Many of the people who know me in real life know about my love of British royal history … my guilty pleasure being literally any historical fiction novel based on Plantagenets, Tudors, etc. I also have an affection for French history, however, so this day made me a happy lady.

Naturally, I got to start my day off by lecturing Chris about some of the principal characters related to the history of the castles we were going to see that day, in particular Queen Catherine de Medici and Diane de Poiters. “Luckily” for Chris, I had just recently read a biography about Catherine so I had lots of fun facts to share.

Rough excerpts of our conversation:

“Born in Florence to the powerful Medici family, she was the niece of a pope -”

“- parents both dead before she was a month old – ”

“- invading Spanish troops laying seige to Florence called for her to dragged out of her convent naked at age 11-”

“- universally considered pretty unfortuante looking -”

” – married to the second son of the King of France, known to history as his “least favorite son,” because the king badly needed the huge dowry she brought and the friendship of a Medici pope – ”

“- that pope promptly dies and leaves her dowry unpaid, pissing off the French – ”

” – husband ignores her in favor of his mistress, courtiers call for him to divorce her – ”

Right about here is where Chris jumped in to ask why he needed to know about this very unfortuante sounding woman. Answer: because she ultimately ends up being one of the more powerful women in French history, the power behind the throne for 30 years. Also? She is accused of assassinating many people (including by poisoning) throughout her life, and definitely did do some of that.

So, our first stop of the day was Chateau de Chenonceau, a gorgeous castle that is deeply intewined with the personal histories of three women, among them Catherine de Medici and her rival, Diane de Poiters. But first, a look at this gorgeous place.

So, the Catherine/Diane drama. Catherine marries Henry, duke d’Orleans, when they are both 14. By 15 or 16, however, Henry — soon to become the Dauphin after the death of his older brother — takes up with Diane de Poiters, a woman 21 years his senior. Diane becomes Henry’s queen in all but name after he ascends to the throne and Catherine, who was already facing criticism for not conceiving, basically has to suck up to Diane to keep her from speaking against her. She even ends up acting as her informant/spy at various points. For her part, Diane is not particularly eager for Henry to divorce his ugly wife and marry some hot princess who might not be so tolerant of her taking precedence, so she ends up helping Catherine conceive — by kicking Henry out of her bed and ordering him to go spend some time with Catherine. Catherine finally ends up with a son after a decade of marriage, then nine more children in 12 years. Go figure. At any rate, however, she is still completely powerless at court. Diane picks her children’s tutors, where they’ll live, what they’ll study, what they’ll wear — everything.

Where Chenonceau figures in: Catherine de Medici believed that her late father-in-law had promised this castle, which she loved, to her. Henry naturally hands it over to Diane instead, so Catherine has to settle for nearby Chaumont. She is not pleased.

AND NOW WE ENTER THE REVENGE PHASE. So for 20-odd years Catherine has to see Diane basically every day, watch her be set up in Catherine’s rightful place, watch her usurp her role as mother … until Henry drops dead. More accurately, while he is on his deathbed. While Henry is crying out for Diane as he is dying, she has her barred from the room. When Henry is dead, one of her first actions is to have someone inform Diane that she never wants to see her again, effectively banishing her from court. Not long after, she managed to wrest Chenonceau from Diane’s grip. She did compensate her, however — by giving her Chaumont instead. I can only imagine vengenance was sweet.

ANYWAY. Enough of your history lesson for the day. The palace! If you are in the Loire Valley, I would say it is not one to miss.

The Catherine de Medici room

While inside of the palace was certainly interesting, but the real showstopper here was the grounds. They were enormous and beautiful, both the carefully manicured gardens created by Diane and Catherine and the more wild,woody areas. If we didn’t have the kids with us, I think we could have walked around the grounds all day.

Diane’s gardens   

Hands down, the kids’ favorite part of the day was the hedge maze on the grounds.

Overall there was a lot more stuff to see than I anticipated, including a donkey farm and even more gardens that we didn’t visit. We ended up spending four hours there, which pretty much shocked me. And honestly, we could have easily stayed longer (especially if it wasn’t as chilly as it was).

