Friday morning, October 15, our group plus our art history professor, Laurent, our program director Viviane, and a group of about six other students from other universities in the U.S. who are taking classes at the prestigious Sorbonne, departed for the Loire Valley at 7h15. Aside from having to wake up at 5h30, I had been looking forward to the weekend trip. We drove about three hours to Blois, a small town situated by the Beauce and Sologne rivers. We arrived at the château for our first visit and Laurent jumped right in explaining the significance of the château in French architecture and history. It is remarkable, as the building encompasses elements of two types of gothic architecture, as well as two other later periods of French and European architecture.
The part of the château that pertains to the early gothic period, employed during the 13th century, is the largest of its kind still conserved in France today. It is a relatively small part of the château compared to the other components, as it is just the <<salle des États>> (State room) that still stands. It is also not particularly intricate compared to the other parts of the complex.
The second oldest section of the château was constructed from 1498 to 1503 in the <<gothique flamboyant>> (flamboyant gothic) style. It is a mix of red brick and white stone with large arches composing the first level, simple wall and windows composing the second level, and dormer windows composing the third level. Louis XII resided in the château during this time. Louis chose the porcupine as his emblem, symbolizing a strong defensive when provoked. The exterior walls of this section of the château have stone carvings of porcupines, namely above doorways.
The third oldest section is the <<Renaissance>> section of the château, and my personal favorite. In the middle of the section of beautiful white stone wall is the staircase tower. In France during the Middle Ages, the staircase was a sign of aristocracy and social status. The physical ascent towards heaven represented the role of religion in architecture as well as elevation in social status. Therefore, staircases were oftentimes the focal point of houses and châteaux. Most were <<en vis>> (spiral) and much attention was paid to their construction and decoration. The outside of this particular staircase tower was elaborately decorated with busts of the king at that time, François le premièr. He chose the lizard as his symbol, so there are quite a few to be found covering this part of the castle.
The final addition to the château started in 1635 and was finished in 1638, made for the duke Gaston d'Orléans, the brother of Louis XIII. Heavily influenced by Greek architecture, the exterior includes three levels of columns--doric, ionic, and corinthian. The most impressive aspect of this part is the foyer of the front entrance. The staircase is, once again, the focal point. Called a "suspended" staircase, the first part heads straight back, then the stairs continue at a sharp left without support from a middle tower. The ceiling of the entrance produces an effect of elevation towards the sky with multiple levels--the first a flat ceiling with an irregular octagon cut out that opens up to the second and third levels of the ceiling, a dome with another dome at the very top of it. The décor is nothing short of breathtaking and the staircase is considered one of the greatest masterpieces of French architecture.
We were given an hour and a half to roam around the charming little town of Blois and grab lunch before moving on to our second destination, the vineyard in a town called Vouvray. We had about an hour and a half of traveling to do and broke up by stopping across the river from the Château d'Amboise, where Leonardo da Vinci is buried! Unfortunately we didn't get to do a visit, but the view of the castle from across the water was beautiful, with a multiple-arch bridge in front spanning across the river. I thought to myself, as I marveled at the spectacular chateau on that overcast, brisk day, bundled up in a thick scarf and jacket, "This is what I think of when I think of France."
We hopped back on the bus and continued driving until we reached the vineyard at about 3 pm. We were greeted by Pierre, one of the employees of the Moncontour vineyard, who gave us some basic facts about the vineyard. We were given a tour of the grounds by Pierre and the proprietor, Monsieur Feray, and were fortunate enough to see the château where M. Feray resides today with his three huge Doberman dogs. I felt like I was in a movie! The château has the most incredible view of the town of Vouvray, a beautiful garden, ivy growing up the side of the eastern wall, forest to the west of the house, and acres and acres of vineyards surrounding it. What a life!
We took a tour of the vineyard's museum that contains history of the land and the history of the business. Then, finally, it was time to try some wine! We tried four or five different white wines, all of them delicious. The last one we tried was absolutely the best, and it went for 21 euros a bottle. I decided to indulge in two bottles of champagne that only cost me 14 euros total, definitely worth it. We headed to our hotel for the night after our dégustation (wine tasting.) Had a great dinner sitting with three girls on the trip that I haven't spent much time with. We had great conversation that continued for about two hours after we had finished eating. Weekend trips on study abroad always provide an opportunity to get to know everyone in the group, which is wonderful. I'm glad to have made better friends with those girls after this weekend.
After having a classic French breakfast at the hotel the next morning, we departed for Loches at about 8h30. Loches is, you guessed it, another château! It was SO cool to visit a château that is stereotypical in the sense that it used to be surrounded by a moat, had a drawbridge, and was defended with cannons poking through the fortified walls as well as skilled archers who stationed themselves along the top rim of the castle during battle. Check that one off the bucket list! The castle was constructed from 1013 to 1035 and was converted into a prison by Louis XI in the fifteenth century. It houses a torture chamber as well as rooms used for entertaining guests and grand celebrations. Very impressive!
We were given another hour and a half to walk around the town of Loches and check out the open-air market. You could find anything and everything there--bakers, vendors selling saucisson (French sausage) made from duck, pheasant, or pig, chevre, camembert, roquefort, brie, and every other cheese imaginable, champignons (mushrooms,) fresh fruits and vegetables, herbs, and honey. Walking through the narrow winding streets you are hit by some of the most mouth-watering scents. Jackie, Courtney, Sophie, Cathy and I decided to skip out on a traditional sit-down lunch at a café and to buy some local products from the vendors for lunch. Two baguettes, two saucissons (one covered in herbes de provence and one smoked), and two different cheeses (tomme à l'ancienne and entre deux, which literally means "between two," meaning its not quite strong and not quite subtle, either), and we were set. We found a nice park bench in a sunny spot outside the market, cut up our various ingredients, and savored some regional specialities. What an afternoon! Afterwards we sought out on a quest for a chocolate shop and were happy to find one not too far away where I bought six pieces of gourmet chocolate for 4.50 euros. That lunch proved to be the best one I've had in France so far, because it was SO quintessentially French!
After a nice little nap on the bus on our way to the last château of the trip, we arrived at Chenonceau. I immediately understood, while visiting the grounds of this particular castle, why UNESCO named the Loire Valley a world heritage site for its biologic diversity and its rich history and culture thanks to all the parks, small towns, and châteaux.
The castle is famous for being a gift from the king of France, Henri II to his mistress, Diane de Poitiers. All over the château one can find the emblem of a big capital H and the half-circle moon shape added to one of the legs of the H to form a D right on top--how romantic. Walt Disney is rumored to have modeled the emblematic castle after this particular castle and others of its kind. It sits elegantly atop the Cher river and has a HUGE garden to the right side. The rooms inside are luxuriously still furnished as they were centuries ago during the time of France's great monarchies. The view of the river and the garden as well as the peaceful pathways through the forest surrounding the castle add to its invaluable charm.
We left Chenonceau at 4 pm on Saturday the 16th and arrived back in Paris at 8. Only four hours by car and you discover an entirely new part of French culture, one that is enjoyed at a much slower and peaceful pace, that I found, allowed me to savor every last thing we saw, tasted, and smelled. The weekend was a great getaway from the city.
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