oh tom, you'v done it again. [got somewhere before me, i mean]. I've been promising myself a visit to the international garden festival and now you've gone and got there first.

rat! [nice report though]

ttt

I feel that the château in Blois is often unjustly ignored, but I would additionally like to say that it is another perfect and inexpensive base for a visit the the Loire valley. The Ibis Hôtel next to the château is not one of the usual cookie-cutter Ibis suburban chain places but is instead clearly the former finest old hotel in town, just retrofitted to make it conform to modern standards. I seem to recall that it still had a charming old elevator, though.

Fans of <b>Tintin</b> might be interested to know that Captain Haddock's residence Moulinsart (Marlinspike Hall in the English version) is a carbon copy of the château de Cheverny.

Still laughing all the way with you Tom, great stories.

I was lucky enough to catch the garden festival years ago when we visited, I thought it was great but the others weren't so keen. I was studying horticulture at the time so that may have had an influence on me.

With Villa des Consuls - which room did you have, can you remember? Do they windows to the outside, some of the rooms appear quite dark and only have windows after you have climbed some steps, is this just the photos or how it really is. I am looking to stay in this area next year but need a light and airy room with a 'view' from the room and am concerned this lovely looking hotel may not offer this.

Thanks, schnauzer

"With Villa des Consuls - which room did you have, can you remember? Do they windows to the outside..."

ripping off my own trip report: We had "the Montesquieu, a two-bedroom apartment (152€) with bath/shower, and a veranda where we sipped wine each night before going out and sipping more wine." Yes, we had plenty of windows. Don't know about the regular rooms. Hope this helps,

<B>Day Eleven – Casa de Leonardo, A Walk In The Park, We’ll Cross That River When We Come To It, Belles Fleurs, Da Vinci’s Final Resting Place, Is That Liz Taylor, In The Annick Of Time, Bruno Redux And How Much Is That Kitten In The Window</B>

A little after 8:15 four people, with an appetite larger than Annick’s horses, waddled into the breakfast room at Manoir de la Maison Blanche. She might as well have put a trough in front of my face as I filled up on brioche and croissants slathered in her homemade jam. I just couldn’t say “neigh” to anything.

The other three thought about rolling my butterball body down to Château du Clos Lucé/Parc Leonardi da Vinci, but instead we hopped in the car and drove the short distance, since we had other stops afterward.

We opted to go for an 18.50€ apiece ticket that included a “Special Exhibit” that turned pout to be a royal bust. Clos Lucé was a summer home for French kings and a royal residence for a couple of hundred years, and in 1516 it became the home of Leonardo da Vinci thanks to an invitation from King François I. François made Leonardo “First Painter, Architect and Engineer of The King,” and the great da Vinci lived here for the last few years of his life.

The self-guided tour takes you through the Gallery, da Vinci’s bedroom, another bedroom, an Oratory, some salons, the Renaissance Great Hall and the Kitchen.

Downstairs, in the basement, are numerous replicas of da Vinci’s inventions, some of them thought of centuries before their time such as flying machines, tanks, automobiles and machine guns (which would have come in handy dealing with some of the tour busses on this trip). We also saw the stairs that led to the secret passage that led to the Royal Château d’Amboise; a secret passage fit for a King. The only thing missing at Clos Lucé was Nat King Cole singing Mona Lisa.

Stepping outside we entered a little garden area. When Tracy and visited here in the late 90s, we got sidetracked by a lovely (but heavy) rug at the adjacent gift store. We proceeded to lug the rug throughout France for the rest of the trip, but it still lies in our entry hall, so we have gotten our money’s worth out of it and my back stopped being sore in 2002.

This time we headed in the other direction (quickly) and enjoyed the Parc Leonardo da Vinci, where more of his inventions are on display in a tranquil setting. If you are a serious photographer, you could spend the entire day here. After a while, we came upon the “Special Exhibition,” which really did not add to our experience, but overall the trip to Clos Lucé was informative, fun and, dare I say, relaxing.

Back in the car, we next traveled to the place where a wife and mistress both lived (but not at the same time), Château de Chenonceau (11€). This was the residence of King Henri II’s mistress, Diane de Poitiers. Unfortunately for Diane, Henri liked to joust, and one day a piece of his opponent’s lance pierced Henri’s eye, and as soon as Henri bit the dust, his vengeful wife, Catherine de’ Medici, gave Diane the boot (although she just went to Chaumont-sur-Loire, so it wasn’t too bad a deal).

This is another of the most recognizable chateaus of the Loire. It stretches across the River Cher, so it was apropos that it was Sonny outside (ouch). This chateau has always had the feminine touch, so maybe that is why there are gorgeous fresh floral arrangements in virtually every room.

