How We Spent Our Summer Vacation, Part 3: the Loire Valley

 

Sunset on the Loire River our first night in Saumur.

This is Part Three of our Summer Vacation blog.
It starts here: How We Spent Our Summer Vacation,Part 1: Vannes.
Click here for Part 2: Stones, Sails, and Songs

The Loire Valley runs through central France, well south of Paris yet still far from the south coast were we live. Because of its pleasant climate, flat terrain, and the beauty of the river, kings and queens from past ages built magnificent castles in the region. Indeed, having a château along the Loire became a "thing." Bonus points if it's larger and more beautiful than the others.

And since it was a time—the 15th and 16th centuries—of unlimited wealth (for some; grinding poverty for most), there were some truly magnificent castles built. They are still standing today; the most impressive (and expensive to maintain!) have been taken over by the French government, and are open to the public, usually for a fee. Others are owned by private individuals (sometimes in the same family that built them hundreds of years ago). Unless the family is still very wealthy (often NOT the case!), many of these châteaux are also open, with the fees charged helping to pay for upkeep.

While it would be wonderful to go on a three-week excursion visiting châteaux, we were on our way home after five weeks away. And, it was August, when most of France is on vacation, which means tourist spots (the Loire Valley!) are packed. So, we figured we'd content ourselves with visiting just the last few dozen miles of the river, with some of the lesser-known châteaux.

Saumur and its château; there's a music festival along the waterfront!

After some research into travel times and things to see we settled on the town of Saumur as a place to stay. It's about an hour's drive downriver from Tours, a major tourist town, and about 3-1/2 hours from Vannes, where we'd been staying in Brittany. We could drive to Saumur and still have half a day to explore. And as a bonus, our American friend Debra would be joining us, arriving from Montpellier in the evening by train. The three of us would have two full days to explore what the area had to offer. 

    Saturday: Day 1

First on our list was the gardens of Villandry. This castle was built in the 17th century, and after the Revolution was "acquired" by Napoleon for his brother. In 1906 an American heiress, Ann Coleman, bought it and she and her husband, Joachim Carvallo, spent the next few decades repairing and restoring it and installing the magnificent and extensive gardens.

The entrance to Villandry. No sight of the gardens yet...

Right from the first sight, the formal gardens are magnificent.

Pauila and Debra in a less-formal part of the gardens. Look at those funny bushes...

Another view of the gardens with the château in back.

Paul appreciates the view. More of those funny bushes!

Another view of the gardens, and the village beyond.

After Villandry our next stop was a château I had long heard about and was interested in seeing: Azey-le-Rideau. Originally built in the time of François I (1518) for his treasurer, Gilles Berthelot, it was restored in the 19th century and bought by the government in 1905, and is now classified as a Historic Monument. More recent restorations have made it "one of the jewels in the crown of the Chateaux of the Loire," or so says Wikipedia. It is very pretty, especially when seen reflected in the moat. Let's have a look....

The entrance. Note that while we were not overrun by other visitors, the place was hardly empty!

Huge fireplaces are common in old castles; it's the only way to keep warm!

The salamander, symbol of King François I.

We spent some time touring the inside, but the real beauty is outside, with the graceful château reflected in the still waters of the moat.

The château of Azey-le-Rideau reflected in the moat.

We finished up the day with a visit to the town of Chinon. After a stroll through town we had drinks in the shady center (it was still hot!). On the way out we stopped for a view of the castle from across the river...

The castle of Chinon across the Vienne river.

    Sunday: Day 2

The next day we visited the Château de Montreuil-Bellay. This was different from the "pretty" castles that have given the Loire Valley its reputation; this is a château fort, a strong castle, built for defense. Keeping out invaders. Montreuil was started in the 13th century, when stone walls were invulnerable and defensive structures were tall and steep and massive. A few hundred years latter technology had progressed, and canon dominated warfare. Stone walls were no defense; they could be pounded apart in short order, ending the reign of the châteaux forts. The relative political stability in the 16th century allowed castles to be built for beauty, which they were (Azey-le-Rideau is a fine example of that!).

The defensive castle at Montreuil-Bellay, built for function, not for beauty.

Looking back at Montruil, across the (rather stagnant!) Thouet River, a tributary of the Loire,

After Montreuil we continued following the Loire to the small town of Montsoreau. it turned out, though, that it was market day, and since it was Sunday there was also an extensive brocant, or antique (and just old stuff) market, as well.

No doubt we would have enjoyed spending some time wandering among the sellers' tables, examining grandma's old crystal here and grandpa's old tools there, and checking what other old, amusing, and occasionally valuable goods people had to sell. Except... the town was jammed, and there was no place to park and, it was hot. We kept driving, slowly, until we escaped from the madness.

Further along the river we came to a small park and found a place to leave the car. There was a  shaded footpath near the water which we, naturally, followed. After a bit we came to another small town, Saint-Martin de Candes, where nothing in particular was happening.  Well, actually, it was lunch time, so that was happening, and all the cafes were full. We began the perhaps futile hunt for our own lunch.

