only to discover that the church
, or any other important building for that matter, is undergoing renovation. I suppose I cannot be selfish because it really is necessary to keep up these buildings. While visiting the church, there was a very large group of children doing crafts and listening to a concert of these random musicians singing a style of music that kind of recalled the Middle Ages. I loved it though. I loved seeing all the children making their little crafts and watching the teachers engage the students as they instructed the students on how to use the paint and glue properly. I have never been in a cathedral before that was so lively with real people and plus, the choir was also practicing. This church was bustling with a heavenly sort of rhythm I just loved.
, or any other important building for that matter, is undergoing renovation. I suppose I cannot be selfish because it really is necessary to keep up these buildings. While visiting the church, there was a very large group of children doing crafts and listening to a concert of these random musicians singing a style of music that kind of recalled the Middle Ages. I loved it though. I loved seeing all the children making their little crafts and watching the teachers engage the students as they instructed the students on how to use the paint and glue properly. I have never been in a cathedral before that was so lively with real people and plus, the choir was also practicing. This church was bustling with a heavenly sort of rhythm I just loved.From the center of town, we took a train to Chenonceaux, which is a small town that practically exists only for the tourists who come to visit the castle of Chenonceau (I am not just arbitrarily leaving off the “x;” it is true that the town receives an “x” but the castle does not). As soon as we got off the train and walked in the direction of the castle, I could sense that we were in hard-core tourist land…I have rarely in my life seen that number of tour buses and cars in one place. It was like Disneyland. Maybe it was like that in Germany when I went to Neuchwanstein, but I do not remember remarking on it. I told my friend that we have up and left reality
…and I was so right. The one boulangerie was closed for Sunday afternoon, so we bought a sandwich at the castle stand – surprisingly not getting ripped off – and ate it in the beautiful forest surrounding the castle. The castle is very unique in that the visitor has to walk through a full and verdant forest (most likely bare and brown in the winter) in which it is very easy to get lost and in which we did get lost despite trying hard to follow a logical route. When you break through the forest you are blown away by the sight of one of the most magnificent castles I have ever seen and probably in the world…at least the people at Chenonceaux would like to think.
It was built over the water, a small river that feeds into the Loire. The manicured gardens are impressive to even the most jaded garden goers. With the dazzling rays of sun, I felt transported back to a time forgotten; however, when I entered the castle, I knew exactly where I was and who I was – I was a tourist visiting an overly crowded tourist attraction. Practically running through the chambers, I passed gold guild and embroidered tapestries, grand beds and impressively painted works of art without a second glance. Nature is what attracts me not the splendors of gold and pomp because what are those really but simply the hubris of people who spent money as if it were water to show their might, power, dominance; but nature calmly attracts the bystanders, weaving a picture of serenity, of God’s love and power and a sense of eternity, and those who attempt to manicure nature are the defiant and the privileged.
…and I was so right. The one boulangerie was closed for Sunday afternoon, so we bought a sandwich at the castle stand – surprisingly not getting ripped off – and ate it in the beautiful forest surrounding the castle. The castle is very unique in that the visitor has to walk through a full and verdant forest (most likely bare and brown in the winter) in which it is very easy to get lost and in which we did get lost despite trying hard to follow a logical route. When you break through the forest you are blown away by the sight of one of the most magnificent castles I have ever seen and probably in the world…at least the people at Chenonceaux would like to think.It was built over the water, a small river that feeds into the Loire. The manicured gardens are impressive to even the most jaded garden goers. With the dazzling rays of sun, I felt transported back to a time forgotten; however, when I entered the castle, I knew exactly where I was and who I was – I was a tourist visiting an overly crowded tourist attraction. Practically running through the chambers, I passed gold guild and embroidered tapestries, grand beds and impressively painted works of art without a second glance. Nature is what attracts me not the splendors of gold and pomp because what are those really but simply the hubris of people who spent money as if it were water to show their might, power, dominance; but nature calmly attracts the bystanders, weaving a picture of serenity, of God’s love and power and a sense of eternity, and those who attempt to manicure nature are the defiant and the privileged.
We tasted some of the w
ine produced on the grounds; well, it was wine that was produced in 2002 and so cheap too. It was very good, probably the best wine that I have tasted for the price for which I bought it. I do love wine tastings; you have your glass, you have your wine, and your taste buds do the rest. I think it has been one of my favorite things to do in France.
So, a success, I would say. What could be better than an old town – great pastries and architecture – and a beautiful château that brought not only some beauty into the day but some great wine. Yes, my definition of a memorable experience.
ine produced on the grounds; well, it was wine that was produced in 2002 and so cheap too. It was very good, probably the best wine that I have tasted for the price for which I bought it. I do love wine tastings; you have your glass, you have your wine, and your taste buds do the rest. I think it has been one of my favorite things to do in France.So, a success, I would say. What could be better than an old town – great pastries and architecture – and a beautiful château that brought not only some beauty into the day but some great wine. Yes, my definition of a memorable experience.
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