Doug and Kerry Hudson in the Loire Valley, France

World Trip >> Europe >> France >> Loire Valley

On our final morning in the Dordogne region, our tent was soaked from the dampness in the air, and it looked like it was going to rain again. Sure enough, as soon as we were on the road for the Loire Valley, the heavens opened and it didn't stop all day. Every time we approached the top of the hill, we hoped that it would not be raining the other side. But no, just one miserable mile after the next. Our mood was very low when we reached Amboise in the Loire Valley, so when we saw a sign to the Hotel Ibis we jumped at the chance. It may be a plain and simple 2 star hotel chain, but to us at that moment it seemed like luxury. Don't forget that we hadn't slept in a bed for five weeks. Or seen a TV, let alone watched it. We enjoyed an evening of warmth, light and good food.

The next morning we were completely refreshed from our hotel experience. We headed into Amboise with renewed vigour. First we saw the Chateau d'Amboise, where the king François I had resided. The highlight here was the grave of Leonardo da Vinci in the little chapel. François had invited Leonardo da Vinci to live in Amboise, and we next went to see the house that he was given to live in: the Clos Lucé. This house had a small chapel called the Ann of Brittany Oratory, and it is said that "she went there to cry the most painful tears a woman could shed". Of course, we wondered why but unfortunately it didn't say.

There were also some scale models of Leonardo's inventions. Apparently, as well as being a brilliant painter, he was also quite the engineering genius, and hundreds of years ahead of his time. For example, he invented the telephone, the aeroplane, the helicopter, the tank, the hydraulic hammer, the parachute and the automobile! He also invented various military things, like portable bridges, breach loading cannons and the field cannon. This guy was amazing!

We found a campsite between Amboise and Tours. It was very quiet, being the end of the summer season. The next morning we visited the city of Tours, famed for its Cathedral. Inside this magnificent building, we completed the Ann of Brittany riddle: there was a grave there for her dead sons. One died at the age of 3 years, and the other at the age of 25 days.

We also visited the Basilica of St Martin while in Tours. Actually it was the fifth incarnation of the Basilica, due to various fires, floods and wars. Some very illustrious pilgrims had been there before us, including Richard the Lionheart and Joan of Arc. We finished our tour of Tours at the garden of the museum of Fine Arts, where you can see Fritz. Fritz was a stuffed elephant donated to the city 100 years ago by the Barnum and Bailey circus!

The next day we were ready to see our next chateau: the Chateau de Chenonceau. This one was really like a fairy-tale castle, as it stands over the river Cher. In fact, the river flowed under it through arches. It also had a drawbridge. Our favourite part of this chateau was the gardens, however. Pink and white busy lizzies and beds of lavender set in immaculate lawns. We did go inside the chateau, but found it to be a real let-down. We found it to be unimaginatively decorated, not to mention swarming with tourists.

The following morning we took some time off from travelling, and just chilled out. We really needed to relax. In the afternoon our batteries were sufficiently recharged to venture out. We visited the Gardens of Valmer. At first sight, this seemed like a work in progress, but we found the vegetable garden and fountains delightful.

While camping in the Cote d'Azur, we had met a lovely French couple from Pornichet in Brittany, namely Pierre and Monique. In fact, they invited us to visit them on our way to Paris. How could we refuse such a kind offer? Not only was it lovely to see them again, but it was also a learning experience for us to see inside a French home and enjoy their hospitality. And enjoy Monique's delicious French cooking. We have to mention the fish she served for dinner: a sea bass caught off the rocks at Pornichet by Pierre. She cooked it in a crust of sea-salt one inch thick, and it was a moment of pure theatre when Monique produced a hammer to break through it to serve the fish!

The next morning we set off for Paris with a rough idea of where we would stay but nothing definite planned. The climax to our adventure in Europe awaited us!

World Trip >> Europe >> France >> Loire Valley

Last updated: Sunday August 27, 2006