Goodbye France

Our time in France was wet, cold and cloudy!  We have spent just over 3 weeks here and it has rained almost every day. Even when it was not raining, the sun hid itself and the dreariness has taken its toll on us.

The rain we have experienced is a bit unprecedented. The rivers are flooding all over and we would later learn that this is the second highest water-level record, only surpassed in 1910!  Even the Lourve in Paris was closed (after we left) at one point due to water damage forcing them to move pieces from the basement to prevent damage.  So aside from our antsyness to enjoy good weather during our 3 weeks in France, we feel bad complaining about our temporary slow down when the reality was that many lives were truly impacted by the flooding.

Flooded soccer complex

The Louire Valley was a like a ghost town with many businesses either closed or barely open. Most shops are closed on Sundays and Mondays, and on the days when they are open, they close from 2-4.  We are not sure if this was a seasonal situation or if life there is really that sleepy. It often made finding food (whether groceries or restaurants) difficult and on more than one occasion we were forced to dine on leftover crackers and salami. When we did have the chance to go out to eat, we noticed on several occasions that the French are fast decision makers and were impatient with us as we tried to decipher the menu and decide who wanted what and how much to order.  Another food-related aspect of France that surprised us was that there were not nearly as many creperies as we'd expected.  However, the bread, without a doubt, is the best in the world. Our other food highlights were the Laudete macarons, which simply melt in your mouth, the brilat trufle cheese, and the butter.

Another more real-time tidbit that we would learn a few weeks after leaving is that somehow Dad got three traffic violations while driving. Three charges hit our credit card and after inquiring to Hertz what they were about, we learned that apparently in France the police don't even have to pull you over to address an issue.  Instead, they just write down your plate and send you the ticket. Being a rental car, Hertz charged $20 just to process the inquiry and we are still awaiting the details of whatever traffic laws were violated as well as whatever the fine will be!

G sporting the French beret

Sign on gate to our cottage

Flooding in the French countryside

Beautiful Loire Valley

Village of Loches

OUR FAVORITE CHATEAUS:

Dad: Chateau de Chenonceau (Ladies Chateau)

Mom:  Chateau de Chenonceau (Ladies Chateau)

C:  Montresor's trophy rooms & Chateau de Chenonceau (Ladies Chateau)

CB:  Montresor because it was a manageable size, not crazy big, not a lot of people in it & it didn't look restored but more original

G:  Chateau de Chenonceau (Ladies Chateau)

OUR FAVORITE FRENCH FOODS:

Dad: French baguettes

Mom: Macarons & brillat trufle cheese

C: Meats, cheese & bread (but not intestine)

CB:  Chouquettes

G:  Butter, baguettes, chouquettes, the cheese & Foodie Tour overall

S: Crepes

Cheverny & Chambord

We were excited to have a rain-free day to explore two of the most famous chateaus in the Loire Valley.  Our first destination was Chateau de Chambord.  We thought the parking situation was a bit strange as it seemed the lots were closed, but we couldn't read the French signs and we decided to join the couple of other vehicles in the parking lot and head out from there.  Unfortunately, as we approached this magnificent chateaux, we learned that it was closed on this particular day due to flooding it had experienced the day before.  This was unfortunate as we'd saved our visit to this castle for a nice day, and had driven over an hour to get here.  Being that there was nothing we could do, we walked around it and took some photos before moving on.

We called Chateau de Cheverny before heading there to make sure that they were open and upon confirming that they were, we started out again. The exterior of this chateaux is famous because it was a model for the castle in the popular Tintin comic. Behind the main chateaux is the Orangerie, originally a hall where the orange trees were moved during the cooler months, but used as a place to store famous art works, including the Mona Lisa, during WWII. This chateaux also has a kennel for the hunting dogs that are still used today by the castle's owners. We enjoyed the random tidbits of information that we learned as we toured this chateaux, such as in the medieval times people slept sitting up so that they didn't swallow their tongues!