Our view of the town of Saint-Martin de Candes as we climbed up from the river bank.
The church is Collégiale Saint-Martin de Candes.

We did find one place, tucked inside a cave, that was serving cold drinks and some prepared foods. We were pleased to find a seat! The food was not memorable, but we felt that this place was certainly local. We were glad to have a rest and something to eat and drink.

The hole-in-the-wall... er, cave where we ended up having lunch.

And, our view of the church as we ate (look how far that tongue is hanging out! The day was hot.)

The broad entrance to the church. Note many statues are missing heads. Likely they were taken during the Revolution (1789). It seems they had a thing for cutting off heads.

Right in front of us was a church, the Collégiale Saint-Martin de Candes, so naturally once we ate we went to check it out. Being large and made of stone it was delightfully cool. We spent considerable time examining the sparse interior...

The cool, sparse interior of the church. 

This old sign ("Panorama") from the Touring Club de France, perhaps dating from the 1960s, lead to a long hike...
and thoughts of old cars winding their way along the river on a quiet Sunday drive.

(Photo from Google Street View)

While the others relaxed in the coolnes of the church I allowed myself to be pursuaded by an old sign ("Panorama") that a great view was to be had up the hill. So, up I went.

After a long, hot hike I came to an ok view of the river. Er, rivers, for this was the confluence of the Loire and Vienne rivers (this junction was probably the reason the town was built, come to think of it!). 

OK, so the view wasn't a total waste, but it was a long, hot climb!
The confluence of two rivers: the Loire is in the middle, with the Vienne at the bottom center.

    Back to Saumur

After this day of adventures, we were happy to return to Saumur and rest up in our quiet, dark apartments, venturing out again for dinner and a night-time walk. We headed for the château (yes, Saumur has a château-fort too!). While the ramparts were well lit, the grounds were dark and deserted. It was amazing, wandering at the base of these enormous stone towers rising above us.

A lively night scene in downtown Saumur.

The well-lit towers of the Château de Saumur, cleary built for defense!

As we slowly worked our way back towards our lodgings we were reminded that there was a music festival on this weekend. The night before the music was of a style that held no interest for us, but tonight, as we passed by the river-front music site we heard the strains of Cab Calloway's number from the 1930s, "Minny the Moocher" (remembered from Saturday morning cartoons, no doubt).

Like mice drawn to the Pied Piper we followed the music to the stage where a high-energy pop band, The Love Boat, was entertaining an appreciative crowd. Which now included us!

A quick look at the antics of the band The Love Boat

(Thanks, Debra, for this clip!)

Towards midnight the band finally ran out of songs, thanked the crowd profusely, and we stared the short walk back to our air-conditioned apartment. The next morning we were on the road for the six-hour drive back to Montpellier, very satisfied with our Brittany vacation, and our time in the Loire Valley.

It is still hot in Montpellier, although the summer is on its way out (and I'm already waxing nostalgic for it!). The days—and nights—are getting cooler, and we're making plans for the fall. Our friends Sue and Alan will visit for a week, then we'll all head off to London for a few days. So we'll have more tales to tell...

A night-time view of the Loire and the city of Saumur, seen from its château-fort.

How We Spent Our Summer Vacation, Part 2: Stones, Sails, and Songs

The alignment of menhirs at Carnac.

        Stones

Stone is what was used to build the earliest human constructions... or at least, the earliest ones that are still around.

And there are some impressive stone structures in the world today. The pyramids of Egypt are perhaps the best known. Oh, and Stonehenge in England. And the stone alignments at Carnac...

Rows of stones: the alignment at Carnac.

Carnac is an area along the Gulf of Morbihan, west and a bit south of the city of Vannes where we are staying. In and around this area are found an astonishing number of stone structures dating from 5000 or 6000 years ago.

We've long been interested in these mysterious stone constructions, and we like to seek them out; they seem most prevalent in the Celtic regions (Ireland, England. And, yes, Brittany!)

These structures are assumed to be (since no one really knows!) tombs (called dolmens) and burial mounds (tumuli in the plural). There are also individual standing stones (menhirs), plus long rows of stones (alignments). In all, there are over 10,000 Neolithic stones in the region.

More of the Carnac alignment.

Most impressive are the alignments. Around Carnac these extensive rows of menhirs are divided up into three separate groups, although that's a distinction we'll leave to the academics. What we saw on the ground was astonishingly long rows and rows (and rows!) of stones surrounded by plants and wild flowers (it is summer now, after all!).

A museum near the alignments gives perspective to these stones and others found around the world. We saw an excellent short video about the megalithic structures in the area, and recent theories as to what they were for (which is: nobody knows!). 

Standing stones—menhirs—of the Carnac Alignment

The stones themselves are fenced off (at least in the summer time—apparently the gates are open at other times of the year). We could look at the stones from outside the fence; the only way to get close enough to touch them was by taking a tour.