When people ask which chateaus you should not miss, this is certainly one of them. We spent a good deal of time here.

One of the stories that is interesting is the story of The Gallery, which Catherine built upon the bridge designed by Diane de Poitiers. In World War II, the chateau’s entrance was in occupied Germany, while the door on the other side (the south side) provided an escape to the Free Zone. This made it possible for Resistance fighters to pass along a number of people to the Free Zone, which is probably why the Germans had an artillery unit nearby that could destroy the chateau.

There are also dueling gardens; the Diane de Poiiters Garden that has a very lovely fountain and the Catherine de’ Medici Garden, which has a central pool. They can battle it out for eternity.

After our chateau tour, we hit a little place in town for a quick bite to eat, and we dropped Kim and Mary back at the hotel for a little r&r. I think they were “chateau’d out” for the day. Tracy and I got back in the car, parked in Amboise without killing any pedestrians (it was close) and started our tour of the Royal Château d’Amboise.

It was 14€ (with audio guide) per person (these chateaus start adding up over time), and we started our tour. Although not my favorite of the chateaus, it certainly is interesting enough, and we liked the St. Hubert Chapel, and we learned the Leonardi da Vinci is buried on the property.

Tracy and I then walked around town, had some delicious ice cream (Mr. Bottomless Pit strikes again) at the unfortunately named Glacier shop called Bigot. We also made a quick stop at Église Saint-Florentin.

I probably should have called Al Roker before this trip, because I had expected warmer weather and packed accordingly. Those shorts and some short-sleeved shirts never saw the light of day or the dark of night. To provide a little warmth, I bought a new sweater in Amboise.

Back at the homestead (aka Manoir de la Maison Blanche), the sun was out, which could only mean one thing…it was time for wine and cheese. The four of us were kibitzing when Annick came over, and we asked her to join us. This happened to be a day where we were the only guests, so she pulled up a chair and the five of us chatted for the next couple of hours.

She formally introduced us to her Great Dane, Taylor, named after Elizabeth Taylor because of the pooch’s blue eyes. We chatted on a number of topics ranging from the French economy, her history of owning the b&b and even a little bit of her love life (I am sworn to secrecy). When we ran out of wine, she brought out some more vin rouge from her stock and also some cold cuts to go along with it.

A little after 7 p.m. we told Annick that we had made reservations at Chez Bruno (we did that right after dinner the first night because we enjoyed it so much). We asked her if she’d like to join us, and since she had no plans, she said, “Oui.”

Walking to Chez Bruno, I think even Annick realized this walk was a little longer than she had believed, so she called the restaurant to say we would be a little late for those 7:30 reservations (total distance was 1.25 miles that Tracy and I calculated on our drive back from Amboise earlier in the day).

Dinner was once again fantastic, chatting with Annick was a blast (this is what trips to Europe…or anywhere for that matter…are all about) and even the walk back didn’t seem very long.

On that stroll to Manoir de la Maison Blanche, I started to pull up the rear (10 desserts in 11 days will do that to a man) and was joined by a couple of very amorous kitties, who didn’t want to leave my side. As we walked down the driveway, we told them we could not pack them in our suitcase and take them home, so please go back from wherever they came.

Back in our room, after about 15 minutes, Tracy and I were serenaded at our windowsill by the same two cats. It was just like home, except that the cats weren’t standing on my head.

Manoir de la Maison Blanche is a terrific place to stay, and Annick is the consummate host. Price per night was 90€ (cash only) and included Annick’s delicious breakfast. I can’t think of a better or more relaxing place to stay.

Tomorrow, however, the road warriors would hit the pavement again as we would head toward the western Loire. We would have time to visit a chateau, a castle and an abbey on the way to a city where I wish we could have spent more time. Who knew?

<B>Next: Day Twelve – Boar Wars, A Chateau That Floats, Traveling In Joan Of Arc’s Footsteps (Without The Fire), Eleanor Really, Don’t Look Back In Angers, Get Me To The Church On Time and A Ferme Decision For Dinner</B>

Great stuff, as usual, but surprised you didn't mention the great defenestration that Catherine de Medici arranged at the château at Amboise - I mean holding a dinner party for the Huguenots and spearing them and forking them over the walls into the river is pretty bold history (and this from the person who introduced forks to France!)

After my experience at Le Tastevin in Paris, I want nothing to do with forks in France.

Oh...right. I wouldn't, either.

Looking forward to Angers.

"Looking forward to Angers."

me too. Lots going on here, so the TR is slow going at the moment.

omg,i stumbled upon this TR. im glad you're back on the europeans roads - there'll be mtt adventures to read.

