Getaways DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD Val de Loire Fly into the heart of France to discover what most tourists miss. D by Don Douglas “The last wild river in France” is the phrase you hear most often in descrip- tions of the Loire. Perhaps it isn’t com- pletely wild, but absent are the hydroelectric dams, shipping locks and other water-management infrastructure found on most French rivers. The Loire flows gently in early summer and often shrinks to a mere creek by late summer. In the rainy season, on the other hand, it can rage turbulently up to the brims of its levees and one would be inclined to say it’s wild enough. “Beautiful” is another term used to describe France’s longest river, and it fits. As the Loire wends its way north from its headwaters in the Monts du Vi- varais in the Auvergne region, it flows past ancient towns and castles, set like gemstones in a richly fertile landscape. The areas on either side of the Loire already had settlements and productive vineyards when Julius Caesar’s legions arrived to conquer Gaul more than 2,000 years ago. These central provinces would later be home to kings and the wealthiest inhabitants of what came to be known collectively as La France. Be- cause of this elite group of denizens, the Renaissance, when it arrived from Italy, first took hold in the Loire Valley. Even after the French moved their capital from there to Paris, French kings and Parisian nobles would return to the re- S A gion for recreation and a respite from L G U busy life in the city. Their grand country O D N castles remain today, with some avail- O D D Stairway leading to the old cathedral at Charité-sur-Loire. 28 DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD S Traveler Report Card A L G U O D N O Val de loire D Accommodations (A): From traditional able as high-end lodging. small luxury hotels to grand castles in Above: The town of Charité-sur-Loire. storybook settings, the Loire Valley offers For most travelers, flying to the area much to the traveler, at least up to the means booking an airline seat for Paris Left: Ancient stone structures are a level of four Michelin stars. A fifth star reminder of the past in Nevers. or Lyon. That flight is followed by would put a plus on the A, but in the end D it’s like movie critiques: your own opin- ground transportation to spots such as ions trump those of the reviewers. Chambord and Cheverny. Tourists rarely abouts and French cars, you’d be for- S Food (A+): The French have certainly come to the more spread-out destinations A given for thinking this was the Ameri- L G earned their reputation for cooking, and of central France. Lack of easy airline ac- U can Midwest. That impression fades O D the ingredients don’t have far to travel in N cess no doubt helps to explain why. O quickly, however, as you head toward this agriculturally rich region. Some D Business jet travelers, by contrast, the center of Nevers. restaurant wine lists are as thick as can fly directly into the heart of the re- your own vessel or take a barge cruise Many of the ancient stone structures phone books. gion with a choice of no fewer than (see boxes below and on page 30), in the central district are well preserved. Activities (B): Activities include paddle three airfields (four if you can land on you’ll find plenty of reasons to stop and Speaking of “well preserved,” one of sports on the river and there is always the 4,500-ft runway at Orleans-Saint- take in the sights. Here are the attrac- the more unusual attractions in Nevers golf. Touring by car offers a lot in the way of interesting destinations, including wine Denis-de-l’Hôtel and five if you include tions on our own not-to-be-missed list: is the Bernadette Chapel at the St. tasting. Canal cruising is a favorite way to Dijon). These in turn are served by Gildard convent. Bernadette Soubirous, tour the region, whether as passengers charter helicopter operators. Since Nevers saint of Nevers and Lourdes, was said on a luxury barge or as skipper and crew some of the elegant castle hotels have We began our tour of the region at to have had visions of the Virgin Mary, of a rented boat. their own helicopter landing pads, you the Nevers-Fourchambault airport. If beginning at age 14. Moreover, her can enjoy a concentrated, high-quality you have a rental car delivered and body is reported to have remained experience with minimal inconvenience drive out of the airport, the first thing miraculously free from decay during and little time spent on ground trans- you’ll see is a