FRANCE 2009 - Vallée de la Loire - (RO/EN) Tours, Orléans, Châteaux

Tours

A fost destul de greu sa aleg fotografiile mari pt. sectiunea asta, sint atitea care merita puse in prim plan asa ca "dat cu banul" a fost metoda de selectie. Tours pe care l-am ales ca baza de vizitare a castelelor a fost un pic overrated minus capitolul gastronomic unde a fost in top. In loc de 3 nopti planificate initial an stat doar 2 in Tours dupa care ne-am mutat in Orleans si bine am facut.

Quite a decision on which ones should be the pics to use as the large main section picture, there are so many that I love among them that selection had been almost random. Had picked Tours as our base for exploring the Loire Valley following online and travelguides recommendations, but I find the old part of town is a bit overrated. Foodwise it had been absolutely great though. The 3 nights intially planned became 2 since we needed to get a bit closer to Nancy so that the 3rd night had been in Orléans and absolutely loved the town both day and nighttime. Chenonceau

Fiecare castel are povestea lui, Chenonceau pare sa graviteze in jurul rivalitatii intre regina Catherine de Medicis si Diane de Poitiers amanta oficiala a regelui. Audio-video guide pe IPod-uri sint absolut geniale, nici un ghid uman n-ar putea acoperi ce acopera creatia lui Steve Jobs.

Every single castle seems to have its own story, Chenonceau in particular is the one tied to the rivality between the queen Catherine de Medicis and the king's favorite Diane de Poitiers. Best audio-video guides of the whole trip - on IPods, you get to see exactly the item you're hearing about, it's absolutely great, how come they didn't think about it earlier on ?

Lumina care inunda camerele castelului si buchete de flori proaspete in toate camerele, ca si gradinile frumoase incluzind un labirint si cariatide, muzeul figurilor de ceara cu personajele principale de care se leaga istoria castelului te fac sa te simti absolut norocos ca poti sa te bucuri de ele pe o zi glorioasa de toamna.

Lightfilled rooms with beautiful fresh flowers arrangements almost throughout, great gardens including a labyrinth and sculptures, a small wax museum featuring the main characters connected to the castle's history, all these make you feel so lucky to get experienced on a glorious fall day. Portiunea castelului construita transversal pe apa despartea zona ocupata a Frantei de cea libera in timpul celui de al-II-lea razboi mondial.

The portion of the castle that lays across the water used to divide the occupied from the free zone during the Second World War.

Chenonceau a fost primul castel pe care l-am vizitat si ramine unul din cele mai interesante si cel mai bine decorat si prezentat cu IPod guides.

Chenonceau had been the first castle visited and it remains one of the most interesting, beautifuly decorated and presented using the IPods. Amboise

Castelul in care a locuit cel mai mult François I, in a carui capela e inmormintat Leonardo da Vinci (cu reflectii ale vitraliilor peste sculpturile coloanelor aici la dreapta). Oraselul in sine e o mica capodopera de asemenea si merita facuta o mica plimbare prin el si un mic dejun savuros de asemenea.

King François I is the one that had mostly inhabited this castle that he loved, while Leonardo da Vinci's tomb lies within the small beautiful chapel (reflections of the stainglasses on the chapel columns shown here on the right side). The small town of Amboise is definitely worth a stroll and don't miss having breakfast in the main "patisserie" shop featuring all imagineable nougat types among other goodies.

Chambord Scara interioara a castelului e o capodopera dpdv architectural, prima in care cele 2 trasee de scari - coborit/urcat - nu se intilnesc, aici in stinga o vedere prin interiorul acesteia. Multe camere decorate cu manechine si costume de la opera din Paris care fac o atmosfera deosebita.

Interior stairway stands out as a masterpiece of architectural technique, seems to be the first one ever to feature the 2 stairway sets that never meet, here to the left an interior view thereof. Lots of rooms decorated with sets and characters from the Opera of Paris shows.

