Our train departed at 7:30am from the Gare d’Austerlitz on the left bank of the Seine in south eastern Paris. At the station we each had a coffee and a croissant - a traditional french breakfast, and one that I find disappointing. To those of us accustomed to grand, Gargantuan feasts in the morning (a concept entirely anathema to french tradition), the croissant is only sufficient to stimulate the appetite, falsely tricking the stomach into believing that nourishment is forthcoming, only to become confused and hurt by the sinking realization that there will be nothing further.
We arrived at the station in Blois just after nine. The hour and a half trip through the countryside took us past thick rows of dense forest and old farms with modern irrigation and long stretching fields of bright yellow Colza flowers - also known as rapeseed from which canola oil is harvested. When living in a large city for extended amounts of time, it is a pleasant change to see open sky and fields filled with lovely yellow flowers.
A field of Colza Flowers
Paris had been unseasonably warm and sunny for early April but when we arrived, Blois was cool and windy. Given the early hour of our arrival, we chose to walk the four miles from the station through the town to our small hotel on the opposite side.
The city of Blois lies along the lower river Loire, 185 miles from Paris past Orleans en route to Tours. It is a medieval city built on two primary hills with steep winding streets and staircases. Between the hills is a road that runs to a small square and across the square is the River.
A side street in Blois
We arrived at our small hotel and went to the front desk to inquire about the possibility of storing our belongings while we walked the city and had lunch prior to check-in. The manager was working. He rather curtly began our conversation by stating that he absolutely did not speak english and then reminded me that our check-in time was not for several hours. I assured him the language situation was not a problem as I spoke sufficient french and apologized for our early arrival, at which point he had me sign a document, stated several times that there would be absolutely no smoking in the rooms (evidently this is quite a problem), and handed me the key to our room on the second floor. I was confused by all of this but decided perhaps the mystery was best left unsolved and proceeded to the room to deposit our bags.
Ancienne Blois
The hotel was located just outside the city center, down a primary road that ran parallel to the river. It was not the most attractive section of Blois but after a short walk we were once again amongst the historic buildings. By then the weather had warmed and we wandered for a short time before locating a small cave/cafe called Le Denis Papin, situated atop a large staircase halfway up the hill opposite that of the old Royal Chateau. The cafe had a small terrace with six or seven tables and a hedge running around the outside and a view out over the town. Inside were perhaps four additional tables. On the terrace young people sat having drinks in the sun and inside several men stood at the bar.
We were greeted by the owner and shown to one of the small interior tables beside two older women finishing their lunch. The cafe is owned and operated by a husband and wife and the wife acted as our host and server. She brought a chalkboard to our table upon which was written the entirety of their menu. I ordered the tart special without ham for my accompanying vegetarian and took the roasted duck in a country cider cream sauce for myself as well as two glasses of chilled Anjou Blanc.
In Blois nobody speaks english.
The duck was outstanding; the meat was tender and served over a bed of ratatouille beside a salad with mustard vinaigrette. The owner was extremely kind and we spoke for several minutes about our origins and plans for our visit and while giving me a business card thanked me repeatedly for speaking french and visiting her city and her cafe.
Canard sauce cidre crème avec ratatouille et salât.
After lunch we crossed the town to the Royal Chateau. The Loire Valley is famous for its incredible Chateaux and while not the most beautiful or famous of them, the Chateau in Blois has an interesting history in that for many years it held the seat of the French Government under several Kings. Initially constructed in the 13th Century, the building sits atop one of the large primary hills and from the surrounding walls it has a terrific view to the river and of the spreading countryside.
Inside the Royal Chateau
Following our visit to the chateau we went down some stairs towards the river and found a small cobblestoned street winding along the ancient sections of the city. We came to the Church of Saint Nicholas Saint Laumer, a beautiful 12th century Abbey Church which once was an important pilgrimage site for its known relics included a section of what was believed to be the true cross of Christ. Though not the primary cathedral in Blois, the Church of Saint Nicholas Saint Laumer is an impressive and stoic building and has modern stained glass windows created by the artist, Max Ingraned after the originals were destroyed by bombings during the second world war.
Église Saint Nicholas Saint Laumer et La Loire
We walked along the wall above the river after our church visit looking into the water and stopping at the edge of several eddies and holes along the bank where large carp were holding in the slack water. Blois was occupied by the Germans during World War II and the beautiful bridges served as strategic bombing targets as they provided access for incoming forces. The city sustained heavy damages both by the invading German forces and during the allied effort to reclaim ground.
Walking back through the city we stopped and sat outside at a cafe in the central square and had a coffee in the shade beneath a large tree in the pleasant afternoon air before continuing back to our hotel.
At the hotel we both became occupied with business matters on our computers and lost track of time watching some odd french version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire until suddenly it was almost 10:30 at night and we hadn’t eaten dinner. While researching available restaurant options that were open at such an hour - in the countryside, restaurants close between two and five pm after lunch and the entire town closes early after dinner.
We found place nearby and after a short walk I found myself in the only open restaurant, experiencing the odd sensation of being in a stunning ancient city off in the french countryside along the beautiful River Loire, eating a double bacon cheeseburger while listening to American country music from the 1990s and early 2000s in a restaurant called The Buffalo Grill. To my great interest, the restaurant was almost completely full.
Back at the hotel we confirmed the reservation for our car rental for the following day and fell asleep reading while watching a truly bizarre french western-styled film.
