This is a natural part of being obsessed with everything French. The food, architecture, history, fashion, art, music, and everything else in between. During my MBA program, I got the opportunity to take a little trip around the Loire Valley, this is France's castle filled region with castles so magnificent, it really makes the head spin. Really. The grandeur and the intricate details that went into the design...I really wonder how genius the human mind is. Perhaps now we have AI and Tech and things people back in the day didn't have but we sure as hell don't know how to design and build like the way they used to.
The trip started on a clumsy note with my American colleague who let's just say lacks the diplomacy and tact to deal with people facing a few issues with the car rental. I was also joined by a Peruvian and Indian classmates. So off we set off to the Loire Valley. I was the director of the trip naturally and I made the executive decisions on which castles we should visit since we couldn't possibly see them all.
First off, we stopped at Mont St. Michel. This kind of strange castle that's built up on a cliff off the shore of the Normandy sea. At first, it doesn't really seem real. This is a giant eery structure that spirals off the shore of the sea into towering grandeur. Founded in 708 AD by Archangel Michael, this island lived many lives since then. It started off as a humble sanctuary to a mighty Benedictine Abbey also serving as a prison somewhere in between before becoming a UNESCO World Heritage Site. So, you're not just touring a cool famous place, you're actually walking into history.
Following that, we stumbled into a sea side town called Port Saint-Malo where we also discovered that there was a festival happening for some voyagers who were off on a sea journey...I don't remember the details exactly but it was a cool coincidence.
My scarf from Doha, Qatar came to end of its life after we stayed at the coolest Airbnb ever. That night while we were enjoying the celebrations with the voyagers in Saint-Malo, we received a cancellation notice from a place we had already booked so my American counterpart became antsy and nervous...in other words he started tripping out. NO WORRIES...SURA TO THE RESCUE! Within 20 minutes, I obsessively searched Airbnb and found a replacement 10x better with a very good price for a small chalet in the middle of a farm...seemed like a dream come true. My style is always a catch too good to be true. I research obsessively and can usually find something super unique and cool, all for a reasonable price because if things don't make sense to me economically, I have a difficult time justifying them. So I quickly booked it before it was gone, we departed the party, picked up some food and beverages and headed to our Airbnb. We spent the night laughing, dancing, drinking and just bonding over stupid things and woke up to enjoy a cup of tea and the vast peaceful green all around us. My friend took my scarf to try out for fun, accidently got it stuck to the heater and melted most of it...womp womp womp...It lived a good life and it's now a permanent part of my adventure to the Loire Valley.
The first castle we stopped at is Chateau de Langley. It was quiet, humble (at least compared to others), and didn't boast. This Castle was a good introduction to what was else was coming. To a visitor, it seems reasonable in its structure...although we were not able to go inside, we admired this 10th century medieval structure from outside.
The Hundred Years' War which was a prolonged war and an influential event in European history was born from a disagreement between the English and the French over who had the rightful claim to the French throne. This turned into a 116 year war over dynamic succession and control of French territory. The Loire Valley region suffered greatly including this castle which was actually mostly destroyed during the war and later rebuilt by King Louis XI to the castle we actually see today.
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AND NOWWWWW...I present to you: Chateau de Villandry.
We were zipping around the Loire Valley because I gave the team a tight schedule. We had one day to visit 3 castles so I chose the best ones in terms of beauty, significance, and geographical proximity. Next, we headed to Chateau De Villandry. This castle is known for its Renaissance formal gardens. I included some pictures below. These gardens really made me chuckle at the complexity that goes into French landscaping. They're simply not satisfied with regular flower bushes, they designed and elaborated these gardens into a work of art. This was actually one of the last great Renaissance palaces built on the banks of the Loire River. I split from the group and wandered around the gardens alone pondering life and the meaning of all this. At that point in my life, things seemed unclear. I didn't know where I was going. I was just building with the blind faith that one day it will come together and the gardens provided the perfect serenity to reflect in silence.
Last but not least: Chateau de Chambord.
Chateau de Chambord was definitely the most impressive out of all the castles we saw and if I am not mistaken, they even held a music festival here once which I would love to attend at some point in my life. After finishing our castle tour, we felt like we accomplished so much and definitely became much more cultivated. Now hold a fancy wine glass with one pinkie sticking out and talk proudly of my trip to the Loire Valley like I am some bourgois girl...hehe!
This is definitely a place I need to revisit so I can truly the experience vibe of the Loire Valley and indulge in all that it has to offer including the wines and foods.
If you ever decide to visit Loire Valley, you will not be disappointed.
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