Day Tripping in the Loire Valley

Where to begin? Sometimes something unexpected happens, I mean really unexpected. Friday we went to the Loire Valley, about 2+ hours southwest of Paris (southwest of Orléans), and I fell in love with France. I can't quite explain it. I don't even really understand what happened, but something did happen. I felt so at home in the Loire Valley. It seemed so familiar and in a very happy way.

First stop was the small town of Blois where we saw the Royal Château de Blois. Blois was pleasant, but not the bell-ringer. It's been the home to a number of ancient kings, including Francis I (1494–1547) who is France's Renaissance king—credited with building the Louvre. He brought Leonardo to France and, in fact, purchased the Mona Lisa. I didn't realize that Leonardo ended his life here. Château de Blois is older than Francis I—Joan of Arc came to Blois in 1429 to be blessed by the archbishop of Reims. She was on her way to Orléans at the time, and would shortly drive the English out of France. So lots of history.

Staircases were a sign of status in French Châteaux, which is why they're generally not part of the room, but a separate spiraling affair. The one at Blois is famous for its ornate beauty, but also because it's open, serving as both a staircase and a balcony for viewing events in the courtyard.

After Francis I, Henry II (1519-1559) ruled. (Actually, his brother ruled first.) Henry married Catherine de Médici and the two of them were not a happy couple. Henry had a "favorite" as they euphemistically call the king's mistress, the beautiful Diane de Poitiers. Doesn't this already sound like a novel? No, not one I want to write... And it's undoubtedly already written.

No. But Henry gave Diane the most beautiful château I've ever seen. (I've seen so many!) Right out of the fairy tales of my childhood. It's called Château de Chenonceau and stretches across the River Cher. I fell in love with it. That was the unexpected.

I walked around saying, "I could live here," which all my fellow travelers found amusing, but I couldn't help myself—that was how I felt. I was so taken by the place that I delved into its history for a long time upon my return yesterday, learning all the intriguing little bits I could find—and guess what?

Yes. Synchronicity, that's what. After an interesting and tempestuous history... the chateau was purchased by one Claude Dupin around 1720. His wife, Madame Louise Dupin, became the fifth woman to shape the history of the château des dames (they call this château, the "lady's château" because six women were involved in its design: Katherine Briçonnet, Diane de Poitiers, Catherine de Médici, Louise de Lorraine, Madame Dupin and Madame Pelouze. So. Madame Dupin is the woman of interest here.

Follow me closely: Madame Dupin (1706-1799) had a son named Charles Louis Claude Dupin (1716-1780), Lord de Francueil. Charles married twice. His second marriage, late in life, was to a young widow named Marie-Aurore de Saxe (1748-1821). They had son named Maurice Dupin (1778-1808).

Are any of these names ringing a bell? Vaguely, in the back of my head, they were... because Maurice is also the name of Georges Sand's son and Aurore Dupin was her maiden name. Yes. Georges Sand's grandmother married Madame Dupin of Chenonceau's son. Madame Dupin held onto Château de Chenonceau until she died in 1799. Undoubtedly, her daughter-in-law was, at times, a visitor.

In fact Madame Dupin de Francueil (as she was known) was a free-thinker and a follower of Jean Jacques Rousseau and was imprisoned for five months during the Revolution—many of the feminists were. Furthermore, it's possible Madame Dupin de Francueil met Rousseau at Chenonceau. Rousseau was quite dazzled by the older Madame Dupin and was at Chenonceau for an extended period as Madame Dupin's secretary and a as a tutor to her son—Georges Sand's grandfather. (Like that? I do.)

It's a long story, and I won't go into it, but Georges Sand was raised by her grandmother, the original owner of Nohant where Georges Sand (Aurore Dupin) grew up riding horseback aside like a man and being generally wild and free. In fact, Nohant is not that far from Chenonceau, south... perhaps a day's ride. Georges Sand was born in 1804.

Madame Dupin of Chenonceau died in 1799 but when she died, the château stayed in the Dupin family. It was not sold to new owners until 1864. George Sand's grandmother lived until 1821.

Did Georges Sand visit Chenonceau? Well, I don't know. I haven't read enough about Georges Sand's childhood yet, but... it's not that much of a stretch to think she did, especially before her grandmother died. It all depends, really, on the relationship between the two Dupin women. And, regardless, what a wonderful set of connections! (I did not take this picture of Chenonceau.)

One final discovery, of a different ilk, though obviously related. I learned that it's possible to ride through the Loire Valley on horseback, visiting the chateaux and staying in B&Bs. One itinerary in particular has really caught my imagination. It goes from Chenonceau to the Château d'Amboise where Leonardo lived in the court of Frances I and where Henry II and Catherine de Medici hosted young Mary Queen of Scots (Mary Stuart) in their court. Mary (another lifelong favorite of mine) married their son at—you guessed it—Chenonceau.

So. I have a new dream. The horseback tours run May through October... I must confess, I've found a compelling reason to return to this country... so compelling, in fact, it's got me scheming and fantasizing.

One more connection: Mary Shelley wrote a short story about the Loire Valley which I used in The Appassionata. I believe it's set in the time of Francis I, but I'm not sure. It leaves me under the impression, after my own brief journey into the region, that Mary Shelley too, must have traveled there. She was in France several times in her life and her description of the countryside in the story, overhanging the Loire River, seems suddenly very rich and real to me.