Chinon is on the Vienne, a tributary of the Loire, but it makes a good base to see some of the chateaux and quaint villages long the “Valley of 1000 Chateaux.” The actual number of castles along the Loire is closer to three hundred, and not all of them are created equal. Some are fortified medieval castles while others became pleasure palaces of the rich—think Mar-a-Lago.
Gone are the days of “Europe on $10 a Day.” Even our 2011 daily budget of $100 would just get us lodging today. And at $20 a pop, you have to be selective about which chateaux you want to visit. Rick Steves suggests two or three along the Loire; this time we’ll probably settle for one.
Our AirB&B is almost directly below Royal Fortress of Chinon, one of the oldest medieval castles in France. A 15th Century residence of Charles VII and a prison a hundred years later, much of it has been restored in the last 20 years. Like many of its ilk Chinon is much more photogenic from a distance, especially at night.
The weather has been disappointing with cold, foggy mornings followed by cloudy afternoons, often with rain. So on Monday Connie pocketed her umbrella, I grabbed my camera and we set out to explore our newest hometown. We started along the river on a path lined by plane trees that beckoned us along past a statue of Rabelais, a 15th Century local boy. Chinon’s other claim to fame occurred in February (or March or maybe April) in 1429 when Joan of Arc arrived at the castle claiming to have heard heavenly voices that told her that Charles VII would grant her an army to relive the siege of Orleans. The rest is history.
Other than a plaque on a wall, we found nothing to corroborate the meeting but we did find Chinon quite charming—half-timbered buildings, cobbled streets, interesting shops and a most contented cat.