Our next stop on my itinerary was to be Chateau de Chaumont, the castle that Catherine de Medici received instead of Chenonceau and subsequently pawned off on her vanquished rival. However, with the weather starting to look threatening and it already being early afternoon, we realized we needed to press on to Chateau de Chambord even though Chaumont was literally on the way — we could see it from our car. (I have no idea why so many of these castles names start with Ch, by the way).

Good news for the readers who are less interested in my historical hot gossip: I don’t know a ton of details of its history and thus won’t be bothering you much with details. But, you should know that it is the largest castle in the Loire Valley that was (somewhat inexplicably to me) used as a hunting lodge. Why on earth would you need to build such an opulant building if you are only going to spend a weeks a year there?! Answer, I guess, is to impress people with your wealth. And have one cool crib when you go hunting. Anyway, it was constructed by King Francis I (Catherine’s father-in-law) and took 20 years. It *may* have been designed in part by Leonardo da Vinci, who lived his final days in a manor just outside the nearby Chateau d’Amboise. The double helix staircase for which it is famous almost certainly was.

Closer look at the roof. 

This is the famous double helix staircase. People could go up or down the stairs on different sides of the spiral without ever meeting until the come to the landings of one of the three floors. 

Inside the castle was absolutely enormous, with 440 rooms. Several times I walked into what I thought was just a room and it turned out to be an enormous multi-room apartment — Fiona and I almost lost Chris and Owen a few times doing this!

The grounds of Chambord were also huge, which is no doubt why they had bikes, golf carts and event boats for rent. If it had been warmer (and we had enough time) we definitly would have rented a boat because it looked really cool.

From Chambord we drove back to our cottage (stopping in Amboise, a town we missed this day, for an excellent dinner near their chateau) for our last evening in France. Driving in the Loire was so cool because there are so many castles packed into the same area that we could even see them from the car. I’m pretty sure you could spend weeks just exploring castles if you were into that sort of thing.

Veretz castle, in the little town where we stayed in the Loire. I took this picture from the car when we basically ran right into it. 

If you are planning a trip to the Loire, I HIGHLY recommend renting a car for this reason. Also, the driving is honestly unintimidating in this area. I wouldn’t want to drive in Paris, but driving in the Loire was basically like driving in Indiana. Also helpful: renting a car with GPS.

Next up: I’ll compile a list of our suggestions for traveling to Paris/Loire with kids.

The post FRANCE, Day Seven: Castles, castles, castles first appeared on Babies With Backpacks.

The post FRANCE, Day Seven: Castles, castles, castles appeared first on Babies With Backpacks.

Our family spent the last half of our trip to France visiting the Loire Valley with kids, and I can honestly say its been one of my favorite trips ever. One this particular day, we saw the Chateau d’Usse (Sleeping Beauty’s castle), Fontevrault Abbey and the Saumur wine caves. I’d recommend all of them!

To read more about our visit to the Loire Valley with kids, click here. 

In a day marked by some great sightseeing, the best moment of our visit to the Loire Valley with kids came not inside a great monument but just outside of it: sitting in a sweet little restaurant (Le Comptoir des Vins) just outside Fontevrault Abbey, having a great meal and two good glasses of wine and telling Owen the history of one of my favorite historical figures, Eleanor of Aquitaine.

I swear one of the best things about having kids is that they are a captive audience …

Visiting the Loire Valley with kids

So, backing up a bit. Thursday dawned in our shared hotel room (after a night that reinforced why we usually rent apartments) and we headed off for the first of two full days planned in the Loire Valley. The Loire Valley, an area sometimes described as “The Garden of France,” is in central France surrounding the Loire River. This area was of strategic importance in previous centuries, and the result is that there are literally hundreds of castles of varying sizes and levels of opulence throughout this region.

When we first planned by 30th birthday trip, my first priority was going to Paris, with the idea of doing “something else” as well. A little research led me to the idea of going to the Loire Valley, and soon enough I was more excited about that part of the trip than anything else. Luckily, it lived up to the hype! Because there are so very many castles and historically significant sites in the Loire Valley, and mostly all within very easy driving distance of each other, deciding what to prioritize was our biggest challenge. We ended up deciding on three activities per day, split up by location.

