TOURS, THE CITY, MAKES A PERFECT BASE TO BEGIN exploring the Loire Valley, a busy college town with a pedestrian-friendly vibe. The Loire itself, dammed and levied nearly to death, still supports verdant vineyards, villages ranging from charming to crumbling, and hundreds of châteaux.
Château on the Loire
Our first stop was the town of Orleans, home of Joan of Arc, the favorite daughter of France. She would have been better off if her visions had been of the Virgin rather than how to re-establish Charles VII to the throne, since her initial success was rewarded by burning her at the stake.
Beware of young women with visions
And when it comes to the countless châteaux along the Loire, none can compare with Chambord. We skipped the interior tour — what, after all, can compare to Versailles? — and wandered the grounds, each step giving a different photographic perspective of the castle.
Let the harvest begin, St. Emilion
For our visit to Bordeaux we booked at La Belle Verte in the tiny village of Les Landes — a hard-to-find but worth-the-effort B&B. Bordeau itself was a driving nightmare and an architectural wonder with nearly as many protected buildings as Paris. We cleansed our palettes, so to speak, with a visit to the village of St. Emilion and its famous vineyards where we bought a hostess gift of St. Emilion vintages for our next stop.