..."sonny on the Cher.." Oh Tom!

Great TR as usual.

Nothing like a good defenestration! Ina Caro states that there used to be lions kept in the moat around back for, er, entertainment.

Great stuff, as usual, but surprised you didn't mention the great defenestration that Catherine de Medici arranged at the château at Amboise>>

I remember being impressed when our guide told us about the second defenestration of Prague.

Sadly we never found out what happened with the first one.

<i>I remember being impressed when our guide told us about the second defenestration of Prague.

Sadly we never found out what happened with the first one.</I>

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defenestrations_of_Prague

thank you Michael.

defenestration as a form of execution appears to have been less than 100% successful, which is presumably why it failed to catch on.

Tom - I have tried valiantly to wait to read this report in its entirety but, as always, you're just too good! Looking forward to more...

Damn, where was I? Oh yeah...

<B>Day Twelve – Boar Wars, A Chateau That Floats, Traveling In Joan Of Arc’s Footsteps (Without The Fire), Eleanor Really, Don’t Look Back In Angers, Get Me To The Church On Time and A Ferme Decision For Dinner</B>

It was time for one last Gorge-athon for breakfast at Manoir de la Maison Blanche, and after saying goodbye to Annick, the horses, cats and dogs we were on our way to Angers, with a few stops scheduled along the way. Annick had been nice enough to purchase a “brioche for the road” for us. She must have sensed we needed to eat every half hour or so.

We thought that Château de Azay-le-Rideau would be our first adventure of the day, but it would actually turn out to be our second. Just a few kilometers from the chateau, as I rolled on down the highway, an unexpected visitor ran across our path. “Holy crap, it’s a boar,” Tracy said.

When I tried to explain to her that I knew this drive wasn’t the most scenic, she said, “Not a bore, you idiot, there was a wild boar running alongside the road.” Quickly looking in my rear view window, I saw the boar darting in and out of traffic like a New York City native. It was huge, and amazingly it did not get hit (at least while we were in the vicinity). I don’t think I’d like to meet one them face-to-face.

Arriving at Azay-le-Rideau in a slight drizzle, we walked around the entire chateau before entering. One of the Loire’s earliest chateaux, Azay-le-Rideau was built on an island on the Indre River. Looking at it, Azay just seems to float on the water.

After purchasing our tickets and audio guide, we entered via the Grand Staircase and went up to the Great Attic (they must have liked big things, I thought). The entire chateau had some very nice furnishings, beautiful tapestries, nice views out to the water, and it took about an hour to visit.

Our next stop was Chinon where we would visit Joan of Arc’s old stomping ground, Château de Chinon. This is where she stopped to chat with the future King Charles VII before she headed off to Orléans so Ingrid Bergman could play her in the movies centuries later. We bought a discounted ticket here when we showed that we had also visited Azay-le-Rideau earlier, so if you visit both, keep your ticket.

Once again we were happy with our audio guides (included with the price of our ticket), and we walked the grounds that had some great views out to the Vienne River. Château de Chinon has undergone a gigantic restoration since our last visit more than a decade ago, and in a few of the rooms there were videos projected in an unconventional manner, showing the history of the place including Joan’s visit.

There were towers to climb and dungeons to explore, which, of course, made us all very hungry. As the town of Chinon had been packed, we parked above the castle. We took the Panoramic Elevator down to the cute town of Chinon for lunch.

The couples split up for lunch, so Tracy and I elected to sit down at Bistrot de la Place located on the main square. Although the service was incredibly slow (even for France), Tracy enjoyed the zucchini soup, bruschetta, while I had a delicious Ravioli aux fromage. Meanwhile, Kim and Mary picked up lunch at a Farmers Market and walked around Chinon.

After taking the elevator back up top, we asked the very nice ticket person at the chateau for directions to our next stop (Madame Bleu and Lady Garmin seemed to be on strike today and were of little help).

Armed with those directions, it was not a long drive to Abbaye Royale de Fontevraud. I’m glad I listened to all of you on the board who said to definitely stop here, because this was one of the highlights of the trip. If you go, you should also purchase the audio guide because it is invaluable in telling the history of this place.

We entered the huge, high-vaulted abbey church, which is quite a sight. Soon we came upon four royal effigy tombs that date all the way back to the 12th and 13th centuries. The tops of these tombs are painted with the effigy of the people who were once inside, including Elenore of Aquitaine, her husband, Henry II Plantagenet and their son King Richard I The Lionheart. Their remains were thought to have been removed during the French Revolution. We spent about 90 minutes touring the abbey, and the stories surrounding it were very interesting.

