We landed in France Saturday morning and rented a car at the airport heading to Amboise, on the way we stopped in Chartres to see the magnificent cathedral; absolutely stunning stained glass windows, enormous nave, very impressive. We then walked around the outdoor Saturday market where the best produce of France was displayed. I resisted the urge to buy anything.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/AkYYCogjd2Wy3noH8
On to Amboise, we stayed the first two nights at Le Manoir les Minimes: great location, five minutes walk from the town center, nice room, good shower, a bit by the numbers, not as charming as I was expecting but nothing bad to say, except the price maybe which is a bit steep.
We then moved to the Chateau de Perreux, for about 30% less but with a lot more charm, great views, nice gardens, very friendly hosts, a ten minutes drive from the town center.
In Amboise we ate dinner at Chez Bruno fun little bistro with honest but quite unimaginative food, full of American tourists. I had a mediocre steak tartare, Jill a great magret de canard all washed down with a terrific 2020 Franco de Porc Bourgueil Domaine de la Chevalerie. Dark and chewy with a good nose and excellent fruit
The next night at Le 36, a gastronomic restaurant close to the hotel, pretty setting overlooking the Loire river. Service is a brooding stuffy head waiter but young, friendly and eager staff otherwise. Food comes out so quickly, it obviously was prepared way in advance, also, I am asked how I would like my quasi de veau (which is a veal rump that is roasted) done. Baffling.
We had an excellent Sancerre the 2022 Terre de Maimbray by Nicholas et Pascal Reverdy (idk if there’s a connection to Hyppolyte). It’s focused, clean and vibrant with a smooth finish. Lovely
We then toured a bunch of Chateaux. We tried to stick to two per day
Chronologically
Clos Lucé where Leonardo da Vinci spent his last few years; fascinating exhibits with a nice park were some of the great man’s inventions are on view. A couple of cheesy exhibits do not detract from the overall feeling of awe.
Chateau Royal d’Amboise smack in the middle of the beautiful town, great view of the Loire and the surroundings, beautiful exhibit, nice gardens. That will actually be a recurring theme
https://photos.app.goo.gl/4n51VUZ2hrgTPJ5v7
Chateau de Chambord is massive, probably the biggest we’ve seen, great exhibits of François 1er’s life as a giant king (he was 1.98m tall or 6’6). Again beautiful gardens
https://photos.app.goo.gl/6y2EyLwvd9cE94iEA
Chateau de Chenonceaux is gorgeous, with pretty gardens and interesting décor. The kitchens are very interesting. The river running through it adds to the unique beauty of the place. Probably, esthetically, the most beautiful of them all
https://photos.app.goo.gl/bnhpu77d4xXWmG6s7
Chateau de Cheverny which is actually one of my favorites, it served as an inspiration to ( in the comic books of Tintin) Marlinespike Hall (Chateau de Moulinsart in the French version) with a fun Tintin exhibit. The gardens are pretty with very fragrant herbs and flowers
https://photos.app.goo.gl/vtd1hCGnbsaYFZFn7
Chateau Chaumont sur Loire is very interesting inside with a fascinating history but I was taken by the 3 huge gardens, one of them with a charming exhibit of various gardens from around the world, one with small contemporary artful pieces well integrated, and one with a fun ramble in the woods. Probably the most charming gardens of them all
https://photos.app.goo.gl/tjsTrbX32MzF6tFY9
Chateau de Villandry, while the Chateau is still lived in and beautiful, the gardens are breathtaking. Words cannot do them justice. Just check out the pics.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/YiKPWGP4oCPDeRXp8
Chateau Azay Le Rideau, absolutely charming inside and out, the one I would buy if I hit lotto. Would make for great BWE get-togethers,just need to add. A pool (or fill the moat
)
https://photos.app.goo.gl/KmV3GLkMH6uLHdUc8
Chateau l’Islette claim to fame is where the two sculptors Auguste Rodin and Camille Claudel ran away from Paris for some peace, quiet, inspiration and love. Very pretty, also lived in and semi modernized.
Chateau Rigny d’Ussé also known as sleeping beauty castle, we just stopped to take a photo
Chateau de Langeais with the best historical exhibit about the secret marriage of Anne de Bretagne and Charles VIII which changed French history. Absent that, German would be spoken in all of France since then.
Chateau d’Angers just for the incredible 14th century Apocalyptic tapestry which has been restored and is absolutely awesome.
