Tour de Tours

After two days in Paris, it was time to visit another part of France: the Loire Valley, home to over 300 chateaus along and around the Loire River. So early Saturday morning I hopped on a train headed south to Tours, one of the cities in the Central Loire Valley. I had a reservation on a small, half-day tour to 2 of the major chateaus, Chenonceaux and Chambord in the afternoon so the morning was open to wandering the city area. The train station is in downtown Tours and only a short walk to the gorgeous City Hall. From the station, I take the 15-20 minute walk to my hotel to drop off my bag and then make my way to the tourist office to pick up a map. On the way I buy a croissant and it is heavenly.

The city of Tours was so quiet compared to Paris. The population is only around 100,000 so its not a bustling metropolis but a beautiful residential area. Most the buildings are small and businessess take up only ground floors. There is also a lot of greenery with ivy and trees spread around. As there wasn't much to visit that was free I spent most of the time walking around gazing at the architecture and walking along the Loire River.

My favorite place in the city was the Cathedrale Saint Gatlen. Though not enormous as the Notre Dame, the cathredral was tall and skinny and to my fascination, not symmetrical.

Inside there was a very interesting altar comprised of two pieces of wood and a rock, and the pulpit was the first of many that I thought were very cool. Being a huge stone church, the temperature inside was probably 10 degrees colder than outside and it was freezing. Despite the cold though, right before I was about to leave the organist began to play a tune so I took a seat and just listened for a few.

The floor of the church was completely uneven and thoroughly worn so I really think it was the original stone. Yes, I was fascinated with that as well. It's all just so different from anything you'd find here in the US.

After the cathedral it was time to head down to the meeting point for the chateau tour. I didn't have to wait long for the van to show up and I was the only American and English as a first language person. There were women from Japan, a woman from Singapore and a couple from Brazil. Our guide was very nice and provided a great deal of information on the area and the chateaus we drove by. After 20 in the van though, I wished I wasn't as tired. Lack of sleep + riding in moving vehicles + narration switching between English and Japanese = me falling asleep. So while I would have loved to observe all the landscapes we drove through, I couldn't keep my eyes open. One thing I did see which was really cool were these homes that were literally built into the mountainside. All you could see were the door and front facade and the rest of it went into the hillside.

Upon arriving at Chenonceaux we were given an hour to tour the chateau and gardens. Chateau de Chenonceaux is the most visited chateau in the Loire Valley, if I'm not mistaken, and it is certainly an extremely interesting and beautiful piece of architecture. The house is built over the Indre River so it basically looks like a house built on top of a bridge. Its really outstanding and there is also a few large gardens and a maze as well as a fortified mill on the estate. Inside the castle the rooms are authentically furnished and decorated with renaissance era tapestries and furniture. The great hall which is the portion over the river is large and well, great.

The kitchen was the most interesting room cause it was built in the basement, but the basement for this specific architecture was in one of the footings. So to get from one part of the kitchen to the other you walk through the archway holding up the rest of the castle. When walking through you can look down and see the river and a small stairwell where drop-offs for the kitchen were done. If that made sense to any of you, I really liked that part.

As I only had an hour to visit the cheateau I was only able to visit the main garden and it was very pretty. It was late November so there weren't any flowers blooming, but everything was green and the view of the chateau was wonderful.


The second chateau we went to was Chambord, the largest in the Loire River Valley. Chambord's estate was MASSIVE and the grounds went on forever and ever. I don't remember the acreage but it was a LOT. Built originally as a hunting lodge, the castle was never finished and so of the 440 rooms, there are only about 40 which you can visit and of those only some are furnished.

The highlight of the castle was the double-helix stairwell rumored to be designed by Leonardo DaVinci. It's two circular staircases that ascend all three floors and never meet.

Besides the few rooms that can be visited, you can also walk around the roof, another highlight of the chateau. The roof is intricately designed and there are all these nooks and crannys and mini tower pieces that come from various points around the roof. Hard to explain, but really, really neat. Overall, I thought the chateau tour was pretty well done. Though it would end up being one of the more expensive things I would do on the trip, it was probably worth it as I wouldn't have gotten to see Chambord via public transportation. And I probably wouldn't have been able to see more than one chateau. The one problem I did have was there wasn't enough time to view the chateaus satisfactorily. With Chenonceaux I wanted to see more of the grounds and with Chambord I rushed through a few of the rooms in order to see everything. If I were to return to the Valley I think I would rent my own car therefor have more flexibility.

