Day 7, Chambord-Chaumont-Chenonceau-Chartres

Castles and rain, rain, rain...

At day break, very early in the morning I wake up. From my attic window I look down on the entrance road to the castle lined with gnarled sycamore trees. Nobody is around, but both martins and pigeons are noisily greeting the new day and very busy indeed. Everything smells fresh and green. No petrol fumes, or smells from the kitchen. Just a very pure and clean morning.

Chambord. View from my attic window

A few hours later, when it is time to get up, it starts raining. First tentatively, but gradually it gets worse and worse never to stop that day.

Breakfast is good and as expected elegantly served. So after a last walk and a last look at Chateau de Chambord, we go on our way. No pilgrimage this time, but a day to visit a few more castles in the Loire Valley. I had never seen any and never been in this part of France before, so after yesterday's experience I am looking forward to savour some more historic decadence.

Chaumont

. Above: from the other side of the river. Below: entrance gate to the castle.

We aim for Chaumont, a fortified castle high over the river Loire. The road towards Chaumont is rather uninteresting and not very picturesque, even along the minor roads. But perhaps it is the rain which is really pelting down. We pass Beauregard, a hunting "lodge" in the form of a castle, and try to get a glimpse of it. This is only possible if we buy a ticket at the entrance gate for both gardens and castle, which is a 12 minute walk away from the gate. And it is very wet indeed. So we drive on, leaving Beauregard to some hardier folk, only to stop in a village with an interesting 11th century church. It is open. Inside it is very dark as the windows are narrow and positioned high up in the walls. People attending church can't see what is happening outside. One side aisle was added in the 16^th century and the other one opposite as late as the 19^th century. The glass is mainly 16^th century. It is too dark to take pictures.

 Treasures from Chaumont:

 coloured glass

 tiled floors depicting  a hunting scene

 very ornate ceilings

 tapestries

eye catching pillars

Opposite the church is the Mairie with Liberté, Egalité and Fraternité painted over the doors. The village would be attractive if it weren't so wet. A young woman clad in a bright pink raincoat and pink high heels dashes out under an umbrella to post a letter and just as quickly runs back on tiptoe to her house, she the only splash of colour in this grey and wet market place, like an exotic bird.

Once at Chaumont we park at the entrance near the river, alongside a busy road. A mistake, we realise later. For we have to walk up a steep path towards the castle. The view of the Loire is glorious from here, provided the weather is bright and clear. We get very wet. If we had driven on to the top we would have found the main entrance gate with a parking lot and a restaurant. But little did we know. There is a garden festival, but the gardens are far too wet to enjoy them so we take refuge in the castle which is truly worth visiting. It is a defence castle, but still very opulent and beautifully furbished inside. The painted and decorated ceilings, the elaborately tiled floors, the priceless Flemish tapestries on the walls, the spiral stone staircases and carved capitals of the pillars, the ancient glass, they are all wonderful. I am briefed about the history of the castle, its inhabitants, its use, etc. That is the advantage of travelling with a historian. Kings, queens, dukes, French and English, so many have passed through this place or are connected with it.

 some more examples of sculpted decorations

 A bautiful ceiling

 All three pictures were taken in the chaple at Chenonceau

We spend quite some time here, partly because there is a lot to see, partly because it is still pouring down. On the top floor, in the attics, is an interesting exhibition. Interesting because here the myriad rooms and corridors are totally in neglect and haven't been restored at all. It must have been a gigantic effort the restore the rest of the castle to its former glory. From the rain splashed attic windows which are also very draughty we can look down on the river where a few typical river boats are moored.

 The river Loire with boats.

Above: taken through the attic windows

The castle has only a minute coffee shop and the weather doesn't really invite us to walk through the gardens in search of the restaurant so we go down to our car and have something to eat in a tiny pizzeria opposite the lower entrance gate. In order to have a better view of the castle, we cross the river and take a picture from there. It must be glorious in nice weather. Now it just looks imposing and a bit threatening in the gloom.

 Chenonceau

Our next stop is Chenonceau. We try to drive there following minor country roads but lose our way again. However, we get there in the end. Although this is not the day to admire the gardens, we still have to buy a combination ticket. Chenonceau is well-known, with its characteristic arches built over the river Cher. I had imagined that all the main rooms would be there and that the place would be huge. In fact, the main part of the castle is a rather modest square building. The long arched part across the river is one huge hall or ballroom. 

 The Kitchens

The lower parts of the arches house the kitchens, a good idea as the food undoubtedly could be kept rather cool near the flowing stream. The castle is crowded, probably because the gardens haven't got much to offer in this weather. I am so glad I am not camping or on a cycling trip, the favourite pastime of many a Dutch tourist! The gardens seem magnificent, but the paths look like small lakes and as it is late we decide to head for Chartres, our last stop on this pilgrimage. Although everybody knows the photos of Chenonceau taken from the gardens where one has a good view of the arches across the river, I don't bother to take one. My shoes are soaked already.