Chateaux de Cheverny, used as a model for the Tintin comics

The nursery decorated with Napoleon III - era toys

We found it humorous that one of the richly decorated sitting rooms filled with many portraits, but the main one was the owner's daughter-in-law!

Walkway to the Orangerie, where famous paintings, including the Mona Lisa, were stored during WWII.

The kennels with the owner's hunting dogs all branded with their crest.

After touring the beautiful garden area, we called it a day and returned to our cottage.  After dinner the boys continued their ongoing poker tournament and Dad joined in while instructing them on the history of rock music.

Playing poker, one way to keep occupied in the Loire Valley during unpleasant weather

The rain held off the following day and so we decided to try our luck again and had to Chateau de Chambord.  We were thrilled upon arrival to learn that it was open to visitors.  The construction for this stunning French Renaissance chateaux began in 1519 with the purpose of it to be a weekend hunting lodge for Francois I; however he would only end up staying here for 42 days during his 32 year reign.  This castle is significant because one could say that France went from a monarchy to a republic within these walls.  This is the largest chateaux in the Loire Valley and has over 440 rooms, 365 fireplaces, and 84 staircases!  Being so massive, we opted to get the kids 3D iPad audio tours to keep them more engaged as they were getting a bit castled-out.  While they had fun wandering the chateaux, competing to find the invisible coins to complete their collection, they were also able to visualize what the castle looked like during its days of use and learn some of the history of it.  We found it interesting that the king's bathroom area, located off of his bedroom, was not only the place where the king used a wooden box for a toilet, but also his wardrobe and the place where politics were discussed in addition the location where those who attended the king would sleep on cots at night.  The king's bedroom, or bed chamber as it was referred to back in the day, was not just for sleeping but also for eating at a small table and for entertaining his guests while he reclined on his bed.  After our tour we rented bikes and tried to explore the 54 sq km hunting ground that surrounds the chateaux, the largest in Europe and reserved solely for high-ranking French government personalities; however due to the flooding and Dad pulling SJ in a trailer, we opted to just stay on the paths (after trying the woods of course) and circle the chateaux before heading home.

Chateaux de Chambord - the incredible expanded hunting shack of Francois I

Beautiful double-helix staircase possibly designed by Leonardo da Vinci

Kids in one of the hunting trophy rooms trying to find the hidden coins on their iPad tour guides.

The amazing rooftop area where we were able to walk around and look out over the grounds

Biking around Chateau de Chambord

Montresor

The rain in the Loire Valley continued along with the flooding and cold weather.  Tony and Sally, the people whose guesthouse we were staying in, told us that we had to visit Montresor as it was a Polish-owned Renaissance castle that had been in Tony's family since the mid 1800s.  Immediately upon entering this castle the boys were in awe of all of the hunting paraphernalia and animals that decorated it.  We enjoyed touring and learning more about the history and decor of this beautiful castle.

Oldest son admiring the guns & game in the castle foyer

Amazing animals and hunting gear in the dining room

Dancing with the princess

Afterwards we walked around the small village, which is actually listed as one of the 'Most beautiful villages in France' an award given to French villages that share a passion and ambition to promote and recognize the quality of their heritage, history, culture and desire to conserve their individuality and authenticity. We'd been told to make sure we check out the area along the Indrois River; however it was mostly flooded, so we did our best to walk along the area and imagine what it would be like on a dry sunny day.

Montresor, one of France's Most Beautiful Villages

So sweet among the beautiful roses that were abundant in the village

The calla llilies were as large as her face!

Leaping across the footbridge in front of Montresor Castle

Standing on a bridge built by the same workshop that made the Eiffel Tower

Purchased 3 regional pastries to sample at this cute Patisserie

We enjoyed a late lunch and returned to our accommodations where we watched Field of Dreams and confirmed that Mom truly is on the cutting room floor in Hollywood somewhere, and that we all agreed the movie wasn't very good (the boys might it verbalize a bit more aggressively).  We'd purchased three local French deserts that we'd picked up in Montresor and sampled during the movie - all agreeing that the eclair-like one was our favorite.

