Château de Montsoreau
The Loire River is literally on the front steps of the Château de Montsoreau which dates from the 11th century. What a majestic setting! Villandry may have its gardens but Montsoreau has the beautiful Loire River. In fact, it is so close to the Loire that it actually has its feet in the water – that is to say, it has ...
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Staying on a Vineyard in the Loire Valley
Staying on a vineyard in the Loire Valley means opening your windows and filling the house with the rich smell of wine! This October which has been the hottest on record for France since 1954 afforded lots of open window time for enjoying the smell of the fermenting grapes. We stayed in a gite that was located on a ...
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Angers Château
The Angers Château is positioned at the western edge of the Loire Valley. This French castle, the Château d’Angers, is located at Place Kennedy in Angers France. It is the most visited monument in the Anjou Region. In my opinion that would undoubtedly be due to the Apocalypse Tapestry. However, there are many other not ...
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Surrounded by the Maid of Orléans
We found ourselves surrounded by the Maid of Orléans in Orléans France . Joan of Arc is the patron saint of France and Place de Martroi, one of the main squares in Orléans, has a statue commemorating her. The Maid of Orléans , Joan of Arc, can be found in 11 statues around the city! One of the largest churches in ...
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Tours France
Located in the western region of the Loire Valley, Tours France does not have a chateau to bring it fame but it is incredibly close to many châteaux with Amboise being only 17minutes away by train and only 27 minutes by car. Saint Gatien Cathedral Tours does have its magnificent Saint-Gatien Cathedral. The Gothic Cathedral ...
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No Car Needed to Explore French Castles via Train
Visiting French Castles via train helps avoid what we termed “châteaux overload”. We definitely experienced this overload the first time we visited the Loire Valley. If you go by car it is so easy to try to "do too much" so pace yourself. Visiting one or possibly two châteaux (their interiors and grounds) per day ...
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Maine et Loire
Anjou or Maine et Loire...regardless of what name you call this Department it’s hard to know where to begin since there are so many things I love in this department with two names. Anjou is the historical name for the Maine et Loire department of Pays-de-la-Loire Region of France. Today's name comes from the two ...
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