The Loire Valley (June 5th)

On our way to Angers, we visited the Château de Chenonceau, a castle built over the River Cher. I actually preferred this visit to Versailles. It was completely surround by countryside and visitors were allowed to tour the chateau’s kitchen, butchery, and servant quarters

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Following Chenonceau, we made our way to the Château de Brézé. It was unique in that underground remains of the chateau from the 11th century were still open for tourists. They were a maze of rocky passageways and rooms. Jill managed to hit her head on one of the doorways and spent the rest of the day with a lingering headache. The chateau also comprised of a vineyard where we were lead in a wine tasting by the chief wine maker.

To end the day we embarked for Angers, the city where we would be spending the rest of our time here in France. Once we arrived we were met by our host family, a young couple, she from Angers and he from Bogota, with a three year old boy. I couldn’t have been more pleased. I am able to practice my Spanish while still learning some French along the way. We spent the night sharing wine, conversation, and aperitifs then headed to bed to rest for our first day of school.