McDonald’s restaurant decades in the grave. Today, the corpse portation. and behind that a shopping center. If it of this young woman–who died in 1879 Whether you travel by land, captain weren’t for the complicated round- Continued on next page Castles and hotels D Cruises & self-drive boats Château du Breuil: Phone: +33 (0) 2 38 89 79 00. Crown Blue Line GmbH: Elegant small château on 75 wooded acres, E-mail: [email protected]. Self-drive boats, about 28 to 48 feet long with one to five cabins. Boats are available in the areas mentioned in the accompanying near the famous châteaux of Chambord and Web: www.vaugouard.com. “Luxury barge” may sound like an Cheverny. article, plus many more in Europe. oxymoron–until you step aboard. 23 route de Fougères, 41700 Cheverny, France. Hôtel de Bourbon: Marktplatz 4, D-61118 Bad Vilbel, Germany. Phone: +33 (0) 2 54 44 20 20. Charming facility set in 17th-century Phone: +49 (0) 6101 55 791 13. Quietude (A): It’s hard to beat a castle E-mail: [email protected]. former abbey, listed as historic monu- E-mail: [email protected]. in a secluded and wooded setting for Web: www.chateau-du-breuil.fr/uk/index.htm. ment. Boulevard de la République, 18000 Web: www.crownblueline.com quietude. (But if you’d prefer a little noise and excitement, check out the Magny Bourges, France. The Barge Cruise Company Ltd.: Cours Formula One racetrack, a short Phone: +33 (0) 2 48 70 70 00. Luxury cruising barges in Burgundy, Upper Loire, Central Loire, Château de Chissay: drive or helicopter ride from Nevers.) Magnificent 14th-century residence south of E-mail: [email protected]. Franche-Comté, Alsace-Lorraine, Normandy, Bordeaux, Rhone Blois, with kings and presidents counted Web: www.hoteldebourbon.fr. River, Provence and Canal du Midi. among its guests over the centuries. 501 Chemin Lacoste, 82170 Grisolles, France. 41400 Chissay en Touraine, France. Château de la Beuvriere: Phone: +33 (0) 5 63 02 87 04, (800) 688-0245 from Phone: +33 (0) 2 54 32 32 01. Centuries-old castle residence, once U.S. and Canada. E-mail: [email protected]. property of a counsellor to Louis XV, E-mail: [email protected]. Web: www.chateaudechissay.com. on an estate that includes woods, a lake, Web: www.bargecompany.com. a swimming pool and tennis courts. French Country Waterways, Ltd.: Domaine de Vaugouard: Near Bourges. Luxury cruising barges in Champagne, Burgundy-Nivernais, Four-star hotel with 18-hole golf course, 18100 St.-Hilaire-de-Court, France. Burgundy-Côte-d’Or, Alsace-Lorraine and Upper Loire Valley. east of Orléans. Chemin des Bois, 45210 Phone: +33 (0) 2 48 75 14 63. P.O. Box 2195, Duxbury, Mass. 02331 USA. Magny Cours Formula One racetrack. Fontenay-sur-Loing, France. E-mail: [email protected]. D Phone: (800) 222-1236, (781) 934-2545. 29 Getaways DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDTraveler Fast Facts Continued from preceding page raised worldwide. Charité is a delight- He built the château at Gien in the Val de loire and was disinterred in 1909 and again ful place to take an evening stroll, have 15th century for his daughter, Anne de What it is: The home of the Renaissance in in 1919–is on public view in a glass a little wine at an outdoor table or even Beaujeu, also known as Anne of France, with spectacular castles surrounded by vineyards–the historic playground of the coffin. In the courtyard outside the some stout on draught at the town’s Irish France. (The château now houses the kings of France when they wanted to get chapel you can see a replica of the pub. Also worth a hike uphill to explore International Museum of Hunting, away from Paris. grotto at Lourdes, where the faithful are the ruins of the Charité itself, the which presents the evolution of hunt- Where it is: The provinces of Bourgogne believe her vision occurred. medieval monastery around which the ing practices through paintings and (Burgundy) and Berry, now known as Cen- town developed. sculptures.) It was Anne who commis- tre/Val de Loire, in the heart of France on ei- Apremont-sur-Allier sioned the famous bridge of 12 arches ther side of the Loire River. Nevers is at the confluence of the that spans the Loire at Gien. The city is Gien Ambiance: Fertile rolling hills and valleys, Loire and Allier Rivers. Leaving the Approaching Gien, the first thing also the source of the famous Gien vineyards and grazing Charolais cattle, grand city for a drive, we meandered along that strikes you is its famous bridge. Faience Dinnerware. châteaux and charming cottages, a feeling that the Renaissance never ended.