Exchanging historic cathedrals for the chateaus of the Loire Valley
We awoke knowing we had a fair few miles to cover to achieve our aim of staying the night of ‘Bastille Day‘ at one of the most famous images of decadence in the Loire Valley, namely Chateau Villandry.
Hoping to add to our Educational Explorer section, we hoped this would give a great chance for some homeschooling on French History (The Chateau’s history is relatively chequered with royal connections dating back to pre Louis XVI, it was then confiscated in the revolution before Napoleon Bonaparte acquired it for his brother Jerome. )
But before we arrived in the Loire, we had numerous places planned enroute…. most notably the home of the famous 24hr race at Le Mans.… this wonderful track that spills out to use the public roads that surround it… this year’s event had only just passed in late June so the area still looked like a grand prix circuit…. great fun as it reminded the girls of our Monaco GP visit and is certainly one for our next Dash Cam video to rival Geirangerfjord, Norway!!
Aiming to head south through Le Mans we savoured the journey towards Tours on the intricate D roads that connect the two key cities of this region….enjoying the views of apple / cider farms, the Charolais bullls/cows and the wonderful tree lined roads that make this such a special part of France. Before eventually crossing the magnificent Loire river and arriving at Villandry…. past rows of troglodyte caves and into the perfectly situated aire close to the chateau… With little to do before the evening’s entertainment, we worked together to learn more about Bastille Day, grabbed a croissant (or two) from the local boulangerie and ventured out into the village to enjoy the outdoor BBQ, live music and fireworks display… Just brilliant and a wonderful memory of France to take away from this European Adventure!!
le mans
so where did we park the bus for the night?
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