 Very elaborate and colourful beds, tapetries, ceilings, cornices, etc.

At 4 o'clock we leave and head for Chartres. Again we have some false turns on the minor roads, especially after we refuel and get a bit confused about our direction. But we make it to Chartres. Here I try to find a hotel in the centre, but the traffic is busier than expected, even at this early evening hour, because of a cycle tour. In the end we turn back to the entrance road into Chartres and find a hotel there on a strip. It could be anywhere in the world, the USA or Canada, even more so when we have a meal in the adjoining Buffalo Burger( oh horror!), frequented by young French people but not my first choice when I am on holiday in the land of good food. Of course we discover the hotel we were looking for the next day plus the best place to park – after we have parked in an underground parking garage. My mistake, as I get nervous about driving around this unknown town which is busier than either of us ever remembered.  I should have used the satnav, as that would have guided us straight to our destination, and we could have stayed in the heart of Chartres near local restaurants.

This was the best I could do. Usually the photos are taken from the other side, the end of one of the gardens, as the castle looks much nicer that way.

Day 6, Bourges-St. Benoit-Chambord

Breakfast in our B&B is delicious and also very pleasant! The breakfast room is in the main building and is served by our elegant hostess. We take our time, then take some pictures and go on our way. An elderly French couple gives us information about B&B's in the Loire valley. They have travelled a lot and the woman comes from Bourges. Talking to her we realise we only got a glimpse of Bourges and have to come back one day. From now on we are mixing abbeys and churches with castles. 

Souvigny-en-Solonge, the church

murals in the church

 The church and the wooden construction of the tower

below, a restaurant opposite the church

First we head for Sully, via Vierzon and the route national to Orleans. We turn off and the minor roads lead us to some interesting towns and churches. The first one is in Souvigny-en-Solonge. Here we find a historic church, characteristic of the area. It has a porch with a tiled roof and the church has been added to throughout the centuries. Fortunately the church is open so we can see the interesting interior, with the spire built in the middle of the nave, an unusual wooden construction. It also has wall paintings. The church stands on a green in the middle of the village and so forms a focal point. The houses around it are also old, with beams and plaster. There are lots of flowers. We buy a crusty loaf and some cheese in a shop opposite the church.

Isdes

Isdes, the next town, is also interesting, but here the church is closed.  It too has a wooden porch with a tiled roof, but smaller than the one in Solonge.

 Sully

 Sully

We drive on to Sully, the first castle for us on the river Loire, a fortified castle built for defence purposes. We have no time to go in, but walk around it. I am very impressed by its architecture.

The porch/tower of Fleury Abbey

Above: the nave and the choir with the double row of pillars

Above left: The organ over the entrance doors. right: St, Caecilia at the right side under the organ

Then it is on to a place my friend is eager to see again, the abbey at St. Benoit, Fleury Abbey, also on the river Loire. Our maps are not very detailed, so we end up on the wrong side of the river opposite the abbey and have to go back to Sully to cross the bridge.  A woman walking her dog told us that was the only way to get there, unless we wanted to swim! I didn't know the French had a sense of humour.

Choir stalls

 

Although it isn't easy to find a cafe where we can have coffee, the detour is worth it. Fleury Abbey at St. Benoit is beautiful and unusual, approached by a wide tree lined avenue which looks very peaceful. The occasional young monk in long black robes crosses quickly on his way towards or from the church. I am surprised to see so many young and attractive men wearing the cloth.

 The marble mosaic floor

  The capitals in the porch

A quote from a guidebook:

"St. Benoit boasts one of the finest Romanesque abbey churches in France, constructed between 1067 and 1108." It was founded by St. Benedict and his relics are in the crypt. "The church belfry porch is graced with carved capitals depicting biblical scenes. The nave is tall and light, and the choir floor is an amazing patchwork of Italian marble. Daily service with Gregorian chant are open to the public."

It is all true. The capitals in the porch which consists of nine arches, are wonderfully detailed. As for the Gregorian chant, I miss the short service while I move the car from the village square to the church to have a picnic on one of the benches under a tree along the avenue. It made me think of Maria and Martha, and I regret having missed it. Even without a service, the church makes one whisper. I feel this is truly a holy place, the house of God.

