The warm sun shone down on thousands upon thousands of lushly blooming French Broom Bushes as we drove through southern France toward central France. Their golden blooms swept up hillsides and grew out of chalk/granite cliffs along the way. They juxtaposed nicely with the fields of rapeseed (canola oil) in full bloom in bright yellow. The rapeseed fields stretched as far as the eye could see with newly planted fields in green breaking the flow.

Along the way the golds and yellows were joined by blooming white spirea and purple wisteria that flourished as they grew wild. Drooping branches of colorful flora spilled over embankments and flowed down hillsides. We were thankful for a van rented in Toulouse (nine passenger-they had nothing smaller). Randy, our friend, had plotted routes that were “the road less traveled,” and we moseyed through French villages that time had forgotten-quaint yet still living. The drive was exceptionally peaceful and stunning.

We arrived in Limoges, famous for its porcelain. We took time to enjoy the huge porcelain museum, learning about how the porcelain was made by hand and viewing the amazing collection of porcelain over the centuries that made Limoges prestigious. Journeying on this April 24, we arrived at our destination, Tours, for a three day stay.

Tours is on the Loire River and is central to the Loire Valley, home to many beautiful chateaux. Most were homes to nobility during the monarchy in France, but are open to the public today. We had plotted out our chateaux to visit. Since on another trip, we had previously visited the grand-daddy of them all, Chambord, we opted for others that made the online top five lists.

Villandry has magnificent enormous gardens. The creative use of herbs and vegetables in the planting was particularly interesting to us. Water features with cascading falls ran through the gardens and because the crowds were quite light, a tranquil feel settled upon us. The chateau was large and beautiful, but the meticulously planted kitchen and herb gardens became our main attraction.

Chenonceau, “the Queen’s chateau,” sits over the River Cher. Particularly beautiful, it was once home to the Queen of France, Catherine de Medici. Sitting high above pilings driven deeply into the river bed, it has a majestic silhouette as one approaches. Huge rooms adorn the interior.

Cheverny is finely furnished according to the various seasons and celebrations of the year. Descendants of the family who has owned the chateau for over 600 years still live there in one wing. We were intrigued by the decorations on the grounds that were carried throughout the chateau. Oversized whimsical bears and rabbits seemed to play amongst oversized eggs laying on the grounds or hanging from trees. Inside the chateau, stuffed rabbits were everywhere. The wall and ceiling paintings recalled a bygone era.

Our time was well used as Tours itself is filled with historic sites. Our hotel was located in the historic district and so walking about was easy. St-Gatien Cathedral is one of France’s largest cathedrals, and its gothic facade was impressive. We were most enthralled with the Basilica of St. Martin of Tours and quietly stood before the grave of this warrior bishop who is one of the heroes of western culture. He led an army in 732 AD that routed the Middle-eastern armies who were intent on overrunning all of Europe. The Battle of Tours drew a line in the sand, and 800 years later in the Reconquista of Spain and Portugal, the middle-eastern armies were driven from Europe.

We enjoyed driving along the Loire River to Royal Chateau of Amboise, which houses Leonardo da Vinci’s tomb, and Blois, a hillside city on the banks of the Loire River between Orleans and Tours. Both are beautiful and worthy of time. Our stay in the tranquil Loire Valley with its chateau treasures was grand!