Ladies Castle & Leonardo Da Vinci

About a 30 minute drive from our home in Loche, we visited Château de Chenonceau, also known as the "Ladies Castle." It earned this name because the majority of its historic caretakers were women. This castle, as can be seen in the photos, is spectacular to visit. No single picture can capture the whole splendor. It spans across a river, which was raging due to all the flooding that France has had over the last month, which made our appreciation for the construction of this chateau all the more impressive. The original structure was built on that of an old wood mill in 1514-1522 and was later expanded to cross the river. The history of this castle is as amazing as the structure and includes such names as Diane de Poitiers, Catherine de Medici and Louise de Lorraine, wife of King Henry III. During WWI the chateau was a hospital ward and during WWII it was a means of escaping occupied territory to the "free zone" opposite the river. The history is displayed inside the castle and makes for an afternoon of reading a fiction-like story book while walking through the setting.

View of the castle from the garden.  The piers to the lower left are home to the kitchen.

One of the kitchen fireplaces

Mom was drooling over the many copper pots hanging in the kitchen

AMAZING flower arrangements - all included vegetables and were grown in gardens on site!

Ironically, during our time here we actually ran into a couple from Australia who we had met at Hillsong in Barcelona, proving once again just how small the world is.

Upon leaving Château de Chenonceau, we drove to Amboise to see the invention-filled final living space of Leonardo da Vinci.  Towards the end of Leonardo da Vinci's life, the king of France, King Francis I, invited Leonardo to live with him and gave him the title, "Premier Painter and Engineer and Architect of the King."  We saw Leonardo's bedroom and learned that he was so fascinating to visit with that King Francis I required that he visit with him for some period of time each day in exchange for his living quarters!  While it was fun to see displays of his notes and inventions and how they were used to impact the world as we know it today, everyone enjoyed stumbling upon the gardens.  Not only had it stopped raining so we were able to run a bit, but there were large examples of Da Vinci's inventions that we could interact with!

Creating energy while burning some - win win!

Military Armored Tank inspired by Da Vinci who thought it could be driven by human or animal power, have 4 wheels and guns all around with a sheltered shooter inside.  Leonardo wrote, "This could take the place of the elephants.  One may tilt with them.  One may hold bellows in them to spread terror among the horses of the enemy, and one may but carabiners in them to break up every company."

Da Vinci worked on representing distances through working on contrasts, light & color.

Peacocks continue to amaze us during our travels - always so beautiful

We headed towards the small city center and Mom and Dad found a wine-tasting store and snuck in a quick 15 minute date while the kids read in the car, while we waited for the restaurant to open.  Dad was craving pizza, but as tends to happen quite frequently, when we arrived at the restaurant, it was closed that day!  We found another place serving pizza and afterwards enjoyed some Amarino rose shaped gelato as one of our sons had been craving that from our time in Paris.

Excited for his rose-shaped gelato treat!

Loches: Market & Dungeon

The weather continued to be dreary, cool and rainy. We decided to head towards Loches for the morning market and caught the tail end of it. Then we walked around the old medieval village begun by Foulques Nerra in the 10th century and famous for Joan of Arc’s visit where she encouraged Charles VII to head north and take the French crown. The views from the citadel were beautiful and we appreciated that there were some activities targeted to younger people to help them understand what life was like for those who once lived here. Another highlight were the dungeons (or keep as they refer to it), and underground passages where we could see names scratched into the walls by the prisoners of long ago. There was also the fascinating cell that was used to cage up Cardinal Balue, who betrayed Louis XI. This cage supposedly dangled from the ceiling in one of the chambers, similar to a bird cage but with Cardinal Balue inside – apparently the Smurfs weren’t the first to hang from the ceiling in a cage!

G lifting a cannonball & a proud older brother photo-bombing

Game to earn points playing with a medieval weapon set up

Boy in cage similar to the one that hung from the ceiling and housed Cardinal Balue

That evening Mom made a favorite family soup that was complete comfort food for this cold night as our family welcomed in the start of June! Afterwards Sally and Tony, the fun owners of our property, came over for dessert. We enjoyed hearing about their lives in London and their family connection to the area we were staying in that led them to purchase this beautiful property. In addition, it was a treat for Mom and Dad to have some other adults to converse with!

