Domaine des Bidaudieres, Vouvray

If you have been following our trip to the Val de Loire, and our story about finding the chateau we booked (click here to read), this is the second place where we ended up. Because we cannot extend our unplanned stay at Chateau des Arpentis (click here to see it), the owner, Sylvie offered us a room at her other property in Vouvray,

Domaine des Bidaudieres is a restored 19th century property located on a terrace of a vineyard. The 15-hectare is no longer producing wine. The web site has many more pictures.

We liked the spaciousness of the entrance hall. When we arrived, a couple of potted small lemon trees with ripe fruits perfumed the glass-enclosed space making it very inviting and relaxing.

Sylvie told us that this property is very popular for weddings and are booked every weekend in the summer. We can see that the entrance hall is really good for a reception or dining area.

The property has a swimming pool on a lower terrace and an interesting stone staircase.

A photogenic spot for weddings.

There is an orangery next to the pool which can also be used as a residence with a glass-roofed sitting area.

This is one of my favorite spot. I(Chris) can imagine having a nice dinner al fresco … watching sunset from the terrace at dusk and then later with candles on the chandelier suspended from the tree …

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We did not have time to explore the grounds of the property.

The rooms, each named after one of the Vouvray vineyards, have a view over the pond and the grounds of the estate on one side and over the swimming pool terrace and the surrounding countryside on the other.

Our window has a view of the pond. The water was so clear that we could see the vegetation on the bottom from where we stood on the second floor.

Sylvie lives here with her family in a separate area.

Breakfast room

Common room

Vouvray is located along the Loire on the east of Tours. It is very well known for still and sparkling white wine made with the Chenin Blanc grape.

Sylvie recommended checking out the cave of Domaine Marc Bredif. We did not have time to tour the cave but bought several bottles to take home and a magnum of the sparkling variety for VC’s birthday party. It was a really good drink for the summer.

Another place to come back to next summer.

Musée des Blindés, Saumur

Continuing with our visit of Saumur … on the theme of military transportation, from live horses to their modern mechanical replacements …

After touring the National Riding School (Ecole nationale d’Equitation), we quickly drove over to the Musée des Blindés (Armoured Vehicle Museum). Unfortunately, it was late in the afternoon and the museum was closing. So we looked around the museum shop and I resorted to taking pictures of the tanks that were parked outside.

Saumur was the traditional training center for the French cavalry for over a century (hence, the National Riding School). It now holds the current Armoured Cavalry Branch Training School which is entirely dedicated to train armor specialists.

See our post here on the National Riding School.

The Musée des Blindés has its early origins in a study collection for the school. It is still a French state institution funded by the Army.

The museum was also named after General Jean Baptiste Eugène Estienne, the creator of the French tank arm.

The Musée des Blindés has the world’s largest collection of armoured fighting vehicles and contains well over 880 vehicles (not limited to tanks), although the British Bovington Tank Museum has a larger number of tanks.

Because of shortage of space, less than a quarter can be exhibited.

Over 200 of the vehicles are fully functional, and obviously the ones shown here are not likely in working condition.

Surprisingly, the rust on many of these tanks make them look more real than those that are newer and look like toy models. Compared above and below.

Didn’t know the United Nations have tanks.

Apparently there are 11 sections in the museum starting from early pieces used in World War I and up to ones that were captured during the Gulf war. One could probably spend a whole day inside.

The museum’s official web site is here.

It is a bit disturbing to see so many war machines and destructive power on display.

La Cadre Noir de Saumur

Back to posting on the stuff we did in June in the Val de Loire …

The French National Riding School (Ecole nationale d’Equitation) founded in 1972 is located in Saumur. Take a look at their very helpful official website here. Much of the information here came from this site.

We had a 2+ hour-guided tour (the only way visitors are allowed to see the place) led by a very knowledgeable English speaking guide. She is an university student majoring in tourism and working during her holidays.

The National Riding School is founded on the knowledge and experience of the ecuyers (Riding Masters) of the Cadre Noir with a mission to develop horse training, to teach riding for sport, and to teach the equestrian professions.

All the teachers of the National Riding School are members of the Cadre Noir. The principal purpose of the ecuyers, many of them military officers, each one a real expert in their own discipline, is to pass on their technical and theoretical knowledge.