It was now time for us to make the drive to our hotel for the night located in the city of Angers, a place I knew virtually nothing about except for the fact that it was on the way to Mont Saint-Michel, where we would go the following morning.

By the time we hit Angers, there was a driving rainstorm and traffic that rivaled some of the worst we have encountered in France. It didn’t help that the one-way streets seemed to be conspiring against us as we tried to find our hotel.

Needless to say, with all this traffic, I needed some Angers Management. One guy honked at me, but I remembered my psychologist telling me not “to look back in Angers,” or something like that, so I stayed focused on the task at hand: getting us to the hotel without killing anyone.

All that said, driving around the city was kind of cool. It almost seemed like we were in the heart of mini-Paris minus the Tour Eiffel. Even though it was raining, there were lots of people walking, and they all were pretty stylish, too. The shabby four would soon lower that common denominator.

We parked in a secure underground garage (locked at night) and, after I survived some sort of weird dizzy spell exiting the car, we schlepped our suitcases through the rain to our hotel, the Hotel Le Continental, 14 Rue Louis de Romain.

Rooms at this hotel are small (the bathroom was extra small with showers only a super model could love), but once again it was clean, although I think a previous occupant or two had not adhered to the no smoking policy. Of course, I always find smokers to be sooo considerate of others.

Sadly, we got to the city too late to see Château d'Angers, but we did want to explore the city a little bit since it had piqued everyone’s interest while driving to the hotel. So after we all freshened up and contorted like a wet pretzel to fit in the miniscule shower, we were off on foot, umbrellas at the ready, although the rain was letting up a bit.

Angers was full of young people (well, I guess most people are “young people” to us now), and there was plenty of shopping going on. We scurried to La Cathédrale Saint-Maurice, which was built in the 12th and 13th centuries. The stained glass windows were beautiful, and we spent a fair amount of time admiring its interior.

Then, suddenly, we had a terrible thought. It was almost two weeks into our trip and we hadn’t hit an Irish pub, a must for a Tom, Tracy, Kim and Mary trip. Fortunately, there was one nearby, and on our way to it we spied a restaurant our hotel had recommended. We decided we would return after cocktails (I mean it was almost 7 p.m. for God’s sake). I think the place was called Le Dent, which I hoped would not be foreshadowing for our rental car.

In any event, after a Guiness, we went back to the hotel, got into some nicer clothes so we wouldn’t embarrass the Angerians (yeah, I know) and we headed out to our restaurant, and what a restaurant it turned out to be!

Sometimes it was hard for the four of us to make a firm decision for dinner, but Le Ferme (2 Place Freppel) had a great look from the outside, so this one was a no-brainer. When we arrived about 8 p.m., very few tables in the two rooms were occupied. When we left the place was packed.

Outside of our foursome, we heard no English spoken at La Ferme, so those of you who need an authentic “French experience” fix should like this place. Of course, even though we tried to introduce ourselves with our exceptional French accents, we were offered the English menu. I think they saw my little frown when they “discovered” our true nationality, so they offered me the French menu.

We were served an amuse-bouche (I think they did that because we bought a round of cocktails…yes shocking, I know).

Dinner was exquisite and there were even a couple of “wow” dishes. Kim and Mary started with a salmon ravioli in lobster broth. Kim then ordered a lamb shank and Mary had the first “wow” dish, a whitefish with butter sauce and ratatouille on mashed potatoes.

I started with a “wow” appetizer, pan-fried scallops in a whiskey cream sauce with risotto. I could go back right now. I also ordered the delicious lamb shank with pommes frites. Tracy had a very good duck with roasted potatoes. For once, even I was too full to order dessert, plus I was afraid my pants would split.

Cocktails, appetizers, main courses and a bottle of wine came to 120€ for the four of us. It was a great way to end an eventful (and long) day.

The cathedral was lit up as we walked past it on the way back to the hotel, and I was kind of kicking myself for not researching Angers more before we came. I hope we can return here one day, as I really liked the entire vibe of the city.

I believe I was asleep before Tracy could say, “What time do we need to get up tomorrow?” That was fortunate for me, because my phone was programmed to wake us up very early. We needed to get to Mont St-Michel before the hordes of tourists descended upon the place.

<B>Next: Day Thirteen - The Road Less Traveled, Stairway To Heaven, Sermon On The Mont, Addressing An Oversight, How Much Duck Could A Wood Duck Chuck, Another Oasis In A City and You Mean We Have To Walk This Far Again For Dinner</B>

A great new part of your post, Tom, but I'd like to go back to the Defenistration, you talked about earlier. You know, when the angry citizens throw the ineffective politicians out of high windows? Anyway, how about applying that to our own Congress?

Has a certain appeal, doesn't it?