Orleans, France and vicinity

Orleans is the birthplace of Joan of Arc and the city is celebrating the 600th anniversary of her birth. Orleans has excellent public transportation and is an exciting mix of an old town with narrow streets and a modern central city shopping area with attractive shops. The cathedral in the central square is impressive and dominates the city skyline. A modern parking garage is underground beneath the cathedral.

We journey south and west by car to see the Château Chambord and the Château Chenonceau. Incredible buildings from the 16th century. As you can see from the photos. On our way home we stopped at a wonderful fish restaurant and perhaps we will go back again. The food was outstanding. This day we also did our laundry as we passed by a campground.

Driving in rural France is not without its challenge. The major roads are tollroads while the smaller roads can be narrow and turns come up suddenly. Before we left home, we programed our GPS (whom we call ‘Gertrude’) for the destinations. It took the two of us and Gertrude to be vigilant enough to arrive at our intended location. We made several unanticipated detours as a result of the challenge of the narrow streets and unmarked turns. We do not mind the detours however, because the scenery is incredible and we pass through farmland that is rich and varied. We are following the Loire River and this valley is one of the worlds most fertile and productive.