Cheverny

Picat la selectia initiala, am ajuns aici dupa ce am vorbit la Amboise cu un cuplu care ne-a zis sa nu-l ratam pt. ca e special din 2 puncte de vedere -

1. unul din putinele din zona locuit de proprietari - fotografia lor mai jos

2. show de neratat - masa haitei de ciini de vinatoare (la meute) la ora 3:00 dupa-amiaza. Ciinii vreo 70-80 la numar sint de rasa "francais tricolore", iar show-ul cu masa lor e absolut special.

While initially skipped from the trip schedule, we got here following suggestions from a French couple we spoke to in Amboise, the 2 main arguments in its favor being 1. the only castle in the area where the owners live in to this day. 2. must see show - feeding of the hunting dog pound at 3:00 pm sharp. There are about 70 to 80 "français tricolore" dogs and their feeding is really a not to be missed show.

Foarte strategic amplasat un mic centru de degustat vinuri cum iesi din castel, iar primaria e foarte aratoasa si frumos decorata ca peste tot.

Very strategically placed Cheverny winetasting center right at the castle exit, while the townhall ("Hotel de Ville") looks great too, as do most of these in Northern France.

Blois

Povestea locala se leaga de rivalitatea dintre regele Henri III si ducele de Guise care s-a sfirsit prin asasinatul celui de-al doilea si ai ocazia sa vizitezi locul crimei - dormitorul regelui.

Orasul merita citeva ore de plimbare de asemenea.

Local castle story related to the rivality between Henri III and duke de Guise, rivality which ended up in the latter being killed by the king's guards and you get to walk around the crime scene - the king's bedroom. Story very nicely illustrated by paintings from that time. Town of Blois well worth a couple of hours of strolling around.

Orléans

In contrast cu Tours, Orleans e cel care e underrated (subestimat) - Frommers il da ca o dezamagire pt. cei care ar cauta partea veche a orasului. Cum Orleans a fost bombardat si distrus masiv in timpul razboiului al-II-lea tot ce constituie centrul acum e refacut, dar nu oricum, ci in exact acelasi stil ca inainte de razboi, ceea ce da un aer special si e foarte placut de explorat. Hotelul la care am tras a fost singurul nerezervat in avans si a fost o surpriza extrem de placuta, camera decorata in stil clasic si impecabil din punctul asta de vedere. Cum am dat de el ? Am urmarit indicatoarele spre centru si cind n-am mai putut avansa cu masina din cauza de zone pietonale ne-am oprit la el.

Contrasting with Tours, Orléans is the underrated one - Frommer's warns you about the dissapointments awaiting those searching for an old part of the town. Since a large portion Orléans had been destroyed during the WWII bombing, it had been rebuilt following the pre-war style and that makes for a visually very pleasing and a great strolling experience. Hotel "L'Abeille" is the only one that I had not booked in advance, but rather bumped into it while driving as far as possible into the core of the city. Very pleasant experience, classically decorated room and perfectly located.

Pe noapte e de asemenea foarte dinamic, as pune micul bistro la care am luat cina ("Chez Noe")pe primul loc ca atmosfera dintre toate din vacanta asta. Muzica frantuzeasca clasica cu Aznavour si altii asemenea, la refren se poarta cintat toata lumea "Emmenez-moi au pays des merveilles" (C.R.A.Z.Y. dacå nu l-ati våzut considerati-l) meniuri pe coperte de LP-uri de pe vremuri, lista de vinuri scrisa cu creta pe table puse pe unul din pereti, sa tot savurezi cina care a fost excelenta de asemenea.

Quite dynamic nightlife, the small bistro where we had dined ("Chez Noe") would top the overall dining experience in France especially from the dining environment point of view. French music incuding Aznavour and the likes, crowd singing along with it at key parts (if you didn't see C.R.A.Z.Y. the movie you should) , old LP covers as menus, winelist written on the blackboard opposite the bar, it had been absolutely the liveliest one where you get the old cliche feeling as being part of the family.