Abbaye de Fontevraud where we stayed the night in the hotel inside the abbey. We had the spooky, creepy place all to ourselves after dinner. It was very eerie and beautiful.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/2wAeW17dbmdD3EA66
We also visited Brehemont, a lovely town on the river Cher, Montsoreau with a nice Chateau but a ridiculously pretentious contemporary art exhibit and La Saut aux Loups, a mushroom cave that just happened to be on the way and offered an interesting exhibit about mushroom cultivation and a place to cool off (avoid if you, like me, still have nightmares from The Last of Us)
While touring we stayed at the next few places:
Ibis Chinon, worst hotel of the trip, nice people at the reception, but the room stank of cigarettes. We left after one night even though I booked for two
Domaine de Mestré, old, antique and charming, with a nice outdoor dinner area, live fun jazz duo while we ate (first Thursday of every month), a soap factory next door makes soap the old fashioned way, I had to buy a couple of perfumed bars.
We visited two wineries
Huet where Johan took us on a very informative tour, we tasted some of their new releases (not Constance) and visited their cellars. Sarah the owner/winemaker greeted us there as well. Huet is very consistent from year to year, there is no point in describing the wines.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/obxrBC4XY9JizimYA
Baudry where we tasted the following:
2020 Les Grézeaux, very tannic and closed, but with good depth and balance.
2021 Le Domaine, perfumed and easy drinking. I wouldn't age it
2020 Les Mollières, a new wine that had crunchy red fruit and a good balance, and was in the sweet spot right now. I bought a bottle and we drank it in the Abbaye de Fontevraud with a delicious picnic basket that the hotel sells. It was delicious.
2010 La Croix Boissée was easily the best of the tasting. Deep, perfumed, structured, focused with great finish.
We also tasted the 2022 Rosé and the Chinon Blanc. Both as expected. Clean vibrant and focused
Baudry doesn't disappoint. Their wines only get better with time.
A couple of women were in the tasting and left with a dozen assorted cases BTW. They were big fans.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/L7xVR2V8qaVzrLmc6
To sum up, we loved the area, it was charming, beautiful and welcoming. Not overrun with tourists and very easy to navigate. Food as almost everywhere in France is good to great. We tried to stay with bistro fare and not go overboard on wine. We are in stunning Brittany now and will be in Provence the next two weeks and maybe then we will indulge.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/AkYYCogjd2Wy3noH8
On to Amboise, we stayed the first two nights at Le Manoir les Minimes: great location, five minutes walk from the town center, nice room, good shower, a bit by the numbers, not as charming as I was expecting but nothing bad to say, except the price maybe which is a bit steep.
We then moved to the Chateau de Perreux, for about 30% less but with a lot more charm, great views, nice gardens, very friendly hosts, a ten minutes drive from the town center.
In Amboise we ate dinner at Chez Bruno fun little bistro with honest but quite unimaginative food, full of American tourists. I had a mediocre steak tartare, Jill a great magret de canard all washed down with a terrific 2020 Franco de Porc Bourgueil Domaine de la Chevalerie. Dark and chewy with a good nose and excellent fruit
The next night at Le 36, a gastronomic restaurant close to the hotel, pretty setting overlooking the Loire river. Service is a brooding stuffy head waiter but young, friendly and eager staff otherwise. Food comes out so quickly, it obviously was prepared way in advance, also, I am asked how I would like my quasi de veau (which is a veal rump that is roasted) done. Baffling.
We had an excellent Sancerre the 2022 Terre de Maimbray by Nicholas et Pascal Reverdy (idk if there’s a connection to Hyppolyte). It’s focused, clean and vibrant with a smooth finish. Lovely
We then toured a bunch of Chateaux. We tried to stick to two per day
Chronologically
Clos Lucé where Leonardo da Vinci spent his last few years; fascinating exhibits with a nice park were some of the great man’s inventions are on view. A couple of cheesy exhibits do not detract from the overall feeling of awe.
