Jessa Fox – Paris: Oct. 4, 2006
October 04, 2006
La Loire
This last weekend has been absolutely packed full of amazing things. I attended the CUPA visit to the Loire Valley where one finds some of the most amazing old castles in the world. We started with Chenoncea which is famous for its base- a series of arches forming a bridge across the river. Essentially the castle is built on this bridge so that it is sitting in the middle of a river. Fantastic to say the least. Amazingly enough, this wasnt the highlight of the trip. The next castle was Villandry which is world renowned not for the castle itself but for the gardens. Hundreds of workers have clipped and prunes acres of hedges into amazing patterns that can really only be appreciated by looking down at them from the castles tallest tower. What is interesting here is that they have remained loyal the the middle ages-- the gardens are useful-- they produce hundreds of kinds of fruits, vegetables, herbs, and medical remedies which we were able to take away for free because they dont have the right to sell them. The apples and pears from this garden were not only perfect but tasted fabulous. After being out in the sun for so long I guess CUPA decided we needed some refreshments. They took us to the caves from which the rock to build the Chateaux was excavated. The caves were then (and still are) used to store wine while it aged. A guide showed us how the wine had to be turned so that sediment did not build up on any one side of the bottle, and then opened at just the right angle so that the sediment didnt remix with the wine (we are talking white wine here). Then he showed us how to stack bottles so that you can take out any one of them without the others falling. The best part was that we got to taste it! We learned how to sample a wine by looking at its color, its dripping speed, its smell, and its "longuer en bouche" (the amount of time the taste lasts in your mouth). Sipping wine and eating goat cheese and pork (fried in fat, the regional specialty) in a cave in France was a strangely appealing way to pass the time before dinner. And what a dinner it was. They took us to a restaurant more known for its guest book than its food. Past visitors include Churchill, Edison, Kipling, Hemingway, Townsend, Rockafeller, and of course Napoleon himself. The food really wasnt that great but it did come with an interesting lesson in culture. When the waiter started to pour me wine I tried to tell him that I had had enough, only to be told by the CUPA staff that a women in France doesnt really have the right to refuse wine. What??? What century are we living in???? I asked. It turns out that in order to be polite I have to let him fill my glass and then just not drink it. What a waste of wine.
The next day we hit another big chateau called Chambord. Famous for its fabulous spiral staircases made of white marble, this is a place of dreams. Oh to be a princess. Many of the castles towers (it seems like there are hundreds) are no longer safe to visit because they are build on other towers to add to their splendor. We spend an hour and a half exploring this place but I could spend an entire day just marveling at the carraiges (out of a fairy tale) on display in the museum. To give you an idea of how fantastic these castles are, here is an interesting fact-- it was a castle in the Loire that inspired Sleeping Beauty. After this we headed to Blois, a slightly less visited castle but charming all the same. We had lunch in the Organgerie there and it was AMAZING. Hands down the best fish and chocolate cake (filled with pistaccio cream) that I have ever had. After all this we took the TVG home in time for dinner. All in a weekend, I know it is hard to believe.
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