It's good to be King, or, life in a French Chateau.....
Written: Apr 17 '01 (Updated Apr 18 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: the Loire is Lovely and richly rewarding in it's history and beauty
Cons: none
The Bottom Line: History, beauty and a taste of the good life...
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| ifif1938's Full Review: Loire Valley |
One of my dreams as a young girl came true a few years ago, to stay in a CASTLE in France. Of course, it really wasn't a castle but a Chateau and there weren't any royalty there but, that's what I felt like from the moment we set foot on the property of this lovely 18th century home in the Loire Valley.
Chateau Colliers is situated near the town of Blois on the Loire River practically next door to the famous Chateau Chambord. It has been in the same family since 1779 and amazingly has survived both World Wars. Madam Gelis, the present owner, told us how the family hid all their household valuables from the Germans by burying them in a hidden cellar during those horrendous war years. By doing that, they still have many of those precious family heirlooms and proudly display them throughout the Chateau. I felt at times as if we were staying in a mini-museum, only, without the crowds and guards in every corner.
We had a lovely room with double doors leading out to the back property where the river slowly flowed past our room.... It was a huge room, with a marble fireplace, a large, newly renovated bathroom, and a sitting area, near the entranceway. One of my favorite places in the Chateau was the dining room, the entire room, walls and ceiling were covered in beautifully painted frescos so, it really felt like a palace..And the food, those delicious homemade meals Madam Gelis served us for both dinner and breakfasts were incredible. What a treat, to sit with the family and the other guests, a true feeling of living in France, if only for a short time! In the mornings she served homemade jams with warm, freshly baked croissants, baguettes, and coffee served with steaming hot milk ,just the way we love it. Other delectable goodies, cheeses and assorted fruit were available, whatever was fresh, that she choose to put out that day.... It was the ideal way to start a perfect day of exploring the nearby chateaux and countryside.
We visited Chambord of course, which is a huge place, interesting, but, for some reason, not one my favorites. I think because it's just too big.... Although, I'm glad I did see it and experienced the vastness of this immense castle. The enclosed corkscrew staircase designed by Leonardo de Vinci, is built so that one person can descend on one end and a second ascend on the other without ever meeting. Even on horseback! To see this is alone is worth the trip. It is the largest chateau in the valley and took over 20 years to build. Chambord has been called the "pinnacle of the French Renaissance".
My favorite was the Chateau de Amboise, with it's majestic setting at the edge of the river and the nearby, Clos-Luce, a fifteenth century manor house where Leonardo lived during the last three years of his life.. You can visit his bedroom, still furnished with his bed and other pieces of furniture. He died in that bed and is buried in his own little tomb at Chateau de Amboise
Clos-Luce was fascinating, there is a room filled with working models of his inventions on display, inventions that he only put on paper as drawings. I can't imagine what he would have thought, seeing them today with working parts and moving pieces. Scale models of planes and other modern day marvels. He saw them first in his minds-eye and put them down on paper, hundreds of years ago...
Another favorite and fascinating Chateau is Chenonceau, a renaissance masterpiece, built on the Cher River which it straddles, it appears to be floating on the water. There is a wax museum which show in fascinating displays, figures demonstrating the history of this grand palace and the Kings and queens who lived there....there is a depiction of the Queen Catherine de Medici tossing out her husbands mistress, Diane de Poitiers, very soon after the kings death. Diane is famous for, among other accomplishments, introducing the artichoke to France. She was later delegated to live in another very imposing Chateau, Chateau de Chaumont....
I loved the beautiful gardens and trails of Chenonceau to walk through, one trail leading to the lonely grave site of one of the women (I'm not sure which one), but I'm sure she is one of the women responsible for part of the design and building of this magnificent castle... They call Chenonceau "Les dames de Chenonceau" because the chateau evolved and was built during the reign of the six women that lived there.
An interesting footnote to this Chateau: during the war, one side of the river was in occupied Nazi territory, the other was a free-zone so many people, Jewish and non Jewish alike, owe their lives to getting across that water.
We visited other charming chateaux during our visit to the Loire, one of them, the above mentioned Chateau de Chaumont. Unfortunately, it was closed when we got there but, at that time of the day,(almost sunset), with a bit of fog rolling in, it was another truly imposing sight as we approached it by walking through a tree filled little forest. It's turrets, battlements and drawbridge, resembling a sort of prison for Diane de Poitiers, which is probably what Catherine de Medici had in mind when Diane was sent out of Chenonceau to live in this fiercely grim looking place..
We loved our stay in the Loire and visiting all these fascinating Chateaux, staying in a castle and getting a little taste of life during the heyday of the kings of France. After all, what is that famous saying from one of the funniest movies of all times, Mel Brooks, 'The History of the World, Part11 , "IT'S GOOD TO BE KING" That is, until the revolution....
..It's an easy train ride from Paris to any of the bigger towns in the Loire and a car rental would be most advised. Most of the Chateaux are pretty isolated as are the Hotel Chateaux .
Happy and Safe Travels...
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Couples
Best Time to Travel Here: Mar - May
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