FALLING IN LOVE

Like all of us, I occasionally look at a horoscope but rarely ever read more than the first line or two. In a café at the beginning of the week I read that I was to fall in love with a stranger. I turned the page. But I did fall in love. I fell in love with a stranger. His name is «Le Sud de la Touraine» Or perhaps it should be HER name is the South of Touraine....

In order to avoid turning the wrong way, the Tourist office had armed me with a decent map and over coffee I studied how to get to Loches without taking a major road. The country side is beautiful. Rolling hills, flat plains covered in yellow flowers which are not sun flowers, but what are they ? 

Fields which will burst into flower

The yellow as the fields but a bush

Forests which will burst into flower as Springtime graces their branches. A silver light  in the morning. Fairies are dancing next to the creeks and rivers. I sail along the roads - alone - but there is nowhere to stop as the roads turn in tight circles, go up go down and then when they are flat, the country is less interesting. How many cars did I cross on that trip to Lorches ? Perhaps two, could be three. Some overtook me. Who cares ? I had time.

Chateau de Loches

I arrived at Loches without a hitch and headed straight for the Chateau. From the look of the map I could walk everywhere and would. A little anxious about where I was parked as getting back to the main road meant turning a very tight corner but we would worry about this later. I walked up to the chateau and through the walls. This site had a lot to reveal.  At the end of the lV century the Chateau was already built. Destroyed and the re-established in the XlV by Charles V and the history goes on.

 This was also the residence of the «Dame de Beauté» Agnès Sorel - the mistress of Charles Vll - officially.  She delights me. Her influence over the Royal Court was considerable. Women were pregnant most of their lives. Royal lineage was a necessity. She bore three daughters with Charles although she did have 14 children - 11 died. Agnés died mysteriously in a late pregnancy from some medication given to her. An overdose of mercury ? Mercury was used for eliminating worms and also in cosmetic preparations.

La Dame de Beauté

The very famous painting by Jehan Fouquet which is in Antwerp shows that she influenced fashion considerably. I always wondered in paintings of that period (1422-1450 Agnes Sorel) if women were permanently pregnant. They certainly were most of the time but when they were not, Agnes had created a dress which was round in the front. This is seen on the painting. It would appear that even if a woman was not pregnant, with this fashion she looked as if she was. Foreheads were shaved as were eyebrows. Skin was as white as snow. Bodies were covered so the sun could not kiss the skin. Brown skin was not even seen on the elite of that society.

Agnes is now interred in the church of St Ours in the same «city» 


In the St Ours Church

I climbed to the top of the chateau and looked down. I had joined a tour in the «Cité Royale» A young woman who had the same passion as the curator of the Descartes museum. Joan of Arc’s influence on Charles VII - this was were she convinced him to go to Reims so he would be crowned the King of France. 

Stone indicating where Jeaane d'Arc was

Agnès Sorel. She did come from a Peasant background but this was not pejorative then. A peasant could be a very important person and from a rich and intelligent family. Charles VIII, Anne de Bretagne. All names meant something but this girl’s passion means that something may remain.

The dungeon was started in the XI century. 6 metres high and I climbed all the steps stopping at each floor to discover whatever there was to be seen. Not much. 

Graffiti drawing in centre

The graffiti room witnesses prisoners stories of different periods. Dress, guns used ....these must be precious documents for historians even today.

There are the horrors too of the dungeon. Torture, closed in cages and scenes I could not even begin to imagine. However, Ludovic Sforza (Duke of Milan) who was made prisoner by Louis Xll in 1500 during wars with Italy, was treated with certain amount of respect. He was also an art lover and famed as a patron of Leonardi de Vinci. During his imprisonment from 1504 to 1508 he painted the walls of his cell....amazing.

This went right along the wall...

I don’t think I will remember much more. I had my snack in the gardens and a hammer came down on my head. How little I knew about this part of France. How little I knew about the history of France. Bits and pieces. It’s about time I really  visited the Loire Valley rather than dashing through as I had years ago.  How could one not fall in love with this country...it is breathtaking