The Loire: a Sleeping Beauty by Daphne Beames
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Les Hautes Roches
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‘Time is like a river, made up of events which happen, and its current is strong’.
Marcus Aurelius: Meditations.
The journey from Paris to the Loire valley runs, for the most part, through lush, green meadows framed and shaded by slender poplars. On the way, the magnificent, steeples of Chartres Cathedral command attention - their unique appeal is in their dissimilar spires - and the charming cafés, which have mushroomed in their shade, will provide an excellent excuse for lunch. (Try Le Buisson Ardente in the old city.)
Then, quite suddenly, events overtake the traveller! One becomes increasingly aware of the river: blue-grey; flowing lazily past timeless castles on its stately, seaward quest; soaking its wide, green banks and soaking up history.
The riverine chessboard in this former playground of kings, queens and bishops offers a myriad of attractive, touristy moves. Some Chateaux (Chambord, Blois and Amboise) display a distinctively masculine character - others are more Queenly.
The city of Tours – its ancient core dating back to the 4th-century - is the natural, capital of the region and proved an ideal base for our visit to three of these Grand Old Ladies of the Loire.
Tours is close to the troglodyte caves and houses some fine Gallo-Roman collections. A short drive along the winding, wooded D roads will bring you to Azay-le-Rideau: that most feminine of all châteaux. This exquisite castle – and a personal favourite – was built during the 16th-century by Philippa Lesbahy, wife of the then finance minister. The first glimpse, from a side street in the picturesque village, reveals the decorated turrets of a beguiling palace.
The castle is essentially Gothic, superimposed with a delicate, Italianate lightness and distinctive rows of carved Renaissance windows. Amidst waterlilies and weirs, it is enhanced by an enticing reflection in the ornamental moat. Inside there is a grand, four-storey staircase, the pleasant aroma of cedar wood and, also, a veritable museum of period furniture and tapestries.
And when shadows lengthen in these gardens on summer evenings, the images and symbols of the famed ‘son et lumiere’ spectaculars come out to play. Do not miss this one. Azay’s charm and character ensure that it will always remain a treasured memory.
One must be immersed in magic and the closest you will come to spending a night in a royal chateau is to check into the Château d’Artigny. This special hotel stands on the banks of the River Indre - a tributary of the Loire - just south of the city of Tours. The titantic, former home of the perfumer François Coty - it was begun in the year 1912 - stands amidst a splendid forest in a 50-acre park. The vast, manicured, formal garden hints at the promise to come.
We parked our hired car and swept in through the elegant floor to ceiling, French windows – trying to look as though we belonged to the silver Rolls-Royce parked nearby – and came to an admiring full stop on the threshold. Before us stretched an expanse of white, polished Lens stone adorned with inlaid gold, and carpeted in red velvet. We had stepped into a gleaming, white foyer running the entire length of the grand château. An immense, sweeping staircase curves graciously up to the floors above.
Huge bowls of flowers gave the scene an added fragrance. The perfume king who created this sumptuous residence placed his kitchens high above the living rooms – to avoid any smell of cooking! Where else will you find a white marble, domed kitchen incorporated into a luxury bedroom (number 30) and a pink, Russian marble, pastry kitchen as part of an unusual suite (number 31)? We verified their existence by seeking a chambermaid and persuading her to unlock the doors.
Dinner in the superb, circular dining-room, under crystal chandeliers is a gala experience. The walls are a shade of antique turquoise and the painted, domed, Renaissance ceiling is supported by gold Corinthian columns. (Remember to try the famous Vouvray wines of the region.)
Before slipping upstairs to bed, select an early edition of Voltaire, Balzac or Molière from the well-stocked shelves in one of the drawing-rooms and you hardly need stir – let alone go in search of further grandeur!
Our scheduled sightseeing programme for the next morning included a visit to the idyllic, fairytale Chateau d’ Ussé – the castle of Perrault’s ‘Sleeping Beauty’. The romantic, white turrets (I counted at least twelve) with their quaint roofs, pilasters and dormer windows belong to the world of make believe. A collegiate Renaissance chapel, displaying some flamboyant Gothic features, adds even more interest and appeal to this delightful, privately owned demesne.
Surrounded by the oak forest of Chinon and flanked by palatial terraces and formal gardens, the 15th-century castle is one of the most beautiful in France, and is the perfect setting for yet more sound and light tableaux. It conjures up such disparate images as Neuschwannstein and Disneyland and is a picture that belongs between the covers of a storybook. (Perhaps the princess never needed to wake from her dream?)
At least one day in the Val de Loire should include the ‘dream team’ of Domaine de Beauvois - to dine and sleep - and a visit to Chenonceau, to indulge in some romantic château viewing. This combo surely cannot be surpassed anywhere for style, beauty and sheer elegance.
The hotel, Domaine de Beauvois, stands in the village of Luynes, amidst 350-acres of dense woodland. Once through the imposing gates, you become part of the landscape of an oil painting. Sloping lawns rush down to meet the driveway and beyond rises the elegant, peaceful castle that has been renovated around its core - the 15th-century central tower. Majestic trees frame the exquisite picture - their leaves stroked with many shades of green, yellow and silvery-grey. They are beautifully reflected in the waters of the large lake at the edge of the garden and in the green pond of the plump goldfish.
We slept in the old turret itself and climbed the ancient, stone staircase to discover a round bedroom (number 6), boasting the original fireplace and low, chestnut beams arranged in a circular pattern. It is a grand, historic room furnished in the style of the17th-century; no hyperbole can do justice to this special place where a gracious lifestyle still reigns.
The next morning we headed towards Amboise, hugging the northern bank of the river and occasionally catching a picturesque glimpse of an old-fashioned, flat-bottomed boat, called a plate. The Loire (longest river in France and a World Heritage site) flowed peacefully all the while - along the chasm it has claimed and excavated for itself - and with never a hint that, on a whim, it has brought both flooding and drought.
If Ussé can lay claim to a Sleeping Beauty, Chenonceau can boast of six queens! (On arrival, even the huge, tree-lined carpark appears regal.) Built on the northern bank of the River Cher - yet another tributary of the Loire - the charming proportions of this exquisite château are enhanced by its two gardens.
To the left is the formal garden of Diane de Poitiers, favourite mistress of Henry ll and to the right is the impressive, landscaped garden of Queen Catherine de Medici who, having ousted her rival, left this divine green thumbprint. Standard roses in blush pink, dense borders of white bignonias, small fountains and fine trees - all set against the backdrop of the castle – combine to create Renaissance perfection.
Pass the restaurants and souvenir shops on the main approach and walk towards the solid, round Marques Tower guarding the entrance. The château is built over the foundations of an earlier mill on the River Cher and an arched bridge, two-storeys high, links the castle with the opposite bank.
During W.W.1 the gallery (ground floor) of the bridge served as a hospital. In W.W. 2 when the northern bank of the river was in occupied territory and the southern bank was in free France, many escapees found their way to Chenonceau and fled to freedom over this bridge. In eras past Mary, Queen of Scots, spent her childhood here, George Sand and Jean-Jacques Rousseau visited and the Revolution passed close by.
Do not pass by. Chenonceau is a rare gem and for charm and elegance its equal simply does not exist. The beauty of the Loire must make it one of the world’s premier destinations. Go there.