Travel: The Loire Valley

The Loire Valley Medieval cities, vineyards, forests and delicious food

The regional wines of the Loire Valley are celebrated around the world. The food, including local cheese, charcuterie, and produce, is simple but spectacular while the vibe is laid-back in this valley of medieval cities that was once home to French kings.

There is a road in that begins in northern France and cuts east with a southern curve to it. It follows the Loire River on the ancient route between Lyon and Rome were the Romans once cultivated grapes, the Vikings and Barbarians invaded, and French kings built breathtaking castles.

Initially fortified dwellings, by the early Renaissance the castles became extravagant hunting lodges and homes for the kings and for the ministers who collected taxes on behalf of the monarch. Hunting, fishing, agriculture (and er . . . castle building) all thrived in this limestone-rich valley known as the ‘Garden of France’.

In the middle of the valley sits the city of Bourge, the capital of France during the 100-Years’ War (mid-15th century to mid-16th century). It likely made practical sense to set up shop here as the fortified wall around the city protected it from the Vikings who besieged it for 15 years before retreating. Incredibly, homes have been built right on top of the ancient wall and appear to mesh almost seamlessly with it. topped ones that all appear to lean in different directions. In its day, Bourge was a big city. As a result of being home to the French government, no expense was spared on creating beautiful buildings. The most spectacular of all is the Gothic/Romanesque Cathedral St Etienne of Bourges. Completed in 1245 it is a wonderful example of flying buttresses and elaborate stone carvings. The stained-glass windows are three high; it is no wonder that the cathedral is a UNESO World Heritage Site. During the WWII the stainedglass was painstakingly removed and hidden away.

Not far away is the Chateau de Chambord. It was built at a time when King Francis I, was looking to signal the glory of the French court. He invited Leonardo da Vinci to help design the

structure. Although there is no paper record of his hand in the construction of Chambord, the castle was built three years after da Vinci’s arrival in the area and was like no other castle in Europe at the time. The double-helix staircase – imagine two intertwining DNAs – is simply amazing. The intricate and ornate towers on the roof are incredible too. When you are there, make sure to pay the extra fee for the HistoPads: an iPad with an app that brings many of the 60 rooms back to life as they were in medieval/early Renaissance times.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Steeped in

history, Chinon is the birthplace of Richard the Lionheart. The stained glass windows of St. Etienne of Bourges fill the cathedral with magical coloured light. The city of Bourges has a long history that dates back to the Roman Empire.

The castle is a busy place. The simple price of parking allows visitors free range to the 800 hectare castle grounds where you can rent bikes, boats, bring your own lunch to picnic on the grounds or sit on the patio of the hotel Le Relais and lunch while gazing at the magnificence of the castle.

Roam the castle ground after the gates close and the crowds have left for the day by staying the night at the hotel Le Relais de Chambord. The beautiful, high-end hotel sits on the bank of the Cosson river, facing the castle. With 55 rooms, it is dwarfed by the enormous 440-room castle.

In the small town of Amboise there are two chateaus. One was the summer residence of kings, including Francis 1 and the other is Clos the Luce, more of a manor house, where DaVinci lived out his last few years. Clos de Luce gets very busy in tourist season but is a worthwhile visit to get a sense of the man and his machines, many of which have been reconstructed and can be found both in the bottom level and dotting the park land around the chateau. When you go, make sure you pop across the street for a light lunch or a coffee at Le M’aitre d’Art tea house.

Surprisingly, 86 per cent of the monuments in France are publicly owned. Most have been restored and are lovingly maintained by families such as the Laigneau family who own and operate Chateau du Rivau. The castle looks elegant despite its distinctive defensive features. At first glance, it is almost magical in appearance, like a Disney character might prance across the drawbridge at any moment.

It is renowned for having supplied horses to a young Joan of Arc who helped the French forces and King Charles VII during the 100-Years’ War against the British.

Since the 1990s Eric and Patricia Laigneau have lovingly restored the property which had descended into ruins brought on by 300 years of neglect – most of the time serving as a storage facility for hay. For over twenty years they invested in restoring the castle, the grounds, and, ultimately, the community.

THIS PAGE • CLOCKWISE: The largest castle in the Loire Valley, Chambord also

is the busiest. Each day, over 10,000 visitors flock to the castle grounds. An art installation of giant legs appear to run through the trees in the gardens of Chateau du Rivau. The Renaissance influence is seen in the architectural details at Domaine de Chaumon-sur-Loire. The tack room at Domaine de Chaumon-surLoire. A view of Chateau du Rivau and its period-correct vegetable garden.

An art historian (and a landscape architect), Patricia is passionate about supporting the arts. She curates an annual exhibition to showcase the work of 80 artists that is displayed in the halls and walls of the castle, and she commissions art that adds whimsy to the castle’s grounds and gardens.

The Laigneau’s believe passionately that du Rivau is living history that helps visitors comprehend the people and the society of 15th century France.

Du Rivau is for those who love history, art, and nature and who like to take their time, literally smell the flower, marvel and the art, and sit at the café to enjoy a light meal made from produce grown in the castle’s period-accurate garden.

The castle’s barn has been completely restored and is available for rent as an

When you go: Air France offers direct flights from Montreal-Pierre Elliot Trudeau International Airport to Pari-Charles de Gaulle. Consider choosing Premium Economy that allows for two checked bags (23 kg each), 40 per cent extra cabin space, and priority check-in among other perks!

Touring the Loire Valley is best by car. Arriving at Charles de Gaulle airport, avoid Parisian traffic and take a TGV (high speed train) to the town of Tours where car rentals are widely available. There are many travel guide services for groups of all sizes. We toured the Loire Valley with the multi-lingual Mario from Val de Loire Travel.

