Monday October 1, 2007
For our second full day in the Loire region the weather Gods were with us. We started out in the rain, for a tour of what are considered the most picturesque chateaux in the area, just west of Tours. By the time we reached our first destination, Chinon, the skies had cleared and the temperature was on the rise. Chinon, on the banks of the Vienne, was mostly under reparation, so we passed through after a few quick pics. Our first stop was Usse, a large castle that inspired the Sleeping Beauty story and standing back looking at it, you could almost see Prince Charming riding through the gates to save the fair maiden.
On our way to the next chateau, Azay le Rideau we stopped for a pique nique amid a grove of mistletoe laden trees. When we got to Azay, it was closed for lunch so we cruised town and had a coffee before we decided we wouldn’t tour the chateau and opted for Villandry and its magnificent gardens instead. This was not a disappointment! Villandry has easily the most spectacularly laid out gardens we have ever seen. They were best viewed from either a belvedere that surrounded the grounds or from the tower of the keep. The chateau itself has been in the same family for many years and is a wonderful example of a nobleman’s versus a royal residence. Our drive home via the autoroute was a quick hour where we arrived in rain that we had eluded all day. Thanks to a stop at Chinon’s E. LeClerc supermarket and their current wine fair, we had some fine wines of the region to explore in the comfort of the Walnut Mill along with steak hache for dinner.
The first pic is at the Sleeping Beauty castle Usse and the other 3 are at Villandry.
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