They also have to train and keep in condition the horses presented in the Reprise de Manège (Musical Ride), and those who perform the airs above the ground, as well as representing the school in national and international competitions.

They are also entrusted with the preparation of the horses used in the training of their pupils. The school receives the French teams in the four Olympic disciplines: Dressage, Eventing, Jumping, and Paralympic. The school has many close ties with the École de cavalerie (Armoured Cavalry Branch Training School).

The Grand Manège is used for lessons, international competitions, training, and Cadre Noir rehearsals and galas. With 1500 seats, it is one of the largest indoor arenas in Europe.  The mirrors positioned across the total width allow the ecuyers to observe the way of going and movements of their horses and to correct aids and posture.

The National Riding School can accommodate around 500 horses in 4 perfectly equipped stables.

Half way through the tour of the stables, Sue was allergic to something in the air and had to go back to the car.

About 60 grooms look after the 330 horses belonging to the school on a daily basis.

Heat lamps after shower.

They are aided by a number of automated systems: distribution of water and feed, and getting rid of the poop. The flaked and cubed feeds drop into the mangers 3 to 4 times a day at set times.

The feed requirements of each horse depend on his weight, his age, the breed, the outside temperature, but above all his level of work.

The bedding produces up to 600 tonnes of manure each year, some of which goes to local mushroom growers.  This piece of information is alarming since we just went to a local mushroom grower and museum (see our posts here and here). Now we know where some of the black bits on white button mushrooms come from !

The tour was fun because it allowed us some close-up moments with the horses. We had ample time to explore the stables and touch the horses.

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Our next post continues with the theme of “horses” and their role in war …

Château et Jardins de Villandry

This is one of the three chateaux we visited in the Loire Valley. We chose Villandry because of its famous beautiful gardens.

Villandry is unusual in that it is a Renaissance castle that was the residence of neither a king nor a courtesan, but of Jean Le Breton, Minister of Finance for François I.

He drew on his experience supervising and directing the construction at many sites, including Chateau de Chambord (one of the trio, click here to see our post).

Its construction started in 1532 around a Medieval feudal fortress. In 1754, the interior was significantly upgraded in the neoclassical style by the then-new owner – Marquis de Castellane.

The interior of Villandry is much more habitable than Chambord and Chenonceau (the other famous chateau we saw, click here to see the post).

In 1906, it was purchased by Joachim Carvallo who began restoring the castle. The Carvallo family is the current owner of the estate.

Not only the castle was restored, the gardens which had been outstanding since the beginning was also recreated and reinvented according to the Renaissance style, based on old plans, archaeological and literary clues.

As you can see, there are many gardens: a water garden, ornamental flower gardens, and vegetable gardens.

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Some of the photos looked like SimCity screenshots ?!

From the top of the turret, one can see all the formal gardens in their complex geometric shapes.

The gardens are laid out in formal patterns created with low box hedges.

At the ground level, the shapes are actually much bigger than we thought.

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In 1934, Château de Villandry was designated a Monument historique. Like all the other châteaux of the Loire Valley, it is a World Heritage Site.

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It is worthwhile visiting their web site here for their collection of photos of the seasonally-changing gardens over the past years.

 

With Villandry, we concluded our visits of the chateaux of the Loire Valley.

Château de Chenonceau

Chenonceau is the second château that we visited in the Loire Valley in June of this year. Click here to read about our visit to Château de Chambord. Like Chambord, Chenonceau is also well known and thoroughly written up – see the official website here.

The chateau presents itself and distinguish it from the many others in the area – apparently by its destiny!

Chenonceau is an exceptional site not only because of its original design, the richness of its collections, its furniture and its decorations, but also because of its destiny, since it was loved, administrated and protected by women, who were all extraordinary and who, for the most part have marked history. … The iron, but very feminine, fist in the velvet glove has always preserved Chenonceau during times of conflict and war in order to make it forever a place of peace.

 

Compared to Chambord, this is a smaller but much better decorated chateau.

 The castle was built around 1513. King Henry II offered the château as a gift to his mistress, Diane de Poitiers. It went through several expansions between 1517 and 1559.

Diane’s garden

After Henry II died in 1559, his strong-willed widow and regent Catherine de’ Medici forced Diane to exchange it for the Château Chaumont. Queen Catherine then made Chenonceau her own favorite residence and added gardens.

