We got to Mont-Saint-Michel around 6 pm. It's an abbey built on an island, and before the bridge was put in, pilgrims would often get caught when the tide rose. Although it was interesting to walk around the island, it was much more beautiful from afar. After Mont-Saint Michel, we spent the night in what could best be described as the Bates hostel in Tours. Seriously, I think the bathroom was haunted.
The next morning, we began our tour of the Loire Valley chateaux. The first on our list was Usse. It wasn't open yet, but we had so much to see that we decided to move on. The outside was beautiful, though. It was actually the inspiration for the story of Sleeping Beauty!
Our next stop was the fortress of Chinon. This was a true medieval castle (as our tour guide insisted again and again) where the Plantagenet lived and where Joan of Arc first came to King Charles. The views of the Loire Valley and the Indres River were stunning, and the Joan of Arc museum was an interesting addendum to the art history winter study course I took on her.
Azay-le-Rideau was the first Chateau we went into and it was really beautiful. Interestingly, the staircase (one of the first non-spiral one in France) was not completely inside the chateau, but instead open to the courtyard. I really enjoyed the English garden on the other side of the "fairy-tale" moat.
Next up was Chenonceau which is built onto the River Cher. The chateau housed many queens (and a surprising number of royal mistresses) and served as a hospital for the French Resistance.
The last chateau of the trip, Chambord, was my favorite. I only had 45 minutes to see it, so I literally jogged from room to room and took the double-helix staircase two steps at a time. Even if it was rushed, it was well worth it. Being up on the roof with the towers was absolutely exhilarating.
I picked up a French lover along the way.
And by the end of the trip, I had found myself.
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