Monthly Archives: May 2015

It is a rainy Mother’s Day Sunday in the town of Angers, which is mostly closed up tight. Guess everyone is at home making Mom feel special.

We’ve been getting the sneaking suspicion that Joan of Arc may not be as revered by the French as we would have assumed.

What part was just too much? Was it the competitive nature of each château we saw, with excesses piled on excesses? Was it the thought that nothing ever seemed to be enough for French royalty – leading to a head problem – or the thought that each of them had to put their stamp onContinue reading “Perhaps a bit too much…”

You just can’t have too many castles. And if you built a large and lovely one in any century, chances were that a king, or someone with more power, would find a reason to determine that they were better off owning your estate.

Seeing the Château de Chenonceau has to rank right up there as one of the great moments we will spend in the Loire Valley.

The best chateau experience so far was our trip to Villandry, where a wonderfully restored Renaissance castle overlooks a magnificent 16th century series of gardens.

The château of Ussé doesn’t just look like Sleeping Beauty’s castle.

…and before we considered ‘good dishes’ something to request preceding weddings, and to use annually for holidays, there was a wonderful art form that was part of everyday life.  

A gorgeous day in a gorgeous part of the world. Who wouldn’t want to be here?

We visited one final cave while we are still in the Dordogne region, the Grotto of Pech-Merle. This cave was very interesting just for its geology, which rivals Carlsbad Caverns in some spots, with limestone formations that are breathtaking, and galleries that suggest the cathedrals to come.