Friday – Saturday, September 26th – 27th, 2008
We left Paris in the morning to pick-up our Peugeot station wagon at Orly Sud. Once our papers were in order, we programmed the car’s GPS for Onzain in the Loire Valley. We named the GPS Millie. Millie guided us out of the airport and straight into Paris going in the opposite direction. We had no map, and it was with great luck we were able to turn ourselves around. Millie was not at all apologetic in her haughty Brit accent. Personally, I could have thrown a brick thru the GPS as we had now wasted well over an hour trying to get out of a horrific traffic jam. It was a great pleasure when we arrived at our hotel, Domaine des Hauts de Loire www.domainehautsloire.com This was our 3rd or 4th visit and had been too long since our last visit. Our room in the annex, 35, was the first room we stayed in eleven years ago. It still is a beautiful suite. The Domaine was once a former hunting lodge converted into a hotel. What a special place to start your holiday, all this, and a two-starred Michelin restaurant to boot. Nothing need be said further about their fabulous fare.
As we arrived late in the afternoon we took the few hours before dinner to map our attack on the Châteaux on Saturday. The Loire Valley, aka the Valley of the Kings, is the home of magnificent castles to the former Kings and royalty of the world.
Later, we dined in the restaurant and were served a two-star dinner with impeccable wait staff service.
Saturday arrived all too quickly and we got off to a late start to the day, only touring the Loire and visiting Château de Chenonceau, www.chenonceau.com Chenonceau stretches across the River Cher and is surrounded by formal gardens and wooded grounds. The château is beautifully furnished with Flemish tapestries and art throughout. Click on the link above to visit the château. Chenonceau had a circular maze but decided with my navigational skills I’d never find my out of it. Next time I’ll take the chance. Winding our way back to our hotel, we stopped in the village of Montrichard where there were only ruins of their 11th century castle. Montrichard is a small village that sits on the bank of the Loire River.
Later that evening we met up with our friends, Marc and Catherine in Tours. There was a new bistro that recently opened, L’Hédoniste (www.lhedoniste-caviste.com) and we decided to give it a try. Very nice meal and fun to catch up on the news with Marc and Catherine.