Chateau Royal d’Amboise smack in the middle of the beautiful town, great view of the Loire and the surroundings, beautiful exhibit, nice gardens. That will actually be a recurring theme
https://photos.app.goo.gl/4n51VUZ2hrgTPJ5v7
Chateau de Chambord is massive, probably the biggest we’ve seen, great exhibits of François 1er’s life as a giant king (he was 1.98m tall or 6’6). Again beautiful gardens
https://photos.app.goo.gl/6y2EyLwvd9cE94iEA
Chateau de Chenonceaux is gorgeous, with pretty gardens and interesting décor. The kitchens are very interesting. The river running through it adds to the unique beauty of the place. Probably, esthetically, the most beautiful of them all
https://photos.app.goo.gl/bnhpu77d4xXWmG6s7
Chateau de Cheverny which is actually one of my favorites, it served as an inspiration to ( in the comic books of Tintin) Marlinespike Hall (Chateau de Moulinsart in the French version) with a fun Tintin exhibit. The gardens are pretty with very fragrant herbs and flowers
https://photos.app.goo.gl/vtd1hCGnbsaYFZFn7
Chateau Chaumont sur Loire is very interesting inside with a fascinating history but I was taken by the 3 huge gardens, one of them with a charming exhibit of various gardens from around the world, one with small contemporary artful pieces well integrated, and one with a fun ramble in the woods. Probably the most charming gardens of them all
https://photos.app.goo.gl/tjsTrbX32MzF6tFY9
Chateau de Villandry, while the Chateau is still lived in and beautiful, the gardens are breathtaking. Words cannot do them justice. Just check out the pics.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/YiKPWGP4oCPDeRXp8
Chateau Azay Le Rideau, absolutely charming inside and out, the one I would buy if I hit lotto. Would make for great BWE get-togethers,just need to add. A pool (or fill the moat
)https://photos.app.goo.gl/KmV3GLkMH6uLHdUc8
Chateau l’Islette claim to fame is where the two sculptors Auguste Rodin and Camille Claudel ran away from Paris for some peace, quiet, inspiration and love. Very pretty, also lived in and semi modernized.
Chateau Rigny d’Ussé also known as sleeping beauty castle, we just stopped to take a photo
Chateau de Langeais with the best historical exhibit about the secret marriage of Anne de Bretagne and Charles VIII which changed French history. Absent that, German would be spoken in all of France since then.
Chateau d’Angers just for the incredible 14th century Apocalyptic tapestry which has been restored and is absolutely awesome.
Abbaye de Fontevraud where we stayed the night in the hotel inside the abbey. We had the spooky, creepy place all to ourselves after dinner. It was very eerie and beautiful.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/2wAeW17dbmdD3EA66
We also visited Brehemont, a lovely town on the river Cher, Montsoreau with a nice Chateau but a ridiculously pretentious contemporary art exhibit and La Saut aux Loups, a mushroom cave that just happened to be on the way and offered an interesting exhibit about mushroom cultivation and a place to cool off (avoid if you, like me, still have nightmares from The Last of Us)
While touring we stayed at the next few places:
Ibis Chinon, worst hotel of the trip, nice people at the reception, but the room stank of cigarettes. We left after one night even though I booked for two
Domaine de Mestré, old, antique and charming, with a nice outdoor dinner area, live fun jazz duo while we ate (first Thursday of every month), a soap factory next door makes soap the old fashioned way, I had to buy a couple of perfumed bars.
We visited two wineries
Huet where Johan took us on a very informative tour, we tasted some of their new releases (not Constance) and visited their cellars. Sarah the owner/winemaker greeted us there as well. Huet is very consistent from year to year, there is no point in describing the wines.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/obxrBC4XY9JizimYA
Baudry where we tasted the following:
2020 Les Grézeaux, very tannic and closed, but with good depth and balance.
2021 Le Domaine, perfumed and easy drinking. I wouldn't age it
2020 Les Mollières, a new wine that had crunchy red fruit and a good balance, and was in the sweet spot right now. I bought a bottle and we drank it in the Abbaye de Fontevraud with a delicious picnic basket that the hotel sells. It was delicious.
2010 La Croix Boissée was easily the best of the tasting. Deep, perfumed, structured, focused with great finish.
We also tasted the 2022 Rosé and the Chinon Blanc. Both as expected. Clean vibrant and focused
Baudry doesn't disappoint. Their wines only get better with time.
A couple of women were in the tasting and left with a dozen assorted cases BTW. They were big fans.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/L7xVR2V8qaVzrLmc6
To sum up, we loved the area, it was charming, beautiful and welcoming. Not overrun with tourists and very easy to navigate. Food as almost everywhere in France is good to great. We tried to stay with bistro fare and not go overboard on wine. We are in stunning Brittany now and will be in Provence the next two weeks and maybe then we will indulge.