We arrived back in Tours around 6PM and I was thoroughly exhausted. I get back to my hotel, check in and relax. There's nothing in English on TV and so I end up watching some French children's programs while looking over plans for the next couple of days. Then I hit the sack early getting a very good night's sleep.

forget all your woes, the city of light....

By the end of my first day in Paris I had seen a LOT but there was still plenty left to see. I was never going to be able to see all of the city in the next day, so I decided to go on a night bike tour. Run by "Fat Bike Tours" (http://fatbiketours.com/paris) this 4 hours excursion takes you to many of the major sites, stops for ice cream and includes a free ticket on a boat ride up and down the Seine. In my opinion, it was well worth the 26Euro (student price).

The meeting point and time is the south leg of the Eiffel Tower at 6PM. Thankfully I knew where I was going since I'd been in that area for most of the morning and it wasn't hard to find the person holding up the big sign reading "Fat Bike Tours." I get there right at 6 and am the 4th to join the group. However, we don't begin the walk to the bike office until about 6:20 and by then a large group of about 20 or so has formed. By the time we get to the office, purchase tickets, put on reflector vests and hop on our bikes, it's close to 7.

The first place we stop is the southern end of the Champs de Mars where we get an excellent view of the lit up Eiffel Tower. Glowing yellow-orange at this moment, the tower lights up the entire area surrounding it. It's very beautiful against the pitch black sky. We then make our way east riding through St. Germain and the Latin Quarter. I had not planned to visit this area at all while in the city so I'm glad I got to see what it was like, especially since both areas are well known for having an active nightlife.

We arrive at a bridge at the back side of the Notre Dame and even though it's the back side, I still find it absolutely stunning. Except for the glimpse through the clouds while up in the Eiffel Tower this is my first view of the huge cathedral. Our guide gives us a quick but thorough history of the Cathedral as well as the history of Ile de la Cite and Ile. St. Louis (the 2 islands in the middle of the Seine; Notre Dame is on Ile de la Cite). Ile de la Cite was the first settlement site of Paris so the area is rich with history. It is on Ile St. Louis that we stop at an excellent ice cream shop. The guide claims it to be the best ice cream in Paris and it was really really delicious. They didn't have an abundance of flavors, but the chocolate I got was very rich and satisfying.

After finishing the ice cream we ride across the Ile de la Cite by the Palais de Justice, then over to Place St. Michel where we turn right and ride along the river. We cross at a footbridge across from the back end of the Lourve that is known for being overpopulated with picnicers in the summer. We then ride through the back courtyard of the Lourve and into the front area where the famous glass pyramid is. Ever since reading the first 30 pages of The DaVinci Code I knew that if I ever went to Paris the glass pyramids at the Louvre would be at the top on my sightseeing list. Needless to say, I was very excited to finally see them. Lit from below, the pyramids were as pretty as I imagined and with the fountains providing wonderful reflections, the whole place was magical. The illuminated Arc du Carousel also added to the wonderful scenery.

After gazing for a few minutes we continue along the river and arrive at the boat dock. We hop on board and join the many other tourists on the top deck. It's a little cold but I manage to survive. As we make our way up the river the boat narrates to us about what buildings are on either side of the river. It's very informative and spoken in 4 or 5 languages. We pass Notre Dame and I finally get to see it from the front. It's absolutely spectacular and I cannot wait to return tomorrow. We reach the Canal St. Martin and turn around. After this point the prolonged sitting mixes with my lack of sleep and creates a deadly cocktail of unconsciousness. I doze off and wake as we are passing the Eiffel Tower. This time the it is illuminated with a multiude of colors. Then, as the clock strikes 10, the tower sparkles. Every hour after dusk for five minutes the Eiffel Tower sparkles and it is a sight to see.

The boat ride concludes and we make our way back to the bike office. It's been an excellent night and an excellent day, but I am EXHAUSTED. I ride the train back to the hostel, take a hot shower, check my email and crawl into bed. Goodnight, Paris!