We crossed the Clariette vineyards but didn't get to see much due to heavy rainfall. On arrival at Mont Gerbier de Jong (1551m) in the Ardèche mountain range the wet stuff stopped falling long enough to allow for a little walk to the source of the Loire. The river is 1006 kms long and flows from the Massif Central mountains going north west, then continuing in south-westerly direction, and is the largest river in France which empties into the Atlantic Ocean.
 |
| Continental divide between Atlantic and Mediterranean Ocean |
 |
| Mont Gerbier de Jong |
 |
| Loire source |
Day 7
The day was spent driving through the Haute Loire region and learning about the Roannaise and Forex vineyards. So much wine, so little time. We kept wondering, why there wasn't any significant boat traffic on the Loire but soon found out that France is riddled with artificial canals and engineered water ways in order to gain independence from weather, river stages and other obstacles. At Digoin we found one of many canal bridges.
Day 8
One of many moated castles awaited. At the beginning we followed every road sign promising sightseeing, and walked through ancient village cores in Decize, Sagonne, Bourges and Nevers.
 |
| Nevers |
Day 9
The weather had significantly improved, we are back to gossamer. Again we were surprised by the abundance of moated castles. We skipped visiting Orleans as traffic turned out to be chaotic due to construction, deviations and crazy drivers. Not something we liked to deal with during vacation. The castles were getting even more spectacular and we were often in awe, not getting enough of it (yet).
Day 10
More of the same but different. A castle built over a river had been a nice variation. But to be honest, we were getting castled-out a bit.
Day 11
Visited an abbey instead, but wait! An underground castle? That sounded interesting, so we gave it a shot. Very cool! And the weather is still playing along nicely.
 |
| Islette |
The kings' abbey Fontevraud
Day 12
We found a castle ruin directly at the Loire (one of the few actually, most castles are far away from the river), and the French version of Downton Abbey. Then we took a detour in order to avoid getting too close to Nantes, where traffic was heavy.
Italian Flair in Clisson. The village got destroyed in the 18th century and the builders reconstructed the town with Tuscany style in mind.
Day 13
After a bit more than 1000 kms we arrived at the river mouth of Loire in St. Nazaire. The Atlantic ocean looked quite peacefully that day. We met with the giant sea serpent (sculpture by Huang Yong Ping) on the beach of Mindin. The skeleton only appears on low tide. Did we get away from the monster? What happened next?
Nice mural on the side of the building! I've always wondered what condition the foundations of those castles and chalets that are sitting on water are like.
ReplyDeleteSome of the castles are in surprisingly good condition. If the walls still hold up the moat is being kept, if not, it gets drained. Other buildings have suffered from significant damage from water seeping through the walls. Some of them have been restored and repaired with EU funding (meaning European tax payers money...)
DeleteIn meinen Ferien in Südfrankreich habe ich so einige Burgen und Schlösser besucht. Aber wie ich sehe, hat es auch im nördlichen Teil Frankreichs entlang der Loire sehr viele davon. Sie scheinen sogar besser unterhalten zu sein. Tolle Bilder habt ihr da mitgebracht. Mit so einem Bully sind ganz attraktive Erlebnisse möglich, an sowas habe ich noch gar nie gedacht. Aber ich kann und will gar nicht alles haben, gerne habe ich mir jedoch deine Bilder und Texte angesehen. Ich mag euch diese Erlebnisse von Herzen gönnen!
ReplyDeleteLG vom Werner und Loki
Danke lieber Werner. Für mich ist der Bulli die schönste Reisealternative zum Wandern, da Roland sein Fahrrad mitnimmt und ich auch meine Spaziergänge machen kann. Außerdem erweitert das unseren Radius. Wir sind vorher noch nie an der Loire und auch noch nicht (gemeinsam) an der Bretagne gewesen. Das waren schöne neue Eindrücke, und trotzdem nicht zu weit weg. LG SonjaM
DeleteWahnsinn, all die Kirchen und Schloesser, sooo schoen! Wir waren gerade ein paar Wochen an der anderen Seite der Atlantikkueste unterwegs, haetten wir ja mal winken koennen.
ReplyDeleteUnd das war nur ein Bruchteil dessen, was wir hätten besichtigen und bestaunen können... es war ein wunderbarer Tripp durch das Loiretal, aber zum Schluss konnten wir echt keine Burgen und Schlösser mehr sehen ;-)
Delete