I had been to the Loire Valley several times before, but my last trip to this region was different. My main goal was to visit a barge that cruises on the river Cher, near Tours. (The Loire River’s waters are usually too irregular or too shallow for commercial navigation.) The boat is a small barge - it accommodates only six passengers. And, with such a small number of guests, the cruises it offers are of the luxury kind, naturally. That day, the captain/owner was working on installing a new heating and air-conditioning system (it was during the off season). I spent some fun time with him. We even had a glass of the local Bourgeuil red wine together. It was a rainy and chilly day, so drinking wine felt good and warmed me up. The next day, I proceeded with my investigation of the area. You might have guessed that this meant… chateaus, more chateaus and yet more chateaus. Not quite to the point of ”a dime a dozen,” but you can find them at just about every turn in that area.

I wouldn’t have missed Chambord (above left) for the world, of course. It is hugely impressive. And, to think that it was used as a lowly “hunting lodge” by King Francis I! It is also a very popular day-trip destination for tourists from Paris. The parking lots are big and there are lots of tour buses. But that’s OK. Remember… the castle is enormous. Ditto for Chenonceau (above right) - a large building and lots of people. But it is so well done architecturally, and it contains so much history. By the way, the river that runs underneath it is the Cher, so cruising under the Chateau of Chenonceau is a high point on the barge cruise I talked about before.

The three pictures below show Cheverny, Chaumont and Ussé from left to right. Unlike Chambord and Chenonceau, Cheverny doesn’t overwhelm you with its size. It is more like a cozy and pretty country retreat - but still in the exquisite and ornate Renaissance style. They raise beagles for fox hunting on the grounds of this castle. I have never seen so many dogs of the same breed in one spot. And the barks of those hounds were something to hear!

Chaumont, another large castle, is known for its International Garden Festival, the French counterpart to the Chelsea Garden Show in England. Exhibitors come from all over the world to demonstrate their horticultural skills at the Chaumont show. Finally, the flamboyant style of Ussé… this castle is the picture postcard for all Renaissance chateaus. It is known to have inspired the author of the fairy tale “Sleeping Beauty.”

I must add Villandry to this list. The castle itself doesn’t compare in architectural sophistication to any of the others, but the gardens pictured below are wonderful: formal French boxwood designs for the “love” and “music garden,” a “jardin potager” (vegetable garden), an herb garden, a labyrinth,  and a peaceful water garden.

As I mentioned, there are many more, and I went on to see Blois, Langeais, Amboise, Chinon and Azay-le-Rideau. I found them all very fascinating! If you are interested in the Renaissance, the place to visit is Florence, of course. But the Loire Valley also played a role in that period’s newly discovered humanism. Leonardo da Vinci lived in the area for three years before his death. He is buried just outside Amboise at Clos de Lucé, where some of his ingenius creations are on display.

 

 

The Canal du Nivernais is a favorite for barge cruising in northern Burgundy. Among the many day-trip options in the area, Guédelon castle, near Auxerre, is one of the most unusual. (It is one of the most unusual tourist sites in the whole of France, if you ask me.) Normally, when thinking of castles in France, you picture medieval fortresses in ruin or elegant Renaissance chateaus beautifully preserved. Not in this case, however. Guédelon is a 13^th-century-style castle being built as we speak. That’s right! A medieval castle under construction before your eyes. Cool! The project started in 1997 and is scheduled to be completed around 2025 or so.  The pictures above show an artist’s rendering of the finished castle, one of the towers built about half way up and a drawing of the floor plan.

What makes this project so unique is the way it is being constructed. No power tools or equipment are used. Only techniques and materials used in the Middle Ages are allowed. Every stone is cut with hammer and cold chisel; every plank is milled by a sawyer (or two); the rope maker turns hemp and sisal into ropes; the blacksmith hammers red hot iron on his anvil; heavy materials are hoisted by humans in a giant wooden squirrel cage; etc… No machines. No diesel fumes. Everything is made by hand or drawn by horses!

And, to recreate more completely  the illusion of living in a distant world dating back some seven centuries, the workers dress in period costumes. Their clothes are woven by on-site weavers using the wool from sheep raised on the premises. The three photos above show the rope maker, the blacksmith and the stone mason hard at work. 

The construction site, located in the middle of a forest and a stone quarry–two convenient sources of construction materials–is open to the public for visits. What fascinated me the most about Guédelon is the fact that you can easily interact with the workers while they are going about their business. They actually welcome discussing their methods with you and demonstrating age-old ways of making and building things. Obviously, kids love this type interactive display, but this grownup found his visit absolutely captivating. More pictures I took at the site: the squirrel cage and its hoisting mechanism and a draft horse waiting for his next load.