The lure of the French countryside

During our time here in London, we have been lucky enough to visit many European countries thus far, and France has remained at the top of our list, never disappointing.  Our latest visit to France included the Loire Valley, the Dordogne region, and of course, Paris.  Debbie and George accompanied G and me on this whirlwind of a road trip through the French countryside, and as you'll see below, we had a grand time! 

As we emerged from the chunnel into France, the champagne was poured!  Yes, it was only 9 am, but we were in need of a little liquid encouragement, as Grant was about to play chauffeur in order to conquer one of his goals - driving around the roundabout at the Arc de Triomphe!  

He did it!!!!!!!!!  Learning stick shift for the first time, Grant survived the crazy roundabout, and didn't even get stuck!  haha  This was a great start to our trip, as we cruised down the Champs-Elysees headed south into the Loire Valley.  

First stop...Chartres!  It's been said that the cathedral here is Europe's best example of pure Gothic.  More impressive, inside the cathedral lies what was supposedly Mary's veil.  

Blue Virgin Window - this window is from the mid-12th century, and was the central window behind the altar of the church that burned in 1194.  It survived and was reinserted into this frame in the new church around 1230 - absolutely beautiful!

Chateaux heaven in the Loire!  We visited a number of chateaux in the Loire Valley, blown away by each and every one of them... 

Chateau Royal de Blois - Kings Louis XII and Francois I built most of the chateau, each calling it home during their reigns.

I think I'd make a pretty good Queen :)

Debbie and me showcasing our impressive gargoyle skills - cute, huh?

Obsessed with this staircase

Views from Blois - unlike most other Loire Valley chateaux, Blois sits right in the city center.

Chateau de Chambord - the granddaddy of the Loire chateaux (six times the size of your average Loire castle, with 440 rooms), began as a simple hunting lodge for bored Blois counts and became a monument to the royal sport and duty of hunting.  We had the privilege of staying on the grounds of Chambord, which proved absolutely magical.  After the tour buses had gone, and the gates closed behind them, we had the chateaux grounds to ourselves...wandering around at night, enjoying our wine under the moonlight.  

This picture was taken from our hotel room window

Perfect reflection

Debbie and me running wild on the grounds of Chambord!

Dinner in our own little hunting lodge in Chambord

Loved these trees!

Cheverny - a stately hunting palace owned by the Hurault family (some of the family still live here...jealous!)

Grant and I would like to announce that we've closed on our new house!  

A girl can dream, right?!

This family sure enjoys hunting.  There are currently 70 hounds (half English foxhound and half French Poitou) living on the grounds...

Sunbathing hounds

Attention!

Master of the hounds

Wait, where are you going Master?!  Aren't you going to feed us???

The feudal castle of Fougeres-sur-Bievre...

All the ingredients you need for the perfect meal in France...red wine and a baguette!

French picnic time!

Chaumont-sur-Loire - built on a cliff, its first priority was defense.  Louis XVI, Marie-Antoinette, Voltaire, and Benjamin Franklin all spent time here.  

Who wore it best?

I think it's a tie between Debbie and George!

Chateau de Chenonceau - 16th-century Renaissance palace that spans the Cher River.  Although earlier chateaux were built for defensive purposes, this was the first great pleasure palace.  

Chateau d'Azay-le-Rideau - this 16th-century chateau is the fairy-tale castle of the Loire, sitting on an island in the Indre River.  With no defensive purpose, it was built simply for luxurious living in a luxurious setting.  Francois I loved this castle so much so that he seized it from its owner and builder, a rich banker.  ha!

After conquering the Loire, we waved goodbye to the chateaux, and made our way to the peaceful and beautiful Dordogne region.  We stayed in a town right off of the Dordogne river, and literally carved out of the cliffs, called La Roque-Gageac...seriously one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen (our pictures don't do it justice).  

  

There's Debbie!

A few highlights from our stay in the Dordogne...dining at the amazing Michelin-rated restaurant in our hotel, exploring Castelnaud, roaming around the beautiful towns of Beynac and Doome, viewing prehistoric cave art in the Cro-Magnon caves, and enjoying way too much of the specialty of the Dordogne, foie gras! 

Exploring Chateau de Castelnaud and its breathtaking views of the valley below:

Sadly, our time in the countryside came to an end, but our tears quickly dried as we spotted the Eiffel Tower ahead of us...Paris for the French Open!  A few of our friends met us at the Open, and a good time was had by all!

The whole gang at the French Open

Davydenko

Exciting match between Harrison & Isner. Come on USA!!

Here he comes!  Federer!!!

Fed!

Tsonga

The animated Tsonga celebrating a win

Views of the Eiffel Tower from Roland Garros:

We survived our one night out in Paris!  Seeing as we stumbled back to our hotel at 6 am, I think it must have been a good night :)

Before jumping on the Eurostar back to London, we had a few hours to stroll around Paris.  While walking down the Seine towards Ile de la Cite, we stopped at one of the iconic antique book stalls which line the bank.  Grant struck up a conversation with the owner in broken French and asked if he had a copy of Le Rouge et le Noir, a famous French novel written by Stendhal.  The man smiled at us, took a key out of his pocket, opened the storage unit underneath his stall and pulled out an early 20th century copy of the novel.  He then gave the book to Grant as a gift, stating that he loves to meet Americans who know more about French culture than the majority of his fellow countrymen!  I don't think I've ever seen Grant so happy.  It was the perfect end to our wonderful adventure!