Loches & Chenonceau, France
The weather in central France has established a pattern. Showers in the morning with skies breaking by afternoon and temps warming into the 60s. It’s worked well for us to drive through the showers, then get out and explore on the ground.
We started the day at Loches, a small town off the beaten tourist path with plenty of history. I always believe if you want to see old places in Europe, find a river. That’s where the towns started with the rivers acting as roads centuries ago. Loches grew up around a monastery founded about 500 (!) along the river Indre, an ancient trade route.
The castle was a residence of the kings of France beginning in the middle of the 1200s. We hiked through the nearly-deserted old town and royal complex. Mondays in rural France tend to be quiet with most restaurants and stores closed after a busy weekend.
Our drives through the farmland here in central France have been beautiful as the landscape shows the first hints of fall. Fields of sunflowers blazing during the summer are now filled with dry stalks, heads bent as if resigned to the approach of winter.
We made our way to the river Cher, a tributary of the Loire, and its famous chateau Chenonceau. After Versailles near Paris, this was the most-visited chateau in France. It was easy to see why.
After parking, you strolled along a fine pebble path lined by stately sycamores. Imagine the royal carriages that rolled through here over the years. Along one side was a canal filled with ducks. A hedge labyrinth came up on the other side. Before long, the chateau came into view.
Spanning the river, Château de Chenonceau created a beautiful reflection in the water. The afternoon sky was deep blue with dramatic clouds that seemed closer to the ground than usual.
Due to Covid, visitors were required to buy tickets online and reserve time slots to enter the chateau. We agreed this was a smart move that should be adopted permanently. It spread out the crowds over the day. Going in the late afternoon after the tour groups had departed provided us the opportunity to enjoy many rooms devoid of anyone else.
The black-and-white tiled gallery stretched over the river and provided a grand space for royal parties. From 1914 to 1918, the Château was converted into a military hospital. During World War II, the gallery became the sole point of access to the free zone for resistance fighters, Jews and other refugees escaping Nazi-occupied France.
Chenonceau was unique among French chateaux in that it was primarily designed by women. The king’s mistress, Diane, was set up here until after his death in 1559 when the king’s wife, Catherine de’ Medici, promptly moved Diane out and moved herself in.
Unlike other historic chateaux with barren rooms, Chenonceau was presented as a residence with original furniture, art and tapestries on the walls and freshly-cut flowers from the surrounding gardens decorating tables and mantles.
After an enjoyable day hiking through history, we took the last free table in a traditional French restaurant back in Amboise for dinner. The menu featured escargot and a cheese course. We were not deterred by the stern-looking woman in the portrait above our table!
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