Hey there! Please see my legal page for more details. The flowing demarcation line cut communities in two. It sliced farms and vineyards in half; it separated school districts and divided families. This pivotal slip of water also taught the people of France that the distance between life and death is often narrow and arbitrary. The stories of heroism along the banks of the Loire River and its tributaries, especially the River Cher, are enthralling, beautiful, and devastating. My Love Affair with the Loire Valley.
If beautiful castles are your kind of place as well, please check out this comprehensive post with the most beautiful fairytale castles in Europe from my friend Angie at Where Angie Wanders. The long gallery room β where the court used to dance β stretches from one bank of the river to the next.
At one point it served the logistical purpose of being the only bridge across the Cher. This worked quite well until the Germans caught on and stationed guards to watch the doors. In fact, I originally found the Loire Valley through a story of a woman in Saint-Martin-le-Beau who worked with a priest over the river, hiding people in coffins and staging fake funerals to bring people over the River Cher. And then there is the feminist history.
I usually take a train from Paris Montparnasse to Saint-Pierre-des-Corps and pick up a rental car at the Europcar counter just outside the station doors.
There is a great audio tour, or you can roam freely with the brochure provided. Sometimes there are lines, but they always move quickly.
