Chinon, Michel’s Home Town

I took this photograph on a brisk cool day. Michel and I had been out walking the dogs and decided to go have pizzas at his brother, Serge’s pizzeria. Afterwards, we got out our cameras and took photographs of the chateau with it’s new restorations. Chinon is Michel’s birthplace. It’s called “La Petite Ville au Grand Renom” or the “Little Village with Big Fame”. Chinon is an historical village. It was once the headquarters for the Plantagenets, when England ruled in France. Remember Henry II, Eleanor of Aquitaine and King Richard the Lion Heart? Yep, that was them. If you ever saw the movie “The Lion in Winter” with Peter O’Toole and Katherine Hepburn, that was supposed to be in Chinon.

Chinon was also the village where Joan of Arc (Jeanne d’Arc) came to petition the French King Charles VII to take up arms against the English and reclaim France. As you remember, the English weren’t too happy with Jeanne for that.

Chinon is in the region called the Loire Valley. It is a region in central France that stretches to the Atlantic coast following – you guessed it – the Loire River. Due to it’s gentle climate and numerous rivers, it has been called the “Garden of France.” Also with it’s proximity to Paris, the Loire Valley was a popular place for nobility to build their castles, thus it is also known as the “Valley of the Kings.” As if that isn’t enough, the Loire Valley  is considered to be the “Cradle of the French Language”. The accent here is considered to be the “purest” French.

Chinon is famous for its wine. The red grapes grown here are the Cabernet Franc, which is less well-known in America than, say Bordeaux wines, but much appreciated in France.

We currently live in a small village around 20 km from Chinon.

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Category: Ville