Catherine’s garden

On Catherine’s death in 1589 the château went to her daughter-in-law, Louise de Lorraine-Vaudémont, wife of King Henry III. At Chenonceau Louise was told of her husband’s assassination in 1589 and she fell into a state of depression, spending the remainder of her days wandering aimlessly along the château’s corridors dressed in mourning clothes amidst somber black tapestries stitched with skulls and crossbones.  (Wikipedia)

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Kitchens were constructed in the piers of the bridge.

My wild guess of this contraption is an automatic rotissserie that was powered by the flow of the river. I think the pulley is connected to something that is being dragged by the water below.

We had lunch at the chateau’s restaurant, L’Orangerie. It was almost 2’o clock and therefore we managed to get a place … at other times, reservation is a must.

It was noted that King Henry II’s insignia, which is stamped on the cutlery we used at the restaurant, contains an intertwining H (for Henry) and C (for Catherine) but there is also a D for Diana in the background. The beauty and brains of the two women, their background and competition for the king’s attention must have inspired countless hours of period TV drama. There is a good article here about the rivalry.

On the grounds of the chateau is a maze, newly reconstructed based on Catherine’s design.

Upon reaching the centre of the maze …

There is really a lot to do here beside wandering inside the castle. Check out their very helpful website here.

Château de Chambord, Loire Valley

On our trip to the Val de Loire in June, we visited three famous chateaux. According to an official tourist leaflet, we have a choice of as many as 70-plus chateau in the area. These buildings are national monuments and not the kind that has been converted into a hotel or B&B – like the one we stayed overnight. Click here to see our chateau.

Château de Chambord is probably one of the most celebrated if not the most visited chateau in the Loire Valley.  Definitely a top tourist magnet, it is also the largest chateau in the area.  The government has done a great job promoting and managing it.

As the chateau is very well known, there are tomes written about the architecture, its creators, inhabitants and rich history. And there is a very colorful website – here. So I will be very brief here.

The construction started in 1519 by Francois I. It is one of the few buildings of the Renaissance age that has survived without major modifications to its original design. It is a blend of French medieval and Italian Renaissance style.

It was not meant to be a permanent residence but an architectural jewel that the king liked to show to visiting royalties and ambassadors as a symbol of his power.

It was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981. The domain of Chambord is completely enclosed within a 20-mile stone wall, all 5,440 hectares of it.

That’s the equivalent of the city of Paris and the largest enclosed forest in Europe.

Nowadays, there are about 700 deers and 1000 wild boars on the grounds. As it was intended to be a hunting lodge for the king, there were many antlers on the walls.

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One of the architectural highlights is the spectacular double helix open staircase that is the centerpiece of the château.

The two helices ascend the three floors without ever meeting, illuminated from above by natural light at the highest point of the château.

On display are some furnishings but it is relatively sparse compared to the other chateaux (see later post). I suspect it is partly because of its size and the fact that it was abandoned from time to time in its history.

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Also on display are modern art pieces.

It functions as a gallery for contemporary artists.

We had a fun day but were exhausted by the amount of walking inside the various wings and levels of the chateau.

Come back later for photos of two more chateaux.

 

Château des Arpentis, Saint–Règle

This is the chateau we landed when the one we booked canceled our reservation. For the full story on how got here, see our earlier post here. On its web site, the history of Château des Arpentis is as follows:

The first well-known lord was Christophe Thomas in 1313. Around 1410, the chateau became the property of Jean du Bois, majordomo of the Duke of Guise. During 16th century, it became the property of the military, and then in 1612, Louis Charles d’Albert, Duke of Luynes, became the owner, and it is also where King Louis XIII was invited to dinner on the 20th of June 1619. During the 17th century, the terrace was built on the walls that surround the moat and castle. The castle was restored in the 19th century.

In the middle of a park of thirty hectares, the castle was entirely restored in 2007-2008. The chateau has a grand total of only 12 guest rooms.

Like many chateau and manor houses in the area, for the nobles, hunting was the main activity. So the whole place is decorated by all kinds of hunting trophies. Some of these stuffed animals must look pretty scary at night.

Despite the animal heads, no guns or weapons of any kind were displayed.

