Bonjour! This week’s carte postale features « Les merveilles des bords de Loire » or “the wonders of the Loire River banks.”
The Loire is the longest river in France. It’s about 625 miles/ 1006 km long.
This postcard specifically features the Loiret tributary (which is about 12 km/ 7 miles in length) and the castles and bridges in the cities of Beaugency, Meung-sur-Loire, Orléans, Châteauneuf-sur-Loire, Sully-sur-Loire, Gien, Briare, Châtillon-sur-Loire, Jargeau, and Montargis.
Joan of Arc led the French army to victory when the English lifted the siege of Orléans in 1429 during the Hundred Years’ War.
On a personal note, during round trips between Paris and Montluçon, my train stopped in Orléans. Unfortunately, I didn’t see anything as they were brief stops at night!
Over the years, I have accumulated about two hundred postcards from around the world, which I’ve either purchased from my local antique shops or received from thoughtful jet-setting family and friends who know I collect them. When I travel, I also like to send myself a carte postale just for fun!
I hope these postcards will make you want to revisit a favorite vacation spot or to embark on a journey to the destination of your dreams (when it’s safe to do so, of course!)
And if you’ve been to the destination featured, tell me about your experience there – I’d love to hear from you.
Until the next Wednesday Postcard, stay well!
Bonjour: A Francophile Blog 
A tranquil part of France, both touristy, but also isolated enough to retain its French charm. The castles in the vallée de la Loire are stately and gorgeous. I haven’t been that down south to Orléans, but I’d be keen on popping over the next time I’m in France. Perhaps someday!
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I hear you… One day, I’d like to visit the chateaux in Chambord and Amboise, where I’ve learned Leonardo da Vinci is buried!
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Well, Orléans is really not that far from Paris, so if you come to Paris for a week or two, that’s definitely a place you can visit without having to prepare that much. The city is very calm compared to Paris, but quite beautiful. I enjoyed it a lot. And of course, there are the castles: Chambord, Chenonceau (my favorite), Azay, Blois, Amboise, Chaumont, Valençay (often ignored, though it is beautiful), Ussé are definitely worth a visit.
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I’ve seen beautiful pictures of the impressive castles. I’m curious to know: why is Chenonceau your favorite? It looks larger than many of the other castles. I imagine it would take a whole day to experience it!
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Chenonceau is actually not that big, but the locations is beautiful. It’s built on a bridge across the Loiret river, and reflects in the waters when the river is calm enough.
It’s also where Catherine de Medicis had her secret poison cabinet, which you can visit. She’s quite a legendary Queen for her role in the Wars of Religion in France, and her sons who were all murdered / poisoned (François II, Charles IX who is said to have been accidentally poisoned by his mother, Henri III, until King Henry IV was crowned (he was murdered later by a Catholic extremist, Ravaillac, whose subsequent torments are famous for being the worst thing you could inmagine). It’s a bit like the Cersei of French History (though the Brunehaut / Frédégonde duel in the 6th century is quite epic, too).
Chambord is magnificent of course, but Chenonceau really has something I like more. You can visit it in 4 hours. Actually, many people go to Chenonceau in the morning, then Chambord in the afternoon.
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