France: Chinon

ONWARD TO CHINON—CONSTRUCTION AND GASE

The Chief Penguin and I were last in Chinon more than 40 years ago.  We came here as part of a trip through the Loire Valley and stayed at least one night in the chateau.  

We spent much of today in the car driving from Mont Dol here along mostly superhighways.  Our intention was to stop and have lunch in Le Mans, a reasonable halfway point. We got into Le Mans and were following the GPS coordinates our trip organizers had given us to what should have been a convenient parking lot.  

Traffic in Le Mans was dense and slow and a number of construction projects slowed the flow down even further.  We got ourselves tangled a bit in a confluence of narrow one way streets.  The town rising around us looked impressive and historic and of interest.  We think we found said parking lot, but it was full of cars, some parked every which way.

At that point, we surrendered and decided that this was not the day for lunch in Le Mans.  We navigated out of town, passing a Burger King on the wrong side of the road, and got back onto the superhighway. Eventually we had a basic lunch at Leo Resto in a service area.  

We had noticed yesterday that many gas stations were closed, and we were told by our host Yannick that all stations in Paris were closed this week.  The energy crisis in France is very real. Hence, we made it a priority to fill the tank frequently.  

The service areas on the highway usually have a lighted sign with gas prices on it ahead of reaching the area.  We passed a couple with no lights lit and noted that the gas pumps were blocked off.  One we did stop at was a confusing maze of roads leading to open pumps, but we passed along a section with parked tractor trailers and a group of police with machine guns standing around.  Not sure what that was about.  We later learned that one gasoline company was on strike and all their stations closed.  The suggestion was made that gas was more readily available at supermarkets.

MEDIEVAL CHINON

Narrow Chinon street
Medieval architecture

We are staying in a historic building in the medieval section of Chinon on a street that is mostly reserved for pedestrians. We have a lovely large set of rooms on the second floor (Chambre Jeanne d’Arc) overlooking a garden, and it is blissfully quiet.  Everything a guest could want or need is here, including good Wi-Fi!  

Breakfast this morning was a sumptuous spread of breads, fresh fruit (three cheers for clementines), crepes, slices of ham, Swiss cheese, and smoked salmon plus other cheeses, and a plethora of jams.  The French do like their preserves!  Also four kinds of fresh juice from orange to grapefruit to raspberry, etc.  The long dining table in an elegant room with red accents could easily seat 14.  There were croissants at twelve places.  We exchanged good morning pleasantries with two other couples, one French and one Italian.  It is undoubtedly the best breakfast yet.  Thank you, Maurice!

Joan of Arc with our red restaurant across the way

Yesterday afternoon we wandered around this historic area, noting St. Maurice Church and the statue of Joan of Arc in the main town square. In 1429, she came to Chinon and met with the king’s eldest son.  She claimed to hear heavenly voices saying that King Charles would grant her an army to save Orleans from invasion by the British.  Restaurants and other enterprises here are named for her.

On our way back to our B&B, we heard organ music coming from the church.  The organist was practicing for an upcoming concert.  We went in and listened, but also took in the very rich stained glass windows, one of Jeanne d’Arc.

Joan of Arc window in St. Maurice Church

DINNER IN THE SQUARE

I  had reserved a table ahead online at Au Chapeau Rouge (The Red Hat) on the square.  They opened at 7:30 and were quickly filled with diners.  This is a family run restaurant with the man in the kitchen and his wife out front.  As is customary, there was an amuse, tiny mugs of cold squash soup and salmon crostini.  The Chief Penguin ordered trout gravlax to start followed by roast veal with morels. 

Veal with morels

 Double yum!  I had beef tataki (thin slices of cooked beef with sesame seeds and ginger) to start.  Excellent!  My main course was dourade (a white fish) with potatoes and carrots. 

Tataki of Beef

 The fish was fine to look at, but not cooked through enough for my taste.  We both had some local cheeses from the trolley, and the CP had the pavlova for dessert.  We thought of our friend Begay.  

Our meal was enlivened by conversation with a older Dutch woman dining alone.  She thought our use of French was exceptional and unusual for Americans, and we traded travel stories with her.  She was ending five days in France and getting ready to drive back home to Utrecht the next morning.

Note: All photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.). Header photo is the tower at night.

One thought to “France: Chinon”

  1. Fascinating to read this. My thought is You are lucky to both have the health and stamina to do this. Dwight and I would do it maybe ten years ago. Not any more. Now it’s definitely tours for me and he has stopped traveling altogether except for our Ohio Light Opera week and our planned trip to the Greenbrier this year.

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