Weekend in the Loire Valley

April 24, 2017

by apaparis

This beautiful weekend saw a couple of things: the resultats of the premier tour of the French presidential elections (!), and an utterly gorgeous weekend in the Loire Valley. The Loire Valley spans 280 kilometres in central France and is referred to as the Garden of France or the Cradle of France thanks to the abundance of vineyards, châteaux, and orchards. Our tour was composed of four châteaux (Blois, Chaumont-sur-Loire, Chenonceau, and Chambord), a wine-tasting, a fabulous lunch on a farm, and a stay at a renovated-farm-turned-auberge. It was 60 degrees, sunny, and a great way to make some last memories as a group before the (daunting) reality of finals and the true end of the semester kicks in.

Chenonceau, pictured in a lot of the photos below, was a crowd favorite. The beautiful fresh flowers, arranged in nearly every room, and the roaring fires in the fireplaces lent a lived-in (albeit fairy-tale) atmosphere to the château. The other MVPs of the weekend? Chèvre, a thing called wine jam (it’s real), and a scenic bike ride around Chambord. Formidable!