There is a “common” room on the first floor where drinks were served at certain times during the day and the guests could congregate to chat, play pool, and socialize.  A large family of Americans were there when we arrived around 9pm the night before.

Above the fireplace, the metal emblem in the shape of an animal with a crown on its back is a porcupine. This animal seems to be the mascot or something of the place – there were more little sculptures of them lying around the room.

This room on the ground floor was not opened. But it can certainly support some social functions.

The chateau is a life-size Cluedo playboard, it could be a perfect place to host a murder mystery party. And the setting is authentic enough for something real to happen, given the right combination of people and motives.

We met the owner who bought the property several years ago and now runs it as a hotel. The couple owns another property in the area where we also stayed, see later post.

Except breakfast time when we saw the other guests, there was hardly any one around.

How big is 30 hectares of land ? Where were the animals we saw the night before ?

There is a stream running in front of it and a bridge that takes one to the meadow and the pond.

Although we were there at the end of May, it was too early to open the pool. This outdoor space must be great during the long summer days.

This is such an idyllic spot to linger, read a book, take a nap.

According to one of the guidebooks, it says that the Loire Valley has long been described as exemplifying la douceur de vivre (if we were in Italy, it would be la dolce vita). … “The overall impression conveyed by the region is one of an unostentatious taste for the good things in life.” We were curious as to what is being offered in this region to qualify such a statement.  Voilà.

We hope to come back for a longer stay. In mid-summer.

Finding Château des Arpentis, near Amboise

Continuing with our journey in the Loire Valley …  after a few days in Saumur, we went up river to see the chateaux that made the area famous. In the countryside around the city of Tours, we visited several chateaux that are justifiably France’s national treasures and deservedly tourist magnets. We will share those pictures in later posts.

Hailstorm in Tours city center, one of the bigger city along the Loire

As many of the smaller chateaux have been repurposed as hotels or bed-and-breakfast, we decided to book a room at such an establishment. Originally we made a reservation at Château du Paradis through Booking.com. We chose it because it had good reviews and was situated in the middle of a forest. After having slept in a cave (see earlier posts here and here), we wanted to try a château in a forest.

Deserted streets in Tours after the hailstorm

Big problem !  We did not realize this place requires that the guests arrive before 8 pm. The owner called us while we were having dinner in downtown Tours (after a totally unexpected but spectacular hailstorm). He canceled our room reservation and volunteered to book us into a similar establishment nearby. He did not charge us because someone was waiting to take our room. This turn of event was a little disaster in the making. Apparently, the notice about the early check-in was in the original web page when we booked, but it was hidden behind a link and not in our email confirmation so we forgot/missed it when we were on the road. Booking.com need to make such special requirements more prominent in their paperwork.

Driving along the Loire towards Amboise

We really did not have a choice at that time. So we accepted without knowing what the place looks like except reassurances from the owner of the Chateau du Paradis.

Amboise in a distance

 

We finished our dinner quickly and started heading towards Amboise looking for a chateau for which we have only the vaguest directions – go to Saint–Règle.  Any more detailed address is useless in the countryside.

 

Fortunately, the place was not that difficult to find. After turning off the public country road, we drove on a partially paved road for about 5-10 minutes before coming up to a gate. Et voila.

 

Given the circumstances, we lowered our expectations. But we were pleasantly surprised upon arrival.

The room afforded us this view out of the window including a horse in a meadow. Very calm and relaxing.

 

The room had a distinctly home-y feel which was welcoming. It even had a working fireplace.

 

Antique-ish metal bath tub and modern showers …

 

It was a relief for us after the surprise and panic, and allowed us to rest after a long day of sightseeing.

 

More pictures of Chateau des Arpentis to come.

Champignonerie at the Musée, Saumur

Continuing with our journey into the caves of Saumur … People in the area did not just live in caves, they use it to store wine and to grow mushroom. See earlier post here about the museum.

The caves provide an environment of high humidity and constant temperature that is perfect for growing mushroom. Many of the caves were once part of a quarry. This facility at the museum produces four types of mushrooms commercially: white or brown button mushrooms, shiitakes, oyster mushrooms including the yellow pleurotes and blue foot mushrooms aka blewits (something new for us).

Using a plastic culture bag is the preferred way, as it is more flexible and prevents the spread of pests.

