Falling in Love With France, Part 4

Burgundy

But, another time we headed in another direction right out of Paris into Burgundy. When I am planning a trip, I like to put a lot of time into research. I want to know where I am going to stay, how long it will take us to get there, and what there is to see. I hate it when I get back from a trip and someone says, “You mean you missed the ___? That’s the most fabulous thing I ever saw. What a shame you didn’t know about it.” But I have also found that some of my best trips have been those without any planning. Sometimes wonderful things happen when you are least expecting them. I believe it’s called serendipity.
Such a time happened to my husband and me one weekend on my first June in France. Maurice said on a Saturday morning, “Why don’t we take a quick trip into Burgundy? Just get in the region and then find a place to stay?” We quickly packed an overnight bag and were on the road in an hour. I had grabbed one fat tour book of France on the way out the door that I started scanning as we headed for Burgundy.
The country side was beautiful with golden wheat heavy with grain in the fields ready for harvesting. It was cherry season and we passed many people selling cherries at roadside stands at half the price of those in Paris. The skies were blue, the sun was shining.
The first town we came to that I saw in my tour book was Auxerre. I had never heard of it but the author mentioned a wonderful cathedral, Cathedral St-Etienne, started in the 13th century, that had been visited by Joan of Arc. The cathedral was wonderful, and that would have been all we had seen if Maurice hadn’t decided he had to get a drink of water. We started walking down a small street and discovered a town gate with an ancient clock set into it, opening onto a marvelous, cobble-stoned square. I was amazed that we had almost missed wandering around this little city.
Soon we were on our way to the next town when we decided we had better book a place for the night. Thankful for mobile phones, I started calling every little motel I could find in my tour book and found that they were all booked, so I decided I had better start calling the more expensive places and finally found a place with a room called Château de Vault-de-Lagny located between the two towns of Avallon and Vazelay. I was so happy, since I had imagined spending the night in the car at the side of the road somewhere.
We went on to Avallon, another really interesting town still shielded behind some ancient ramparts and with a lovely church. Then, we decided to go check into the Chateau. Driving along a winding country road through green hills and cherry orchards we found it: a 16th century château circled by a moat. We entered the gates and the château stood across the wide expanse of grass which are called grounds because they look, and are, so luxurious. Peacocks and exotic chickens strolled about. An 11th century tower left from ancient times stood next to a beautiful building. They just don’t make buildings like they used to, in my opinion, and it’s a shame. There is so much charm in steps that curve up to a grand wooden door, with worn indentations from centuries of others climbing in just the same way as we did that day. The interior had high carved ceilings and a wonderful fireplace. Our room was comfortable and luxurious and looked out over the grounds spreading out green in the setting sun.
We stayed there that evening for dinner out in front of the chateau with part of the entertainment being two hot air balloons being filled and then launched over our heads as we ate. We had a great meal with local wine and a regional beef stew.
I decided I could get used to this kind of life style, but I think one reason it was so special to Maurice and me is that we seldom treat ourselves to this kind of luxury, although it turned out to be fairly reasonable. It was also unique because it was unexpected and unplanned; just one of those special times that can happen if you get out and explore. “The best ever,” I thought.
We’ve made brief trips to Normandy and Brittany both full of unbelievable beauty with rugged coast lines, arching cliffs into the water, and breathtaking places like Mont St Michel, an island and cathedral truly lost in time.
There are cities like Rouen or Dijon or Lyon, regions like the champagne country or… well, I could go on and on. I have only been in France for a short time and am amazed at all I have seen and I have just started to see and explore this timeless country of France.

Falling in Love With France, Part 3

Not a photo of Chambord, but another lovely castel, Azaylerideau.

