2001: Belle époque, mal époque.
by Carl Russo
2.
Vanessa enjoys a la-di-da moment at Chateau Chambord on September 10, 2001.
Shortly before we left for France, I came upon a deluxe reprint of Henry James' A Little Tour in France, first published in 1884, with illustrations added in 1900. A glance at the contents page gave me a shock. The stylish old scribe, himself an Europhiliac Yankee expat, chose for himself an almost identical itinerary to ours: west through the Loire Valley and Touraine to Brittany, up to Normandy, and then counterclockwise through the regions of Bordeaux, Toulouse and Province. What's more, he set off in a rainy September as we were about to do.
The battle between sun and rain, as it played out over the green plains and yellow castles along the Loire river, imbued everything with an impressionist's palette.
Unpacking our bags in a brick-and-slate hotel in Blois, we commenced our Joie de Vivre Tour, daytripping to the fantastical chateaux, wining and dining on the delectable vintage and fauna of the region. It was Gourmet magazine come to life, and we would spend the entirety of our meager bank accounts on this journey. (Who needs health insurance?)
The chateaux of Amboise, Chenonceaux, and Chambord run from medieval fortress to Renaissance pleasure palace, each unique and full of bloody histories as the French and English kings fought it out. After a while the arches, winding staircases, chimneys, tapestries, gargoyles and moats combined into one big dreamscape. So far away from the land of Hummers and Holy Rollers, not even an American catastrophe could shake us awake completely.
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