There are many languages besides French spoken here.
And along with it as many perspectives that come when traveling afar, exposing yourself to others outside your world.
The last few days in the countryside of Loire Valley have given us much more to ponder than what simply meets the eye. More than the beautiful views of quaint medieval villages separated by rolling fields of glimmering wheat or rows of sunflowers, their heads bent in prayer towards the wind or the thick green forests surrounding centuries-old chateaux or even the massive stone manors themselves their bombastic edifices resting on the tree tops like a throne.
We arrived at Chateau De Le Barre in the late afternoon on Saturday after taking a train from Paris to Le Mans, then renting a car and driving the rest of the way.
Three things you MUST have while navigating this part of the country by car with little knowledge of the language:
1. A Garmin for your car (that will consistently pick up a satellite out there)
2. A good map
3. A good sense of humor
If you have one without the other, basically, you are screwed, and there were moments we lacked the third.
The directions given to us by the proprietors of Chateau de Le Barre, Comte and Comtess de Vanssay, or "Marnie and Guy" as they preferred to be addressed, though written in english were a little confusing to say the least. Luckily we navigated our way, David marveling at how well he was doing driving manually (must be just like riding a bike?), and pulled into the single lane road through fields of forest and a herd of sheep to the chateau at the bottom of the hill. Sophia perked up right away at the sight of the two house dogs, Diva and Pomme, trotting out to greet us. The park-like grounds and gardens are incredibly beautiful, and certainly inviting to little ladies that like to explore.
Chateau Le Barre has been in Guy de Vanssay's family since 1404, and yes he is the real deal, from an aristocratic lineage with scores of massive oil portraits on every wall of his stately home to prove it. We were greeted by his wife Marnie and her son Daniel, a handsome young ranking officer in the British military who was visiting his Mum for the week while on holiday.
At first I found Marnie's presence aloof and slightly affected or perhaps it was the fact that she had saw fit to wear her best anti-Obama Tshirt featuring the leader of the free world dressed as chairman Mao as appropriate dress to greet her American guests. David thought it was funny. I saw it as some sort of passive aggressive protest of our presence. What I soon realized was it was neither. Marnie just has a lot of opinions, and isn't afraid to voice them. And as we began to understand, she did have her own legitimate reasons for this.
While I didn't agree on all accounts, I did find her approach refreshing. whether you agree or not, I think we've become too damn nice, sacrificing our personal convictions in favor political correctness, often suppressing first amendment rights we hold so dear.
We were not the only guests invited to the Grand Siècle dinner hosted in their grand dining room that evening. A family of five from Belgium and a couple from the UK were also staying at Le Barre, and we gathered for a tour of the place given by Guy and then moved outside in front of the Chateau for a champagne reception and lite horsd'oeuvres. It was all very civilized- a very Downton-Abbey style evening. I loved it, until....
"Ca-koo", the family parrot perched on Marnie's forearm, was introduced to the group, entertaining us by bobbing his head in rhythm with her voice singing a rendition of Shalom Aleichem, a Jewish greeting song, until Sophia tried to pet him, and Ca-koo abruptly shot around nearly tearing off her finger. I let out an uncontrollable shriek, my champagne now a fountain down the front of my black blouse.
So much for civility.
We were then formally seated for dinner separately, our hosts centered across from each other. The girls were seated at one end of the table with the Belgian children, silently protesting the Vitella Tonato set before them with perplexing grins. I resorted to telepathy and sign language as means of correcting any etiquette mistakes. I'm happy to report Sophia only used the edge of the fine linen tablecloth stamped with the family crest as a napkin once during this meal. Well, that we know about. Unfortunately, the only one to bear witness to this was Guy.
To our relief, he found this endearing.
In between courses, Marnie held court on such safe conversational dinner topics as questionable American politics, how the French government rapes its business owners with high taxes that pay for a myriad of social programs enjoyed only by those who don't work (sound familiar?), her concerns about the burgeoning Muslim population in the south of France sprinkled in with bits about french history, especially WWII. Even the Belgians chimed in on American politics, David and I now shooting looks of concern to each other across the table as we were questioned as to why as a society we were so litigious, why we Americans complain about our gas prices and our taxes. Don't we Americans know how good we have it?
Don't be alarmed. My husband as many of you know, is one smart cookie. He's also got an arsenal of useful and sometimes useless facts at the ready, and soon dominated the rest of the conversation, explaining and enlightening our foreign friends on the American way.
And what we learned is this. We know the US isn't perfect, but no matter how complicated and frustrating our government is, we still live in the greatest nation on earth, and our way of life both fascinates and continues to be the envy of the rest of the world.
David and Guy did bond on two subjects- their mutual appetite for 70s and 80s punk music and fine french wines. This led to one late evening in the drawing room fueled with aged rum listening to Guys colorful playlist at top volume followed by a personal tour of his wine cellar. Guy (pronounced "Gee" with a hard G), it turns out, is a very good-humored playful Frenchman who enjoys life and knows how to have a good time. He and Marnie make a unique couple, and oddly complement eachother. We enjoyed them both, and appreciate the pride they put into preserving traditions and great effort and expense they make in maintaining this historical property. At the end of our stay, we had gained much respect and admiration for the pair and were impressed by their hospitality and experiences afforded us during our time in the Loire Valley.
Here are a few photos of the many beautiful Chateaus we toured and other points of interest we saw this week:
Photos still downloading- will post soon I promise!
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