Driving to The Loire Valley

We left our Normandy cottage and headed towards the Loire Valley, stopping at Chateau d’Usse, the supposed castle that inspired Sleeping Beauty.  Unfortunately the princess in our group wasn’t impressed overly impressed with our sightseeing and spent most of the tour crying.  

Chateaux d'Usse is rumored to have inspired Sleeping Beauty

Since we were in the neighborhood we thought we’d visit Chateau de Langeais, which had some of the rooms decorated in the original 15^th-century style.  We learned that the tapestries were not only used as wall hangings for decoration but also to insulate the rooms and later learned that they were sometimes laid on the floor as carpets, so were quite versatile!  We enjoyed learning about the marriage of Charles VIII and 11-year-old Anne of Brittany (who had been previously married), which united France and Brittany.  The grounds of this chateau were also interesting as the gardens were beautiful and there were old walls to climb and a treehouse!

Incredible dining room at Chateau de Langeais

Figures staging the marriage that united France and Brittany

Peek of the chateau through a whole in a nearby wall

Standing on a drawbridge 

Beautiful view over the Loire River

We arrived Monday evening and realized that our accommodations were actually a guest cottage on the property with the main owner’s home.  It was a quaint, bright and creative setup as the previous owner was an artist, which caused Mom to love it even more.  We’d booked this place hoping to continue some quiet and rest in the French countryside as there were some outdoor activities like ping-pong table, darts, and pool for the kids to be entertained by while we relaxed.

Boys playing ping pong

Upon our arrival around 6pm, we learned that most of the businesses in the area are closed on Mondays as the French view it as part of their weekend.  This meant no restaurants or grocery stores were open for dinner.  Thankfully Mom had overbought at the store in Normandy and because we were traveling by car, we were able to bring the food along with us.  We were grateful for God’s provision and ate a simple dinner and watched a movie before calling it a night.

It rained over night and we woke up Tuesday morning to more flooding, rain, and cool weather.  The local roads and yards were flooded and trees were down, it was truly quite the experience!  Thankfully we’d planned to have a quiet day of school and rest and finally by late afternoon we were able to get to the grocery store nearby (which was 20 minutes one way) for some food.  Dad treated us to a delicious grilled meal (they had a Weber!) and we enjoyed another movie night along with simple luxuries such as blankets and popcorn.

Flooding took down this tree and flooded roads all around us

Family dinner - still such a treat!

Wrapping Up Normandy

It was overcast and cool the rest of our time in the Normandy area.  We spent our time reading, catching up on school and laundry, kicking the soccer ball around, building PlayDoh ice cream cones, going for walks and bike rides, and enjoying quiet family time and having some space to spread out in.  We had fires, rest, and gathered for movie nights around the 15” computer screen where we watched movies about France, art and D-day. Oh, and the kids fought over every stupid thing imaginable.

Dad could be found outside by the fire in his make-shift fire pit!

Our bike ride date to the store for ice cream ended up in a downpour!

Going for walks and bike rides around the countryside

The nearby town had a market on Saturday and so we visited that and had chouquettes and baguettes along with purchasing some local delicacies such as apple juice, sausages, and Camembert.  We enjoyed many home cooked meals and our stay in Normandy was the quiet we’d been looking forward to.

Boys ordering cheese at the fromagerie

Learning to be French

Dad selecting some locally made sausages

Mom was given a flower for Mother's Day

Sunday just happened to be the day that the French celebrate Mother’s Day.  Humorously this was Mom’s 4^th Mother’s Day so far this year!

Our favorite parts from our time in Normandy were:

• Dad: Making fires and our Normandy day tour
• Mom:  Settling down and feeling a bit "settled" as well as the Normandy day tour
• C-oldest: The meadows & fields are so green, when I biked it was so green I had to stop and see if it was real!
• CB: The quiet
• G: Jumping off the roof of the woodhouse
• SJ:  Being with my family