The white button mushroom or champignon de Paris (Agaricus bisporous) were first cultivated in the disused quarries in the Paris region, and then in the late 19th century, they moved to the Loire Valley.

Apparently, more than half of the mushrooms cultivated in France come from this area and Anjou (just a bit downstream of the Loire river).

The facility aims to provide ample ventilation (otherwise the mushroom will become deformed !), temperature at 10 to 18 degrees celsius, 14 degree being the optimal, and 85 to 90% humidity.

Shiitake or 冬菇 (Lentinus edodes), also known as black mushroom or oak mushroom, are grown in the caves on substrates that were hung and resembled tree trunks.

Apparently, they are slow growing and do not appear until 2 to 5 years after inoculation. The growers stimulate growth by exposing the culture to shock, such as sharp change in temperature, mechanical vibration (including artificial thunder ? That’s what it said on the explanatory notes on the wall) or soaking in water.

Pleurotus ostreatus or 蠔菇, the oyster mushroom, are mainly cultivated in large polyethylene bags stuffed with hay, sawdust, wood chips, etc in layers, and spawn sown between these layers.

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Pleurotus citrinopileatus, the golden oyster mushroom (tamogitake in Japanese) is the other type of pleurotes that are grown in this facility.

 

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The last type of mushroom cultivated here is Clitocybe nuda (also recognized as Lepista nuda and Tricholoma nudum, commonly known as the wood blewit or blue stalk mushroom). We know nothing about it. According to Wikipedia, it is an edible mushroom, found in both coniferous and deciduous woodlands. It is a fairly distinctive mushroom that is widely eaten, though there is some caution about edibility. Nevertheless it has been cultivated in Britain, the Netherlands and France. … Blewits can be eaten as a cream sauce or sautéed in butter, but it is important not to eat them raw, which could lead to indigestion. They can also be cooked like tripe or as omelette filling, and wood blewits also make good stewing mushrooms. They have a strong flavour, so they combine well with leeks or onions. They were not in season or something … as this is all I could find in the tunnels.

Back to sunshine, the museum shop offers freshly picked mushroom for sale or as a snack. If it was our last day before heading home, we would have bought some.

It was an interesting and unique visit.

Musée de Champignon, Saumur

Continuing with our visit of the Val de Loire …

People in the area did not just live in caves (see our hotel in caves here and here), they use it to store wine and to grow mushroom.

Apparently, more than half of the mushrooms cultivated in France come from this area and Anjou (just a bit down river).

We went to a museum of mushroom which has a production facility attached to it. The museum part was quite boring. It started with collections of objects that are mushroom shaped – essentially anything that has a cap and a stem.

The other part of the museum, just inside the entrance of the caves, shows samples of different kinds of fungi preserved in plastic. There were lots of text accompanying the exhibits to educate the public about the varieties, as we all know, many of which are poisonous, and some are hallucinogenic.

Many people here enjoy country walk, mushroom picking and then eating their harvest. Some toxic mushrooms look just like the normal pale white innocuous boletes type but can kill or at least send people to the emergency room. My friends told us that many villages have a local expert who can recognize the toxic ones, and people are encouraged to show their pickings to the expert before eating it.

The really interesting parts start deeper inside the caves. The museum keeps a small collection of live fungi beside those cultivated commercially.

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Below is black poplar mushroom – Agrocybe aegerita, a species that is really easy to cultivate, even at  home as a hobby.

This is Coprinus comatus, the shaggy ink cap, lawyer’s wig, or shaggy mane, a common fungus often seen growing on lawns, along gravel roads and waste areas. According to Wikipedia … The gills beneath the cap are white, then pink, then turn black and secrete a black liquid filled with spores (hence the “ink cap” name). This mushroom is unusual because it will turn black and dissolve itself in a matter of hours after being picked or depositing spores. When young it is an excellent edible mushroom provided that it is eaten soon after being collected.

Hericium erinaceus or 猴頭菇 (monkey head mushroom) is a choice edible when young, and the texture of the cooked mushroom is often compared to seafood. It often appears in Chinese vegetarian cuisine to replace pork or lamb. I have never heard of it let alone eat it.

Trametes versicolor – turkey tail fungus – too tough to eat but believed to have anticancer properties.

