In exploration mode (Loire region)

On our arrival in France, we had a series of beautiful days and we enjoyed visiting the Pays de la Loire and its famous castles with our friends Denise and Bryan. In the meanwhile, the successive depressions keep blowing hard against the Atlantic coast, considerably slowing down our progression north.

Back in France (Pornic)

One of the things we fancied when we arrived back in France was to eat a fresh crispy croissant! Pornic was a beautiful setting for our first stop, offering nice strolls along the inner drying harbour and the coast.

Thanks to the water spring, Pornic has attracted spa tourists for many years. They initially arrived by carriage from Nantes (1802). Then, the railway allowed the Parisians to benefit from the therapeutic properties of these ferruginous waters as well.

Loire’s white wines (Chateau du Coing)

Of course, we had to learn more about the wines produced in the Val de Loire. This led us to Chateau du Coing where we had a great experience. Indeed, the current owner introduced us to her world with great enthusiasm. Not only is her property beautiful. She is also very invested in keeping up the tardition wine production and described to us the consequences of climate change on the quantity (reduction) and quality (homogenization) of wines. Excess heat and lack of humidity might compromise the traditional white wine production.

For more details about the wines of Val de Loire: https://www.vinsvaldeloire.fr/fr/carte-du-vignoble

Inspired by Tuscany (Clisson)

On the way, we loved the charming town of Clisson. After the Vendée Wars (end of the 18th), Clisson was rebuilt with an italian architecture style: windows and door frames rimmed with red bricks and tangled roofs are everywhere.

When Jules Vernes meets Leonardo Da Vinci (Nantes)

When visiting Nantes, we were impressed by l’Ile des machines. The former shipyards are now house of fantastic mechanical creatures, inspired by the imagination of Jules Vernes. The star of it all is the 12-meter-high Elephant, who takes passengers for a ride.

Nantes is located at the entrance of the Loire estuary, which played a major role in the development of this port city. Nantes was historically part of Brittany and the dukes of Brittany built their castle here.

Initially created as a defensive base in Nantes (13th), the castle became, under François II, the main Breton ducal residence. His daughter, Duchess Anne, was later forced to marry two successive French kings, Charles VIII and Louis XII. These marriages led to the union of Brittany with France. It became a royal fortress that saw most of the kings of France pass when they visited Brittany.

Château Chenonceau – le Château des Dames

Finally, we visited one of the most famous castles in the Vallée de La Loire: Château Chenonceau. We are very grateful to Bryan who drove a long way for this memorable expedition.

Chenonceau, with its famous two-story gallery overlooking the Cher, is one of the jewels of Loire Valley architecture.

In reference to the large number of female personalities who were in charge of it, it is nicknamed “the Ladies’ Castle”.

Indeed, it was built by Katherine Briçonnet in 1513 (her husband Thomas Bohier, an influential statesman and a skilled financier being busy in town). It was enriched in 1547 by Diane de Poitiers, who received it as a gift from Henry II.

The castle was enlarged under the influential Catherine de Medici, who added the two-story gallery above the river to make large reception rooms.

For a time, it became a place of contemplation with Louise de Lorraine during her mourning.

During the Age of Enlightenment, Louise Dupin held her literary salon there. It is thanks to her that the castle was not destroyed during the French Revolution. Finally, it was restored by Madame Pelouze-Wilson.

The castle belongs to the Menier family (Chocolate factory) since 1913. During the First World War, it was transformed into a hospital. And during the Second World War, the Cher constituted a demarcation line of occupied France, one side in the occupied zone and the other in the free zone. The gallery on the first floor was used by the Resistance to move many people into the free zone.

Also visited on the way

In this region rich with history and culture, there are plenty of interesting places to stop on the way. We had lunch in the medieval district of Tours.

We had supper in Angers, on the river Maine. Another important city of the Loire region.

In the last week, we took advantage of favorable winds to sail to La Turballe, near Guérande.

From there, we took the bus to Saint-Nazaire in search of a new internet sim card. Close to Nantes, the Chantiers de l’Atlantique in Saint-Nazaire are one of the sites in the world to build ships of more than 300 meters. For instance, the largest liner in the world today, the Wonder of the Seas and the longest, the Harmony of the Seas, were built in Saint-Nazaire.

As soon as the weather settles, we will continue our progression up the coast.