Châteaux de la Loire 1: Azay-le-Rideau

Today I learned that the Châteaux of the Loire are famous for good reason. And hopefully by the end of this three part blog, you’ll have discovered that too.

Around eight this morning we set off down the longest river in France, the Loire—the scenic route to our three destinations: Azay-le-Rideau, Chenonceau and Chambord. Monsieur Melin was once again our commentator and he pointed out to us the many features of the Loire. We went through Saumur which is home to lots of mushrooms and one of the world’s finest cavalry training centers.

As we continued along, we saw the troglodytes (houses built into the cliffside), the place where Rabelais was born (near Chinon, where in 1429, Joan of Arc convinced the Dauphin to claim his throne. The Royal Fortress of Chinon was also the home of Cardinal Richelieu.) and Balzac’s house. I learned that whenever Balzac wanted peace and quiet away from the hustle and bustle of Paris, he had to take a train to Tours and then walk three hours to get home. I learned that the banks of the Loire, like the tides at Mont St Michel, are very dangerous because of the quicksand. Apparently, when the river bank collapses it forms a whirlpool which sucks the swimmer inside. We were told that in a single afternoon, seventeen children died. Ok, so that isn’t very nice to hear, but it is interesting and it should warn you never to swim in the Loire.

We traversed the roads with some minor difficulties (coach buses were not meant for country roads and narrow French streets). We saw the château de Menars (Madame Pompadour’s favorite castle) and an enormous stone bridge, across from the city La Chaussée de Saint-Victor, which had not been repaired since being bombed during World War I. All total, I saw at least 9 castles: Saumur, Montsoreau, Chinon, Azay-le-Rideau, Artigny, Chenonceau, Cheverny, Chambord, and Menars.

Le Château d’Azay-le-Rideau was first on our list. It was the smallest castle of the day (the only one I could actually walk around) and most of it was inaccessible to the public. It was once a fort, but was turned into a castle in 1510. Unlike Chenonceau and Chambord, it is not a royal residence because it was never owned by the crown, though King Louis XIII once stayed there. Even though we couldn’t see a lot of the castle, my favorite room of the entire day was located at Azay-le-Rideau. It was the billiard and card room and it immediately reminded me of the board game Clue.