04/29/2026 – Tourne-a-droit
Bonne soir! Another deux jours have passed and we still have managed to navigate….mostly… around the country of France. A few fits and starts, but we left Bayeaux with a full tank of gas and the excitement of the next leg of our journey – the one we missed yesterday. Next stop: Rouen – historic for its ancient clock tower and where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake. This was a bit of a twister for us; we went around and about and managed to find a parking spot. Now how to pay for the parking? It is always a learning curve, but we managed to get it completed without having to ask for any help. Now it’s time to explore the area.
The clock in the bell tower of the church sounded off its twelve <dongs!> just while we happened to be there at noon – an amazing start to our journey. We got to learn a lot about Joan of Arc. Not only was she burned at the stake, but her ashes were scattered to prevent anyone making pilgrimages to her burial site. We then wandered around the church, The Cathedral of Notre Dame of Rouen (not to be confused with the one in Paris, or a hundred other towns in France!), which was heavily bombed by the USAF during WWll. Inside we found a series of statues that were originally part of the exterior of the building. The statues were labeled which gave us a clue on who they represented. Some were missing body parts and seemed damaged from the allied bombing, while other seemed barely scathed. The stained glass windows date back to the 13th century and were a magnificent backdrop to the worn and weary statues that had been saved after the bombing. Now it was time to leave the beautiful but crowded city, just a lot more listening to “tourney-a-droite” or “tourney-a-gauche” (turn right and turn left on the GPS). Unfortunately, there was construction which had closed the entrances to the main thoroughfare through the city. And the GPS until refused to acknowledge this. After several attempts, and having to divert onto tiny residential roads, we finally found and onramp that was open.
Phew! Out of the city and we are on our way to the Loire Valley, considered the “Garden of France”. Again, tolls – lots and lots of tolls – but soon we were there. Now where was our hotel – combination hotel and spa?? The GPS unit assured us we were there, but where are we? Dave parked the car and started hoofing around looking for the hotel. The Chateau de Comtesse was hidden behind a large gate and the sign for it was hidden by vegetation. There was a buzzer and by buzzing the buzzer, we were soon let in. Instead of the hotel check in, you are seated in two very fancy chairs where a lovely lady greets you and registers you for the stay. Very POSH! Trekking up the two flights of wooden winding staircase was so much more of an experience than a very boring elevator. Our room has two doors – one pulls out and one pushes in – and we are dazzled by the historic charm of the furnishings and the stately 20-foot high ceilings and grand windows. But we still needed to eat, so time to head out on foot and explore the city of Saumur. Dinner? Really who eats dinner at 6 pm? Not the French! We wandered, and wandered, and finally found a Mexican restaurant. Yes, you read that right. Kathy had chicken fajitas, or the French equivalent, and Dave had olla pollo mole, which was kind of a spicy chili with chicken. Maybe?? They were good, but definitely not the traditional Mexican food of our local restaurants in the states.
Soon it was time to settle down and plan tomorrow.
04/30/2026 – Amazing Gardens and an Amazing Inventor/Artist/Sculpter
Wow, already tomorrow 04/30/2026 and we have slept soundly and are ready for our next adventure. Today’s adventures see us going to find one of the iconic and historical castles that litter the Loire Valley. We opted to try one of the top 10 castles and picked Villandry, located just a short drive from us. The castle and grounds are famous for their gardens. The building began as a fortress in the 12th century and was added on over the hundreds of years. It has been in the same family for the last 120 years and is currently cared for by the great grandson of the couple, a French scientist and his American scientist wife, who purchased the home in 1906. The home – or castle – still houses some original furnishings and artwork from the couple. The grounds were just – wow!! Acres and Acres of lovingly tended and immaculately designed garden areas. Château de Villandry & ses jardins (Touraine, 37) We recommend you view it yourself as words would just not do it justice.
Next on the list was a visit to Clos Luce, an estate in the Loire Valley famous for being the last home of Leonardo Da Vinci. This was way cool. Not only did we see replicas of paintings we had seen at the Louvre, but had also had rooms and rooms full of some of the famous engineer/artist’s drawings and models of his designs. The man was ahead of his time. He had prototypes of a tank, machine gun, paratroopers parachute, bicycle, transmission, and many other inventions. We noted that many of his inventions were based off of war machines, maybe they paid him more?? Included throughout the site were some of his original painting materials, including his easel and brushes from 500 years ago! Welcome to the Château du Clos Lucé – The Clos Lucé Included in the ticket was an opportunity to wander through a park that had life-sized models of some of his most iconic inventions. Including the tank that had four guns pointed in different directions. Again, so much could be said but we invite you to check out the link and discover the wonder of Da Vinci.
Now time to go back home, or our “home away from home”, the Chateau La Comtesse and find some dinner. Like last night, not exactly French cuisine but we did have some kind of sandwich for Dave and a wrap for Kathy. Unlike the links above, we can’t point you to a better explanation. Let’s just say not your normal chicken sandwich or wrap. Good news! The patisserie was open and we have dessert. Tomorrow, we head off to visit another corner of France and learn about the resistance movement during WWll.