For The Love of Travel

First stop Candes-Saint-Martin, one of the French ‘beau villages’, and at the confluence of the Vienne and Loire rivers. Lovely colourful mudflats too!

Checked out the church, whose statues all had their heads removed (maybe during the French Revolution?).

Evidence of Gallo-Roman occupation was found in 19th century excavations, particularly in the grounds of the Bishop’s Palace which crowns the hill. The village takes its name – and its main claim to fame- from the church which took the place of the 4th century monastery where St Martin, Bishop of Tours and ‘Apostle to the Gauls’, died in 397.

Next to Fontevraud abbey – thirteen hectares of ancient buildings sitting within a lush landscape. At the heart of all this is the main priory, which links the Abbey’s most beautiful buildings – the magnificent abbey church, which overlooks the entire site, the Romanesque kitchens, the chapter house, the cloisters and their gardens regularly adorned by contemporary artworks.  Droney took a lovely pic of the huge estate. 

The octagonal form of this building and its roof prickling with pointy chimneys and fish-scale slating, have been a subject of much reflection for historians. The ‘kitchens’ of Fontevraud were in fact a smokehouse, where fish (mostly salmon, then abundant in the Loire) was prepared, constituting the nuns’ staple diet – Fontevraud smoked salmon.

Along the Loire river and its tributaries, galleries have been carved into the hillsides made of limestone. Horizontal troglodytism exists in different regions of France, but there is an extraordinary concentration of sites near Saumur and Chinon. Between Montsoreau and Saumur, the hillside is crammed with caves. We visited 2 ‘caves de vin’…one with nimble goats and John, entertaining us more than the vignieron 🙂

…..the next one though was fab …. La “Grande-Vignolle” in Turquant. We got 3 bottles of delicious red to take with us and it was a great example of a ‘seigneurial’ troglodytic manor. 

Arrived late arvo into Angers, settled into accommodation, got Vietnamese ’emporter’ (takeaway) for dinner and flaked!

We decided our only real stop today would be at the Chateau de Angers. It’s situated on a rocky outcrop overlooking the Maine river, and was occupied in turn by Neolithic man, Gauls and Romans. Cradle of the Plantagenet dynasty, the palace of the Counts of Anjou was erected here in the 10th c. The fortress, with its impressive 500 m-long ramparts and 17 towers, was constructed in 1230. The Dukes of Anjou built the great chapel, royal lodge and gatehouse during the 14thC and 15thC. In the late 16thC, the tower-tops were levelled in order to adapt the fortifications for the use of artillery, including cannons. A prison until 1856 and a barracks until 1947, this historic landmark, now managed by the Centre des Monuments Nationaux, is a showcase for the unique medieval masterpiece, the Apocalypse Tapestry.

The Apocalypse Tapestry was commissioned around 1377 by Louis I, Duke of Anjou, son of one King of France and brother of another. It’s the largest medieval tapestry known in the world.

Its history is turbulent. It was certainly used as a monumental decoration for special occasions.   The 90 different scenes tell the story of the Book of Revelation – the Bible’s last gasp of horror, retribution and redemption.

It was made after the 100 yrs War and pestilence (plague and famine) had killed millions in Europe. The tapestry is grotesque and daunting, yet mesmerising in its beauty and intricacy.  

Revelation was written by St John the Divine, who had been banished by the Romans to the Aegean island off of Patmos (apparently after being plunged into boiling oil in Rome and suffering no injuries).  It marks the final battle between good and evil –  Satan as a dragon and Christ as a lamb.  

It’s remarkable that the tapestry exists, given that during the French Revolution, it was looted, cut into pieces, and used as floor mats and blankets for horses. The pieces were gathered back by a ‘canon/edict ‘of the Cathedral and all but 16 were found and restored.

It tells you all you need to know about fear – and hope.

An hour’s journey to get to Nantes, and visit Trentemoult, a former fishing village belonging to the town of Reze, now a hipster centre with artists-a-plenty and brightly painted cottages from the 18th and 19thC. The houses are usually set over 3 floors, with the lowest only being used for storage as the Loire bursts its banks regularly. 

Terry and John recommended we ‘swan’ past Les Machines on the west side of the Ile de Nantes -inhabited by whimsical animatronic creatures inspired by Jules Verne’s writings and Leonardo da Vinci’s fanciful gizmos  and brought to life by Francois Delaroziere. The Grand Elephant, all 12 metres of him, was unfortunately in ‘maintenance’, so only a pic of his face. Awh!

We visited Rosalind, Terry’s cousin, who’s lived in France for over 30 years. She’s renowned as a contralto in the chorus of the Nantes Opera company but importantly, has had solo parts. She’s had a science, linguistics and arts background….amazing person, who is sooo hospitable! And, made us a great dinner: salmon and mackerel as entree; vege salad as main; these gorgeous little parcels of differently flavoured custard cream…yum! And can I mention Ros enticed me to try ….’John Powers whiskey’, (she recently got when travelling in Ireland)…..it was GREAT! So smoothe and mellow, given 3 distillations… I’m hooked!

First stop was at the Château de Azay-le-Rideau, described by Balzac as “a facet cut diamond set in the Indre” and which epitomises all the elegance of the French Renaissance. 

Built in the 16thC during the reign of Francis 1, by his Treasurer, Gilles Berthelot. Actually Gilles was away a lot and many construction decisions were made by his wife Phillipa. Amazing tapestries and leadlight too.

Its on an islet between two arms of the Indre river, set in an 8 hectare landscaped park, composed of winding paths through copses and meadows. Numerous footbridges and small bridges span the river, allowing for perambulation around the chateau. This couple from England were doing all the hard work for their pup, Geordie 🙂

In 1791 the Biencourt family became the owners of the chateau, restoring and enhancing this masterpiece over 4 generations. Its been under State ownership since the early 1900’s.

Our next stop was just a few kilometres down the road – the Château de l’Islette, another 16thC riverside Renaissance castle in white limestone.

Designed by René de Maillé, with construction lasting from 1526 to 1530. During the French Revolution, the château was owned by Charles Tiercelin d’Apelvoisin, who served as a member of the 1789 Estates-General government and was executed by guillotine in 1793. Approximately a century later, in the 1890s, the château was a romantic setting for the tempestuous affair between famous sculptors Rodin and Camille Claudel, who frequently stayed at the castle for secret getaways.

Eventually, in the mid-1960s, the Château de l’Islette underwent major restoration by Pierre and Madeleine Michaud, whose family still owns the estate and resides there today. The castle has been open to the public for 5 months of the year, since 2010.

We arrived at Chinon in time to have a drink in the Place de Jean d’Arc before we checked into our boutique hotel. Very friendly reception by Mathieu.

Did a short walk to the river and droney took a few shots of the Royal Fortress of Chinon.  Situated on its rocky spur on the borders of Anjou, Touraine and Poitou, the Royal Fortress of Chinon reflects the most prestigious times of the Middle Ages. The last refuge of Henry II Plantagenet king of England, its thousand-year-old walls welcomed Eleanor of Aquitaine, Charles VII, Joan of Arc and Marie of Anjou during the major turning points of French history.

Dinner at La Bekaa, a Lebanese restaurant just up the road. Delish offerings and a cheeky bottle of red, Moroccan Boulaouane shared by us. A very hot night, tossing and turning, airless bedroom despite comfy bed.