On a lazy afternoon...

On a lazy sunny afternoon I deal with whatever questions I have received regarding recent posts. There are a couple of them asking about sights and accommodation away from the main chateaux route in the Loire Valley. I look outside and see the sun is going west. So, I look west from Saumur which I chose before for a focal point of my posts, and here is what I suggest you do if you go west.

You can drive either towards Doue-la-Fontaine (and I strongly recommend you rent a car if willing to explore the side roads) or towards Mountreil-Bellay. In both cases you will pass by Cave Grolleau where you can taste some really fine wines. Then, reaching Pace, you will have to choose either road.

If you decide to go to Doue-la-Fontaine, you can also explore the Rou-Marson area and dine at the cave restaurant http://www.cavesdemarson.com/cellars.html . Although I've heard people being unhappy with the service, I personally have never had any complaints. In the village there is also a nice small castle which is often overlooked. You will then reach Les Ulmes - a tiny village with interesting stories to tell. The official website is in French: http://www.lesulmes.mairie49.fr/ but this document will give you an idea: http://www.doneohostmaking.com/Miracle/LesUlmes.pdf . Never miss a place where miracles happened for yours may be on the way! :) On the other side of the road you will see the smallest "town" in the community - Montfort. There you can taste very good wines of Anjou and the rose trees are worth seeing. Typically French, the residents of Montfort and Cizay-la-Madeleine are arguing over the ownership of Chateau of Epinats built in the XVII century. The Madeleine's website is here: http://www.cizay.la.madeleine.mairie49.fr/ .
*Photo courtesy of www.farm-cottages-holidays.com

Doue-la-Fontaine is an ancient town which was identified as an inhabited spot as early as the 7th century. There are ruins uncovered which can be seen close to the springs. In the town was located one of the oldest habitable donjon (keeps) in France, built about the year 900. The castle is believed to be the first European castle built of stone around 950.There are also troglodyte dwellings and commercial mushroom-growing caves. The Zoo is partially built within the troglodyte dwellings. Doue is titled the rose capital of France and a "Festival of the Rose" is held annually in July. More than 800 varieties of roses can be seen during the event. The official site (in French) is: http://www.ville-douelafontaine.fr/ . The zoo website has an English version: http://www.zoodoue.fr/ . There is a good hotel at the edge of the town - Hôtel De La Saulaie with a huge park and a swimming pool. There are many others, of course, but this one is what I personally know.

From Doue you can drive straight to Mountreil-Bellay and thw only village on your way will be Brossay. While there is a winery which carries the name Chateau-de-Brossay it is not located in the Brossay village. :)) It is in Cléré-sur-Layon, further west. Therefore, don't look for the Chateau or the wines in this Brossay. There is a fine chateau in another Brossay, in Bretagne. Very confusing, I know. Basically, the Loire Brossay is as off the beaten path as one can imagine. If you're looking for a quiet place, this can be it.

On the other side of this triangle is Mountreil-Bellay with its serene beauty and very good wines: http://www.chateau-montreuil-bellay.fr/index.php?/montreuilbellay/EN . Among my personal favorite spots, the town is charming, much quieter than the popular toursit attraction on the Loire itself but still offering enough of history, nature, and typical French lifestyle to satisfy many. More about the beautiful chateau and the town can be found here: http://www.chateaux-france.com/montreuilbellay . Official website: http://www.chateau-de-montreuil-bellay.fr/ . There is a pretty good hotel in the town: http://www.hotelrelaisdubellay.fr/ and if you write to them in English, they tend to respond in the same language. :)

From there you can drive a bit more to the west and visit Le-Puy-Notre-Dame - official website: http://www.ville-lepuynotredame.fr/ . For such a small town, Le-Puy-Notre-Dame offers a lot - caves, mushroom growing, museums, retro cars show, and naturally - beautiful nature. Later the town has become quite popular among foreign home buyers, so if you're on the way to buy a vacation home, now is the time. :) A very nice blog of a bed and breakfast spot is this one: http://lagrandemaison.blogspot.com/ . Another sweet blog is this one and the couple live in the village plus own gites which you can rent: http://loiregites.wordpress.com/2007/08/28/a-morning-stroll-around-le-puy-notre-dame/ .

*Photo courtesy of www.anjou-tourisme.com

In the middle between Mountreil-Bellay and Le-Puy-Notre-Dame is located Vaudelnay which is another quiet spot and where you can find this very nice accommodation: http://en.likhom.com/bnb/La-Croix-Saint-Andre/vaudelnay . The official website is: http://www.communes-francaises.com/49/vaudelnay/ and even if you don't know French, you can click on the links to check out pretty good offers for bed and breakfast or rental cottages.

Enjoy! :)

Dreamy travel destination for 2010

Beautiful, isn't it? This is the fairy castle in Saumur, in the Loire Valley in France. The valley is our dreamy travel destination for 2010.

The photo is courtesy of a wonderful website you may want to check if you wish to learn more about the castles not only in this area but in France in general: http://www.castles.francethisway.com/ The site also offers invaluable info on top destinations, hidden paths, hotels and accommodation, car rentals, sight-seeing, and so on.

For more info on the area you can read this website: http://www.france-for-visitors.com/loire/saumur/index.html - on the left you will see other cities in the region worth visiting and separate categories related to the town you are currently exploring. Our choice is related to book and wine love, so we'd like to visit Blois (who doesn't love the Three Musketeers?) - http://www.france-for-visitors.com/loire/blois/index.html; Angers - home of the Anjou family in the past - http://www.france-for-visitors.com/loire/angers/index.html; Beaugency - another little and beautiful town participating in Dumas' stories - http://www.france-for-visitors.com/loire/beaugency.html; definitely hinon for wine lovers like us - http://www.france-for-visitors.com/loire/chinon/index.html .

The whole region is well known for its wines. Check out this fantastic website for more info on the regional wines, the unique technology of making them and places to visit if you'd like some wine tasting: http://www.terroir-france.com/region/loire_saumur.htm . Each year the town of Saumur holds a Wine Market the first week of September. If you plan to go at this time, check the website: http://www.marchedesvinsdesaumur.com/initiation_degustation_marche_des_vins_de_saumur2.php .

We'd like to feature in thsi post a favorite spot of ours - La Bellevue: http://www.domainedelabellevue.com/ . Sarah-Jane and Gerald will make your stay really special and no, they are not paying us. :)) In fact, they don't know we are blogging about them here. The place offers many options for accommodation, either self-catering (we do that usually) or catered, bed & breakfast, ect. It's located near Montreuil-Bellay - very close to Saumur and an excellent location for exploring the region. Check it out. They also have a very helpful blog where you can follow the local calendar of events: http://www.domainedelabellevue.blogspot.com/.

Finally, we want to add a couple of photos and make you as dreamy as we are to be back, to walk these lush fields once again, to dive into the river, to feel the fragrant air... The addresses of the websites owning the photos are also recommended by us for general information about the region.

Saumur from the http://www.a-taste-of-france.com/

Beautiful Blois from http://frysingerreunion.org/france

Angers - a vision on the river from http://www.lpiabroad.com/



Chinon - almost surrealistic from http://www.loirevalleygite.com/

We hope to see you there this summer!