Weekend excursion in "La Vallée de la Loire"

During early October, the group visited the Loire Valley for our first overnight trip. Personally, I was most excited for this trip because throughout my time in high school and college French classes – and I will assume yours too – I have been taught about the different castles along the legendary Loire. However, seeing them in person and being able to more fully experience the interiors and grounds surpassed all my expectations. 

Early Saturday morning, we departed Rennes and three-and-a-half hours later we arrived at "Le Château de Villandry", which is known for its remarkable gardens. We were all instantly transported into a wonderful and whimsical world complete with perfectly maintained plants of every kind! Frankly, it was hard to know where to start, but we ventured inside to explore each room accompanied by an audio guide. My personal favorites were the children's rooms because they instilled a sort of nostalgia, but I also just loved the distinctive toile patterns. I found it especially cool that an American couple bought the estate in the early 1900’s and restored it to its former grandeur, now allowing the public to visit and appreciate both the interior and the gardens. Towards the end of the tour, you get to climb a somewhat hidden spiral staircase and access the roof which gives the most incredible view of the Rennaissance garden (pictured above). Afterwards, we had lunch on the property, but unfortunately, we had to depart after that; however, we were heading straight for another castle!

Next, the famed "Château de Chenonceau". I was particularly excited about this one because I had learned about it in one of my aforementioned high school French classes. And, simply put, building a castle over a river is pretty awesome. Accompanied by our faithful audio guides we began to explore the old castle once inhabited by famous historical women like Catherine di Medici and Diana de Poitiers. Once again, the gardens were beautiful and expansive and incredible (oh my!) and even had live animals like chickens and goats!

As the afternoon drew to a close, we journeyed onwards to Amboise, where our accommodations and dinner reservation were. I must add, group dinners and bus rides are some of the best parts of these excursions due to the opportunity to connect with the other students. The next morning, we had breakfast and walked to "Le Château du Clos Luce", the small château where Leonardo Da Vinci spent the last part of his life. It was truly amazing to see and learn about the breadth of his creative ventures from painting and sculpting to engineering a myriad of different inventions. As you wander into the gardens, you get to lay eyes on some of Da Vinci’s creations like his Double Screw Water Pump – that you get to turn yourself. They also have an exhibition space with immersive projections of Da Vinci’s artwork, which we all thoroughly enjoyed. 

The afternoon was complete with free time for lunch in the town of Amboise. Some friends and I found a place with galettes, and we wandered around to find a café and shop around a bit. And that was our complete Loire weekend! I think that participating in excursions as part of a study abroad program is invaluable; they provide access to destinations that many students, including myself, might not consider visiting independently or find challenging to get to. I am so grateful for the opportunity to experience culturally and historically significant sites such as these castles, Normandie, and Bretagne Nord throughout this program and highly recommend it!

Maren Altadonna

Furman University

CIEE-Rennes LA FALL 2024