Castle Country

 I almost completely forgot about the châteaux of the Loire Valley!! One of the very reasons we decided to visit in the first place (as we have been enchanted by the Chenonceau castle adverstisments dotting halls of the Paris underground for months).  

SO. The architectural heritage of the Loire Valley is vast, to say the least. The royals discovered this lush area of France in the 10th century and nobility followed suit, creating a castle treasure trove for tourist today.  If you have ever been to the Biltmore in the US, the whole experience is quite similar.... except it is like there are hundreds of Biltmores within a 100 mile radius. 

We decided on Château Villandry, Château d'Azay-le-Rideau, Château de Amboise and of course the biggest Loire castle advertiser, Château de Chenonceau.

Let's start with the first stop,  Château Villandry.

My only picture inside the chateau.  As I'm sure you can tell, the surrounding grounds totally stole the show.

In love with the boxwoods lining the fountains in their slate blue planters..... definitely in the dream house blueprint.

 

M. and Mme. Swan France.  I bet their life is a little cushier than Mr. and Mrs. Swan Mississippi (who have purportedly been dodging alligators since the wedding). 

Also in the dream house blueprint.

Yes. Definitely.

Next, onto A'zay-le-Rideau. A considerably smaller chateau on less formally manicured grounds. (However, still winning substantial points for the moat).

 

Christmas card?

Finally - the illustrious metro castle, Chateau Chenonceau.

Until next time.

French Wine Country: Part Trois

And so we come to the end of our little three part triology, after making one last stop in the Loire Valley.  The final destination was a little town in the Eastern Loire Valley called Amboise, about an hour from Chinon.  We decided to stop here to cut up our drive back to Paris from St. Emilion. 

SO. Amboise. It was fabulous. Here are the pictures.

The hotel stole the show in Amboise.  Manoir les Minimes.  A gorgeous old French chateau turned into a small hotel.  (Amboise is another town where you can get major bang for you buck. Believe me, the hotels we typically stay in do not look like this. They are more like what you would find in the "value" section of a Rick Steves {the best travel guide book on a budget}).

Perfect location right on the water with views of the castle above.

Always love a good fountain.

I am so sad this picture didn't turn out better (by this time the real camera's battery had died and we were left with the iphone). But just take my word for it, these paneled doors in the hotel salon were gorgeous.

I am on a mission for this hardware next time at Clignancourt.



And, I am pretty sure I need this crown molding in my future home.

 

Come on, is this not the cutest beer bottle you have ever seen? So French. (I would love to see how this marketing strategy went over in the US).

We were so excited when we found a wine fair going on underneath the castle in the town center.  Reminded me of our days in DC going to wine fairs in Virginia. (I know promised wine discussion and I promise it will come....right after my full attention to something of much greater importance in life... the royal wedding, which airs at 10 AM tomorrow in Paris). 

After a few cases of wine, 12 hours driving through the French countryside, an exorbitant amount of tolls, several French chateaus, and even more French wisteria (and thankfully no food poisoning), I think our first adventure into the French wine country was quite a success.

If anyone is ever looking for a friend to take on such a trip, I am totally available.

Now, on to the more important question on everyone's mind today: what is Kate's dress going to look like?!?!?!  (Don't be jealous that I am 6 to 7 hours ahead of you and will see it first {except maybe for Caroline Weimar who told me she is waking up at 4 AM}). 

Happy Royal Wedding watching.

French Wine Country: Part Une

First of all, Joyeuses Pâques! (Happy {belated} Easter!).  Forgive me for my absence, but we have just returned from our long awaited road trip down into the French wine country.  If you appreciate the countryside (especially the flower filled French countryside), old limestone chateaus covered in wisteria and even sort of like wine, you have got to take a trip to Loire Valley.  A few pictures of the landscape just to persuade....

And the wisteria.... have you ever seen anything like it??! I have officially fallen in love with the color purple.

We stayed just outside of the most fabulously cute little town in the Eastern Loire Valley called Chinon.  Only a short two hour drive from Paris, Chinon is a small town right in the middle of the famous Loire Valley vineyards filled with character and charm.  From the cobblestone streets to terraced cafes, it is a perfect place to anchor down to explore the region.  There is just so much to tell you about, I don't know where to begin!! I guess I will start with pretty pictures to capture your attention and move to wine discussion apres.

Chinon.

The Mr.'s sunglasses finally kicked the can (I say finally because they actually broke about nine months ago but he continued to wear them with a twist tie attaching the broken frame together).

 I wanted to move into this little house covered in ivy, roses and wisteria sitting on the bank of the river.

 We stayed at Château de Marçay which was a few minutes outside Chinon.  It was perfection. (One of the upsides to the Loire Valley versus the better known Provence is the major bang for your buck). I would highly recommend this as a honeymoon destination.

Château de Marçay.

 

The even tinier town of Marçay sat at the foot of the château.  About as picturesque as they come.

 This is the view from the terrace of the hotel.

(Very excited to have the camera again - we either left it at home or forgot the charger on our last two trips.  This should explain the copious number of pictures...)

The restaurant in this hotel was incredible. This is the little vegetable garden where they grow some of their own produce.

The beauty surrounding the hotel was unbelievable.

I was crushed to have to leave. 

But as I will tell you about tomorrow... our next stop, Saint Emilion, may have been even better.

For now, laundry, coffee filters, securing legal residency in France.... real life awaits.