I’d also like to mention that this trip has completely inspired me to want to visit basically all of France. There’s so much more than Paris, and so many wonderful places to see. In particular, I’m looking forward to visiting Alsace and Provence some day soon. My bloggy friend Sabrina has an awesome post up right now about her hiking trip to Calanques National Park and visit to Cassis (which she calls one of the most beautiful towns in Provence). 

Visiting Sleeping Beauty’s castle: Chateau d’Usse

Thursday started with the Chateau d’Usse, a castle that I chose specifically with the kids in mind. Unlike the others we’d see in the next two days, it does not have enormous historical significance — choosing it over nearby Chateau de Chinon was a bit of a wrench for this history nerd — but it is gorgeous and is believed to have been the inspiration for the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale.

Although I would still like to see Chinon at some point, going to the Chateau d’Usse was the right choice for a visit to the Loire Valley with kids. It wasn’t overly busy, which meant we felt like we were just getting to wander around Sleeping Beauty’s castle all by ourselves.

The castle has definitely leaned into the idea that the author of Sleeping Beauty had Chateau d’Usse in mind for Princess Aurora.

Fiona loved the princess stuff at Chateau d’Usse, even though her questions about when we’d see a “real princess” persisted. I guess we’ll have to try and search for the Princess Charlotte in London some day, ha! Though if we ran into them at the park I expect she’d be disappointed by the lack of tiara.

These stairs led to an underground chamber that at one point was the beginning of a tunnel that ended in the forest. It was a way of escaping the Chateau d’Usse in case of attack. 

The Sleeping Beauty motif was contained largely to one tower of the Chateau d’Usse. Elsewhere, the mannequins were dressed in 1920s style. 

Overall, Chateau d’Usse made an excellent stop for anyone visiting the Loire Valley with kids. What it lacks in historical significance, it more than makes up for in beauty and kid-friendly Sleeping Beauty decor. And if you go early in the day during the shoulder season, you might even find you have the place practically to yourself!

Loire Valley with kids: visiting Fontevrault Abbey

If the Chateau d’Usse visit was chosen in part because it would appeal to the kids, our next stop of the day — I freely admit — was entirely for me. If you are not overly interested in history, I encourage you to let your eyes wander down to the pictures now and rejoin us toward the end. I’ll back back with wine after this!

The Abbaye de Fontevrauld is a fascinating part of Angevin history, and it dates back to 1101. During its heydey, it included four religious houses and though there were both nuns and monks in these houses, it was a woman who had the running of the overall establishment, the Abbess of Fontevrault. The abbess was usually a highborn, often well-connected woman (widow of the Duke of Burgundy is one example) and this was an important position. The abbey was patronized in particular by the Plantagenets, the family who would ultimately end up ruling England for centuries. Highborn children were often raised at Fontevrault, including at least two of Eleanor of Aquitaine’s children.

My interest in going here was partially because of the history,and partially because I was interested in seeing the effigies of Eleanor, her husband Henry II, and her son King Richard “the Lionheart.” If you aren’t familiar with Eleanor, she was one of the most powerful women in Europe during the Middle Ages. Here are some highlights:

-She became soverign duchess of Aquitaine as a young teenager after the death of her father

-Almost immediately marries Louis VII, King of France

-Goes on the Second Crusade as one of its leaders

-Unsuccessfully makes a bid for an annulment from the Louis; Later, finally receives her annulment after 15 years of marriage results in just two daughters

-Almost immediately remarries, this time to the Count of Anjou/Duke of Normandy, a teenager 11 years her junior who would become the most powerful man in Europe in time — helped in no small part by Eleanor adding her lands to his. Henry Fitzempress was the son of the woman considered by many to be the rightful Queen of England, Empress Matilda. Matilda, only surviving legitimate child of King Henry I, was named by Henry as his heir but in the end lost the throne to her cousin Stephen after years of warfare. Her son Henry, therefore, had a claim to the English throne and ultimately convinced King Stephen to agree to name Henry as his heir in exchange for peace. Henry acended to the throne of England a year later, in 1154.

-With Henry II, had at least eight children, seven of whom survived to adulthood. Among them are four surviving sons: Henry, Richard, Geoffrey and John.