We took that tour when we were here a couple of years ago; unfortunately, it consisted mostly of standing in the field listening to a lecture (in French); not very satisfying! This time around we contented ourselves with walking all around the alignment outside the fence.

A dolmen (prehistoric grave...?) in someone's front yard.

The Cairn de Petit Mont, a tumulus (made of earth and rock) containing a cavity, possibly for burial. (We didn't go into this one.)

Our American friends Kate and Debra were still with us, and were equally fascinated by the stones at Carnac. 

Debra had a keen interest in a particular tumulus—a mound of earth and stones over a grave site—located on Gavrinis, a small island in the Gulf. Getting there required a short boat ride.  The tour (yes, they're unavoidable!) started with a brief lecture on what is known of the megalithic culture (almost nothing!) and information on other sites around the gulf. 

The boat to the island of Gavrinis. That's Debra on the far right' Paula is ahead of her.
The island itself is that row of trees on the horizon; not far away!

Entrance to the Cairn of Gavrinis, another tumulus with an extraordinary chamber inside.

At the time these tombs (it is assumed they are tombs; the acidic granite dissolves bone long before it can fossilize) were built—some 5000 years ago—the landscape was quite different. The sea level was much lower, so rather than a body of water dotted with islands, the area was hilly, cut by two rivers. The tumulus on Garvinis was built on what was then a hill top, as were all the megalithic structures. Back in the day, and without the current vegetation, it would have been possible to see all the structures from any of the hill tops. 

Implying, of course, that this was not an isolated burial chamber but part of a whole system. In fact, some of the tumuli in the area contained stone and jade tools that came from far away, indicating an extensive trade network. Who knew??

Gavrinis is similar in layout to Newgrange in Ireland, furthering the speculation that the early inhabitants of these lands were in contact with other groups much further away. As in Newgrange this tumulus has a passage to a chamber, assumed to be for burial. And like Newgrange, the real reason for the structure has been lost to the ages. 

Passage into the chamber in the Cairn de Gavrinis.

What makes this tumulus extraordinary are the rock carvings inside...

...of line, loops, and spirals. And these mysterious holes.

It's a tight fit in that narrow chamber!

What are the grooves carved in the rocks for? What do the loops and swirls mean? Why was it done?

A mystery for the ages.

A stone picnic table and benches, circa mid-XX century.
Fred Flintstone would feel right at home.

Sails 

It was impossible for us to be near this vast bay with its many sailing vessels and not feel the urge to get out on the water! There are any number of boat tours available and in the past, we had taken one aboard a very crowded ferry boat.

This time we opted for a sailing vessel: the Lys Noir, a boat that has been in use in the gulf for over 100 years. 

A picture of the Lys Noir showing the sail plan: six sails!

A picture taken on the deck of the Lys Noir, showing... us!

Our stalwart skipper, at the helm.

Although the wind was limited, the boat's crew did put the sails up (all six of them!) and we did sail for most of the three-hour trip. About half-way through we were served snacks and wine or cider (a traditional Breton drink). That loosened everybody up, and we began to chat a bit with our fellow passengers. It seems many were or had been sailors, or had a personal interest in sailing. There were some interesting stories told!

Paula, contemplating the beauty of the gulf.

Paul, contemplating what to photograph next.

    Traditional Song and Music

Our time in Vannes started with the Echo Jazz Festival (mentioned in tour previous blog); it ended with a festival of Breton music,  a Fes Noz. We were serenaded by bagadoù—bands playing traditional instruments, often accompanied by people in traditional costume. Which led to traditional dances, with the robust participation of the locals, all of whom seemed to know the steps (and the words to the songs, in Breton!).

A bagad playing at the Vannes port.

We saw many (many) pipes like this biniou bras (Highland bagpipe);
in the background a man is playing the small clarinet called a treujeun gaol.

Another bagad playing inside the Vannes city walls.

The Breton flag being carried past Les Halles, the indoor market.

A somewhat less traditional group, Jahiner, playing at the port.

Well, the instruments are traditional...

And, at the end of the day, there was a huge parade of bagadoù from towns and villages all over the area dressed in traditional costume playing Breton music on traditional instruments (there's the biniou bras,   Scottish Highland pipes; the treujeun gaol, a form of clarinet; and drums, lots of drums!) Each village had its own bagad (traditional band) carrying a flag or standard; bagad competitions are regular events in Brittany (and this parade may have been part of a competition, too).

Dancers in the evening parade.

A whole bagad of biniou bras!

And at the end of the parade, huge puppets!

Whew! that was a lot! But we're not quite done with our vacation. After Brittany, we spent a couple of days in the Loire Valley, home of many famous chateaux. August is not a great time to go: everybody in France is on vacation, and things tend to be crowded. So we confined ourselves to the western end of the valley, near the mouth of the Loire River. You can read all about that in Part Three of How We Spent Our Summer Vacation.