[INSIGHT TRAVEL - EUROPEAN GRANDEUR] - Bordeaux

DAY 6 - SEPTEMBER 5, 2000
BORDEAUX, THE HOLIDAY INN
ROOM 210

It was a driving day today, most of it through the castle country of the Loire. three castles today, all of them lovely and full of history, names I remember from out of the encyclopedia. Photo ops at two of them and lunch at the last one before Bordeaux. In-between the castles and Bordeaux, long stretches of French countryside and lots of cheerful patter from Lisa.

Our first stop was at a L'Arche along the highway. The real challenge is getting into the toilets (a) for free and (b) before the rest of the crowd from the bus. We were lucky on both counts with this one -- it was both free and we were the first in. Of course there was a catch, and it was that the toilet was communal. Poor Dmitri, our driver! He had to wait for all the ladies to finish because it would be quite unprofessional to do his thing in front of all the passengers. Oooh, dear!

The first castle photo op was Chambord. Dmitri and Lisa decided to take the country roads instead of the autoroute, and I think it was well worth it. Just a short photo stop and then only because there were roadworks going. Certainly it was a pretty good deal; I just hope my last two shots were good ones. Should do some research on the Net for information.

Next photo op -- this time an official one -- was Amboise. Gorgeous architecture and a magnificent view from the other side of the river. Down by the riverbank someone discovered an old bronze statue of some river deity. No idea who it was -- there was no plaque or anything to tell us of its origins. Could've been something for the amusement of the castle occumpants, since it's in the directline of sight of the ramparts and castle windows. Certainly it makes you wonder.

The lunch stop was at Chenonceaux -- the exquisite hunting lodge done up by Henry II of France as an official residence for his maitresse en titre, Diane de Poitiers. Catherine de Medici (the first of two Medici women to Italianize the French) sequestered it from Diane upon Henry's death, and further sealed her authority by creating a large pleasure garden to outshine that of her rival.

The food at the salon de the was the usual tourist stuff -- not really spectacular, but since it gets a body free use of the toilet, who's going to complain?

A walkthrough of the castle next. So many priceless artworks -- tapestries, paintings, coins of the realm. It's a wonder the French haven't become jaded to all of these world treasures running around the countryside. Makes me feel rather wistful for the national treasures we've ignored back home, for lack of a national trust to keep them in order. We have old houses and historic districts to equal anything in the world, but we're just letting them go to waste because our poor little nation has more pressing issues on its mind than saving an old house or two -- even if it did belong to Mabini or Bonifacio or whatever. Such a waste.