-During long periods of separation, Eleanor often ran parts of the now enormous and ever-growing Angevin empire, which stretched over England and wide swaths of France. In later life she returned to Aquitaine as its duchess again. Her court is known for celebrating troubadors, chivalry and courtly love.

-Joined her sons in a revolt against her husband/their father, in the process seeking help from her first husband, Louis VII. The sons wanted to weild more power in the domains they’d inherit.

-The sons lost. Eleanor is imprisoned by her husband for most of the next 16 years. During this time, her son Henry “the Young King” dies, as does her son Geoffrey, Duke of Brittany by virtue of his marriage to the duchy’s heiress

-Eleanor is freed upon the death of Henry II, who ended his days at war with his heir, Richard, after finding out that his youngest and favorite son, John, had also betrayed him.

-Eleanor is basically running things while her son, Richard, goes off on the Third Crusade, then plays a huge role in raising the enormous ranson set by the Holy Roman Emperor when he captures Richard. Richard dies a few years later.

-In her late 70s she was still running all over the world, including a journey across the Pyrannees into Castile to pick one of her granddaughters to marry the new King of France.

-Eventually, she retires to Fontevrauld for some well-earned rest after decades of badassery. She died there in 82.

Queen Eleanor, King Henry II and King Richard the Lionheart (and King John’s wife, Isabella d’Angouleme) were all buried at Fontevrauld, but their bones were scattered during the French Revolution. Their effigies, however, remain.

Seeing them was a surprisingly emotional experience, which I can’t really explain.

The rest of Fontevrauld was interesting, including learning about how it was converted into a prison after the French Revolution. From 1804 to 1963 it served as one of the toughest prisons in France, apparently. Members of the French Resistance were shot there under the orders of the Vichy Government.

Overall, I would say the place is worthy of a visit if you are interested in that particular history. It may be boring for young children, but there is grassy area to run around in when they need a break. And frankly, it doesn’t kill a kid to be bored once in a while!

Loire Valley with kids: wine caves of Saumur

Our final stop of the day was the second-oldest winery in (well, near) Saumur, a city known for its excellent wines. There were tons to choose from, but we ended up going to Bouvet Ladubay, which formed in 1851 when a married couple by the names of Etienne Bouvet and Celestine Ladubay purchased 8 kilometers of caves in which to produce and age their wines. The concept of “wine caves” seems to be quite common in the region, as we saw them advertised everywhere. I knew that this one had frequent tours of the caves and I planned for us to join one whenever we got there (instead of doing advanced tickets and being a slave to the clock), but unfortunately I failed to consider that the frequent wine tours might not be offered in English. Whoops. We joined a French one since you can’t see the caves without going on the tour and it was only a few euro anyway — plus it ended with a tasting. It was interesting to see the caves and we did have a pamphlet to read describing the things our guide would be talking about, but I’d recommend hitting an English tour.

I only have a few crappy pictures because it was dark and I was tired of carrying my big camera. 

The wine tasting afterward helped make up for the awkwardness of our tour, however. We liked some of the wines enough to buy a couple bottles, and even Owen got to try some sparkling grape juice (Fiona was asleep on my back). Had Fiona been awake, I’m not sure she would have loved being in the cave, but hey! That’s what baby-wearing is for.

From here, our exhausted bunch piled into the SpaceCar and headed to our final destination of the evening — the cottage we had rented with a mysterious address: “Le Parc, Veretz.” Fortunately, our faithful SpaceCar’s navigation system got us there.

A note about the driving: loved it. It was like driving in Indiana again — wide open spaces, pretty farmland, less honking and very chill. I ended up doing all the driving because I was the one who went to retrieve the car from the rental agency and didn’t know I was supposed to bring Chris’ driver’s licence with me. It worked out great though, because when you are driving it turns out you can pull over and take a picture whenever the hell you feel like it even when the rest of the car is begging to JUST GET HOME ALREADY.

Worth it. 

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The post FRANCE, Day Six: Sleeping Beauty’s castle, history and wine first appeared on Babies With Backpacks.

The post FRANCE, Day Six: Sleeping Beauty’s castle, history and wine appeared first on Babies With Backpacks.