Biking is also very popular in the Loire Valley. You will not cover as much ground but the 800 kms of routes are well marked and there are more than 500 bike-friendly accommodations along the route.

CLOCKWISE: Clos de Luce is the manor house where Leonardo DaVinci lived out

his last years. The beautiful, tiny town of Chavignol is surrounded by vineyards. Even on a cloudy day, Azay-le-rideau is simply beautiful.

event space. In addition, the family has renovated the second storey of the original stables and created seven beautifully appointed guest rooms, all of which look out over the courtyard and the castle itself.

Domaine de Chaumon-sur-Loire is a must see for art and garden lovers. For the past 25 years, the garden hosts a themed competition selecting 25 candidates from 300 yearly submission, that are received from around the world. From February to April the winners prepare their gardens. The Domaine’s Centre for Arts and Nature also hold a annual art competition. Look for the original painted, sculpted, and photographed works as you take in the 32-hectare grounds. Six restaurants ranging from fine dining to tea rooms are scattered across the Domaine. You can easily spend a day here! graced the banks of the Loire river between Blois and Anjou for 500 years before Queen Catherine de Medici purchased it 1550. Three of her sons went on to become Kings of France (Francis II, Charles IX, Henri III). The castle’s last owner was sugar baronnesse Marie-Charlotte-Constance Say who was responsible for having the stables built. Equipped with running water, they were also decorated by Hermes.

Azay-le-rideau is a smaller, unfortified castle renowned for being one of the best examples of Renaissance architecture. This magical looking structure is surrounded on three sides by water. It has been restored as an example of noble living during the early Renaissance.

While you are in the Loire Valley, make sure to enjoy many long, lingering lunches while sipping some of the divine regional wines and cheese. The region literally lives by the 100-mile diet. Located across a canal, down a

dusty road – seemingly in the middle of nowhere, la Bete Noir, in Thauvenay, produces 800 Crottins de Chevignol each day. This is a rare raw-milk cheese that changes in texture and taste as it ages.

The hamlet of Chevignol is surrounded by vineyards. It is ground zero for Sancerre production. The Famille Bourgeois winery proudly boasts being in business for 19 generations, their Sancerre is available in the Vintages section of the LCBO.

The family could be modern day chateau owners — certainly if they were in North America they would live in Kardashian-esque opulence. Instead, they appear to live simply, close to the land in this tiny, medieval town. This is the essence of the Loire Valley: while surrounded by the castles of former French kings one is reminded that it is the little things, like good food, fine wine, beautiful art, and good company that are the ingredients most important for a full and happy life n

Ottawa needs reduction a poverty strategy

Food is arguably the most important item to people. Most obviously, we need to eat to live, to survive, so why is the issue of food missing from the political conversation in Canada?

Food is all around us. We work to “put food on our tables”. We spend time planning meals, shopping for and preparing food. We celebrate with food; from birthdays to wedding anniversaries and special occasions such as Easter, Christmas, and Eid. We even watch television shows about food.

Canada’s largest employer is food giant George Weston Ltd. and employs over 202,000 people. The list of Canada’s top 20 revenue generating companies contains five food-related organizations where food is a significant part of their revenues (Financial Post FP500 2018 Ranking). Also, according to the advertising industry, Canadians see nearly $160 billion worth of food and drink ads every year.

Yet, despite all our focus on food, over 4 million Canadians are food insecure (Proof 2017). According to Ottawa Public Health, an estimated 13.9 per cent of households do not have enough food. More than 55,000 people report not having enough food to eat, of which 39,078 people visit a food bank in Ottawa each month. Thousands more visit community meal programs to help fill the gap and 13,500 students receive breakfast every day through a school breakfast program.

The question is, how to solve the issue of hunger?

We know that we will not solve the issue of food insecurity by simply

A municipal strategy would provide valuable coordination of the non-profit sector and allow the sector to focus on key areas that make a measurable impact.

opening more food banks. Once thought to be temporary, food banks are the “emergency room” of the social safety net. It’s an emergency when a family doesn’t have enough food to eat and providing food to that family is what’s needed. However, that food will not reduce the family’s food insecurity. Food insecurity is an income problem, a poverty problem, not a food problem. Therefore, if we want to reduce food insecurity, we first need to reduce poverty.

So how do we reduce poverty?

Basic income is a starting point. While the Ontario government scrapped the Basic Income Pilot, evidence still shows that a basic income is our best opportunity to significantly reduce poverty and food insecurity. Take the Canada Child Tax Benefit (CCB) as an example. In Ontario, poverty among families with children has been reduced by 24 per cent since the benefit began. The CCB is a form a basic income. It targets families living in poverty who have children. What’s interesting is that during the same period since the CCB began, single individuals without children – so no Canada Child Benefit – experienced a 24 per cent increase in poverty.

But what can we do here in the city of Ottawa?

We can start by creating a municipal poverty reduction strategy – although I should likely say “re-creating”. The community created a poverty reduction strategy in 2010, however following a municipal election that year, the strategy was scrapped. A municipal strategy would provide valuable coordination of the non-profit sector and allow the sector to focus on key areas that make a measurable impact. A local strategy would also allow the community to introduce new initiatives, like a series of tax clinics, similar to the ones offered in Hamilton by the Hamilton Roundtable on Poverty, as well as clinics to help people navigate the complex world of Ontario Works and Ontario Disability Support Program. These simple municipal programs could help people access much needed income already available to them.

So, what are we asking of our municipal leaders?

We need to draw from proven successes – like the Hamilton example, and create a local poverty reduction strategy. With record poverty, record food bank use, and record waitlists for affordable housing, there’s no better time than now.

It is time that our municipal leaders look into the cost of poverty and understand that doing nothing actually costs more than addressing the problem. It is time that they realized a healthy city – free from food insecurity and poverty – benefits us all n