Each species has a unique requirement of substrate (wood, compost, etc) and temperature and humidity (essentially the natural environment of the caves). We forgot the name of this species.

One of the more bizzare-looking species is lingzhi (靈芝) or reishi (Ganoderma lucidum) which is well known in Asia as having medical properties and a symbol of good fortune. They look like strange tongues or paws reaching out from a block of wood or rock.

I (Chris) have not seen a living species before. Even if I did, since it has that shiny sheen and smooth surface, I would have thought that it was a cheap plastic model of the real thing. The top and white tip were covered in a fine layer of spores.

In our next post, we will show photos of the cultivation areas.

 

Demeure de la Vignole, Turquant, part 2

Towards the end of May, we visited the Loire Valley and stayed at a hotel with rooms that are built into caves. Here are some more examples of cave dwellings which have been modernized.  We found these homes just a few minutes down the road from our hotel, between Turquant and Saumur.

Here are some more pictures of our hotel – the Demure de la Vignole … Beside having guest rooms inside caves (see earlier post here), there are other interesting features…

This is a view from our balcony  overlooking the hotel reception building. Notice the parking area situated under the cliff. Above the cliffs are vineyards !

The ugly grey rock on the left is part of our dwelling, our bedroom is upstairs with the triangular windows. The gap between the grey rock and the new (chateau-style) stone building is the main (very narrow) driveway to the hotel parking area.

The hotel’s fitness “center” is also situated inside a cave. The equipment is functional but overall it is a bit shabby.

Sauna ? Did not try it.

The most unique feature is the small swimming pool. This is the entrance to the fitness area and additional guest rooms.

The changing area and shower have a Moroccan accent – quite common in France …

 We had the pool to ourselves … bathing in the colored lights reflecting off the white cave walls.

The rocks in the area are known as tufa, a type of limestone, similar to travertine.

There was nothing special about the water, it was simply standard very lightly-chlorinated swimming pool water. The water was not naturally there.

The rest of the B&B/hotel and common areas …

Dining, reception areas

Terrace (with frogs hopping about)

View from the hotel front garden. The river Loire is just on the other side of the road hidden behind the trees.

More from the area in the next few posts …

 

 

Demeure de la Vignole, Turquant, part 1

This is the first of a series of blog posts on our trip to the Loire Valley (Val de Loire).

The main purpose of this trip was to attend our friend – VC’s birthday party (actually as surprise guests) at E’s place in Orleans, France. Rather than flying up to Paris, we decided to take the car. By going this way we get to see more of the countryside and explore the Loire Valley at our leisure. We chose Saumur as a starting point on the West and slowly worked our way upriver along the valley until we reach Orleans. The Loire , the longest river in France, flows east to west into the Atlantic near St Nazaire, passing through cities like Orleans, Tours, Saumur and Nantes.

We split the driving from Lausanne to this region into 2 legs (stopping one night at Troyes). Our first two nights in the region were spent in this unusual hotel at Turquant, just outside Saumur.

 

 

This small B&B/hotel – Demeure de la Vignole offers rooms and facilities that are built inside caves !  Our room is actually a small two-storey dwelling, the back of which are caves and the walls of the cliff.

 

 

Looking out from inside the cave.

 

 

The toilet and bathroom as well as an “entrance hall” is on the ground floor.

 

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A spiral staircase rises through a hole cut into the rocks creating a passage to the cave above.

 

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Our bedroom, “living room” and balconies are on the second floor.

This is the view from our bed.

 

It did not feel claustrophobic, contrary to what we thought …

 

 

Caves are naturally cold and humid and our room was equipped with a dehumidifier. There were stickers on all the thermostats around the unit to warn us not to adjust them as they were carefully set. We can imagine that if the humidity is not kept low, the environment would encourage mold to grow (as witnessed in our trip to a mushroom farm (see later post)).

 

 

The place was spotlessly clean with no sign of insects or molds.

 

 

View from our balcony, looking out towards the Loire river at dusk.

 

 

Our room and balcony is next to the lighted spot next to the cliff on the right side.

 

Historically, some settlers in this area has carved into the cliff sides and made dwellings out of the caves. According to Wikipedia,

A cave dweller or troglodyte is a human being who inhabits a cave or the area beneath the overhanging rocks of a cliff.

We became troglodytes for two days.

More to come about the hotel.