The Mont + Country Cottages in the Loire Valley

During the last part of our trip to France in June, we visited places known for less for important historical events and more for their beauty and opulence. Our last stop in Normandy was Le Mont St. Michel, a lone island and UNESCO World Heritage site on the border with Brittany. A monastery built in 800 AD sits at the top of the island's hill, with layers of stone houses and shops below it, and a shallow bay all around it.

the camouflaged guardian

clever monks designed a crank-powered
system for bringing supplies up the hill

We arrived in the evening after driving down from the D-Day landing sites, and it was rainy and surprisingly cool so we felt like we had the island to ourselves. Apparently, the island is normally packed with tourists, so we didn't mind the rain too much. Previously, you could drive all the way down the causeway and park at the base of the island, but now the causeway is closed and buses ferry visitors from mainland parking lots. This is all part of a really neat project by the French government to restore the area around the island and prevent sedimentation from joining the island to the mainland. They are using a clever dam design and the force of the river to move most of the sediment from the bay. We decided to walk rather than take the bus so that we could soak up the beautiful vista from different angles, and we also really enjoyed reading about the project on signs all along the causeway.

We arrived pretty late, so the monastery and most shops were closed, but it was magical to see the island lit up at night. We had to hang around until 10pm to see this, though! Touring Europe in the summer is perhaps more expensive and crowded, but you definitely get a lot more daylight hours for sightseeing.
Anyway, after an overnight stay in a really charming farmhouse B&B about 20 minutes away from "The Mont" (as our British hosts called it), we hopped in the rental car and headed to the Loire Valley. 20 Euros in tolls later....

We were in the land of chateaus. The Loire Valley is home to over 300s chateaus, most constructed in the 1500s by nobles who wanted to be near the French kings who built estates in the area. We saw a lot of resemblance between these 'country cottages' and the 'seaside cottages' in Newport. Our first stop was Château d'Azay-le-Rideau, which sits on an island in the middle of the Indre River. The river has been slowed down to create a "water mirror" to reflects the chateau's image, but the river was swollen and muddy during our visit so it didn't have quite the same effect.

This chateau was built on the ruins of an old castle, and to this day it remains incomplete (you read the whole drama here). I enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere and the clever woven grass coverings on the walls and floors of several rooms, which made the air smell sweet (probably handy in the days when taking baths was frowned upon).

Next, we visited Château Chenonceau, which Jeremy did a report on in highschool. It delicately spans the Cher River, and was a hotly contested piece of property between Henry II's wife and mistress. This was the most romantic chateau we visited, with graceful arches, beautiful furnishings, and lovely flower gardens.

the flower garden & dreamy florist workshop

Chenonceau was quite a bit more crowded, but the interiors were beautiful and each room was scented with massive flower arrangements created on site. The kitchen was also really neat, with long lines of meat hooks, huge fire places for roasting game, and secret doors for discretely bringing in supplies from the river.

Last, we visited Château de Chambord, a behemothic historic hunting lodge of French kings. There was a festival going on and parking was scarce, so we had to drive all the way around the 20 mile wall to get back in! Signs along the roads inside the grounds warned us to watch for deer and boar.

The chateau was closed when we arrived, but we walked around the grounds and admired the riot of turrets and towers popping up from the roof. In all of the chateaus, we tried to spot salamanders in the decorations. King Francis I, who commissioned Château de Chambord and essentially started the chateau craze of the 1500s, adopted the salamander as his emblem

During our trip to France, we visited such a wide range of places, from spots with rich history to areas of stunning natural beauty to beautiful man-made structures. The variation in the types of things we saw and the unique beauty and history of each spot made the trip really interesting and special. It was great way to celebrate 6 years of marriage and almost 10 years together!