Loire Valley

I knew the Loire area would be fabulous with chateaux everywhere, and it was. Everyone has heard of the chateaux of France. I had seen pictures of various ones as I was growing up and, now that I was in France I couldn’t wait to see them in person. I found that I wasn’t familiar with any of the names except for Blois. So, I got on the Internet and started doing some research. We were only going to be in the Loire region for one weekend and I was planning to make good use of the limited time. I had a list of six chateaux that I wanted to see if time allowed.
Our first evening after eating dinner at a small place on the banks of the Loire River, Maurice suggested taking the short drive to take to the Chateau Chambord. We thought that it might be illuminated and, therefore, a good photo op.
I had seen pictures of Chambord on the Internet and was excited to see it in person. The roof is covered with a multitude of turrets, chimneys, and bellcotes. To me, it looked like the skyline of a medieval Italian city. This observation was confirmed when I read that at the time it was designed, the French had a love for all things Italian.
When we arrived it was just turning dark and the lights had started to brighten the chateau. We stood across the grounds just mesmerized. It’s hard to describe how fabulous it was with that wonderful roof outlined against the sky. Just then I heard my first cuckoo calling from the nearby forest. It sounded just like the clock. I guess I hadn’t remembered that they were real birds until that moment. It was one of those special times - to be standing along side the man I love in the growing dark looking at a centuries old chateau accompanied by a cuckoo.
Suddenly, we noticed a light inside the chateau and could see people moving around. When I heard music, I thought it was coming from the nearby hotel and wondered if there could be a party going on in the chateau. On impulse, we walked up to the side entrance and discovered an open door. There was a self guided tour called Metamorphosis, which is offered during the summer months. We were each handed a little tin lantern and off we went up the dark steps.
What a wonderful way to see a chateau. We were enthralled by dim lighting, special music, strange sounds, and moving shadows on the walls and silhouettes through the windows. It was as if we had stepped back in time, to the Chambord of long ago. There wasn’t any furniture because this had been a hunting chateau. When the king and his escorts came to hunt deer, servants brought in their furniture and wall hangings and then packed it all up again when it was time to leave. I asked a guide if there were ever any ghosts about, but was told no. No one really ever lived here. There were huge fireplaces that I could stand in. A sort of movie on a blank wall continually played. First, there was a scene of a forest. There were sounds of someone or something walking through the trees. Then I noticed a particular tree, which became a man, and then turned into a stag before once more becoming a tree. Very surreal.
We explored each floor slowly making our way up the famous stairs that many believe were designed by Leonardo de Vinci; double stairs that twisted around each other but never met. The stairs were a work of art.
Finally we reached the roof. This was so magical with all of the turrets and chimneys lit up with blue, green or gold spotlights. It made quite a spectacle against the royal blue sky. We moved to the wall around the edge, and just stood there looking at the grounds and the stars coming out as the sky turned dark. It was very silent, no sounds of traffic or civilization.
The other chateaux in the area are also wonderful, but my first one is the one I will remember - a special souvenir. “This must be the best area in France,” I told Maurice.

Falling in Love With France, part 2

Provence

We went to Provence for our honeymoon. Having heard about Avignon for years, that was first on my list of places I wanted to see. It’s a beautiful walled city with the Palace of the Popes there, a great chateaux inhabited by Popes for years, an interesting part of the Catholic history. And, it gave us Chatenuef du Papes, a fabulous and famous wine which is not a bad thing. We walked to the end of the Pont d’Avignon, where it ends half way across the Rhone River. Maurice sang an old nursery song to me that he knew when young about dancing on the bridge.
An interesting village in Provence is called Gordes. It is one of those perched villages that look out over the country. In fact, it was used by the Resistance during WWII to watch German movements. As a result, it got pretty much decimated and has since been rebuilt, mostly it appears, of stone. It once was known for its olives but all of the trees were destroyed in a cold spell so it has turned to art and has become an artist colony. It’s very interesting to walk around and the view is incredible.
St. Remy was the first French village in Provence that I walked through. I was charmed by the narrow streets, pots of flowers, interesting shops, just the whole feel of the town. We only stopped here for lunch but, as we walked around, I wished we had had more time to spend here. It’s true for St. Remy, as well as many places I have seen in France, that I put it on my list as a place I must come back to visit. I need to spend some time there and let it speak to me.
St. Remy was on the way to another incredible place called Les Baux. The short drive there is an astonishing experience with white cliffs bordered with green trees and the winding road is wonderfully tranquil, and then, there it is - Les Baux. This is where the Romans built a fort on a huge plateau. They really knew how to pick great locations. It has a long history, being in such a militarily strategic place. To get to the top we had to walk through old streets lined with the usual tourist shops and passed an interesting church. There used to be a castle at the top that was torn down by Richelieu and Les Baux, as well as St. Remy, were once in the hands of the Grimaldis of Monaco ( Grace Kelly became a princess when she married into this family). The view is wonderful and it has such a deserted feeling. I honestly felt the presence of lives long past there - very eerie. It can be packed with tourists but it has to be seen.
There are so many interesting towns to see in Provence such as L’Isle-Sur-la-Sorgue, a town full of canals and moss covered water wheels, Roussillon a town resting on a red hill and with all of the buildings red or ochre in color. There is the Luberon, a fascinating area full of vineyards and lavender fields and great villages. It would take a life time to explore the whole area. I understand why so many people want to visit here and I thought, “This is the best France has to offer,” but I’m not sure it is. It is one of the best areas France has to offer, there is just so much more to see.