But it is time to leave for more worldly places, the Chateau de Chambord. The drive isn't very inspiring. Somewhere en route we have a coffee in a cafe next to a church at a crossroads in a small village.  Finally we enter the extensive woods of Chambord. Then, unexpectedly, the castle is revealed to us in all its glory. It is a stunning piece of architecture but reminds me of Disneyland. With its many irregular turrets, chimneys and staircases it looks like a huge ornately decorated cream cake. This obviously is no fortification but a place of pleasure. It also reminds me of a garden in Thunder Bay, Canada, where somebody had built the most imaginative and unlikely bird houses from unusual materials, like a string of fantasy palaces. The castle seems symmetrical, but isn't. Swallows and martins now nestle where the rich once held their sumptuous parties and enjoyed a very luxurious lifestyle. We have drinks on the terrace with a splendid view of the castle. We haven't found a B&B yet, but after making inquiries it turns out that the hotel isn't more expensive than any regular B&B, so we decide to spend the night there. We are lucky as the setting sun illuminates the castle, which we have a view of while enjoying an excellent meal on one of the terraces. 

 All the more striking against the black and threatening sky. Later, when the sun is setting, we walk through the meadows surrounding the castle which is now illuminated from inside as a party is going on there. It is truly magical, Disney world perhaps, but very nice for once. And the place is so peaceful. No roads, no noise, except the high pitched twittering of the martins flying low over the stream.

Photo site of Chambord

Day 5, Vezelay - Bourges

Vezelay-Bourges

This day is perhaps the highlight for our pilgrim to be. We have discovered where Bernard of Clairvaux addressed the men who were to go on the second crusade to the Holy Land. It wasn't in the abbey church, but in the fields on the hillside below Vezelay, facing the church of Asquins. There we find a wooden cross, a simple chapel, and a small religious community.  

We are on historic ground. A path leads from the church in Asquins via this humble monastery up the hill towards the abbey church of Vezelay. The spot is idyllic. The bustle of Vezelay seems far away. The fields are full of red poppies and yellow wild flowers. The view towards Asquins is glorious. There is no traffic here, and the only sounds are the buzz of bees and the soft humming of a tractor working the fields on the other side of the valley. 

 The small chapel seen from the back and lower down the slopes from the fields

My companion wants to walk the full length of the pilgrim path from Asquins to Vezelay Abbey, but there is not enough time for that so he contends himself with walking up to the abbey church along the steep path while I drive to a car park in Vezelay. We meet in front of the abbey and have a last look at the magnificent abbey church while enjoying a coffee.

 A view towards the small monastery and Vezelay Abbey from the fields

A view of the pilgrim church of Asquins from the small monastery

Walking back through the narrow and sloping street we buy our picnic which we enjoy just outside Vezelay with a view of the abbey church.

Farewell to Vezelay

And then we are off to Bourges. En route we go around Charity-sur-Loire, another medieval town, apparently also part of the pilgrim route. We haven't got the time to explore the town, but after crossing the beautiful old bridge, we stop on the banks of the river Loire to enjoy the view of the town with its fortified walls and big church.

And then it is on towards Bourges. Here the land is not half as exciting, with straight roads and endless undulating fields.

Charity-sur-Loire

The entrance to Bourges is like the entrance to any big town in Europe or the United States, industrial estates and ugly buildings. But we do find the inner city in the end and a parking garage under the Mairie next to the magnificent cathedral. I have never been to Bourges and love the cathedral and the old part of the town with its narrow streets. 

 A narrow street in the historic part of Bourges

A view of the cathedral from one of the narrow lanes

Apparently this is the widest Gothic cathedral in France. The five portals in the west façade are beautifully sculpted, the middle one depicting the Last Judgement. 

 The west front with the five portals

 The main portal and below a detail of the last judgement

Inside the vividly coloured stained-glass windows are truly fascinating, the ones in the choir presented by the guilds. This is just a flying visit, and we do not see anything much of the historic town except for a few lanes and streets around the cathedral. But there is a lot more to see. Another town on my to-do list.

 Bourges

 Below: The windows behind the organ

Details of some of the splendid windows 

The ceiling of one of the side chapels

Via the Visitor Centre we find a exciting B&B just outside Bourges. It looks like a small castle because of the tower in one corner, and has attractive gardens, but is a working farm. They also own vineyards some miles away and their wine is for sale on the premises. One wing of the house is used for guests, as well as the converted former granary. Everything is tastefully decorated, in a very rustic but chic style. There are nooks and crannies with soft plump sofa's, bookshelves and soft reading lights. It would be no punishment to stay here for a few more days. 

 Our B&B in Berry-Bouy just outside Bourges

Alas, dinner is not provided, so instead of having a meal in the old part of Bourges which we should have done before we came here, we have to go to an American style strip with shops and restaurants. However, the food is a lot better. Melon and ham, duck with figs and beans, not the standard American fast food meal fortunately. And certainly not the wine which is always good, followed by strong coffee.

It has been a good day, with among the highlights the fields where Bernard of Clairvaux preached, as well as two perfect examples of roman and gothic architecture.

The poppies at Vezelay