France:
A trip back
in time

While traveling on assignment for Classic Journeys in the summer of 2001, I accompanied one of their travel groups for several days on tour in the Loire valley region of west central France. A delightfully lively group of travelers welcomed me into their midst and we set about exploring some of the area’s massive and elegant chateaux.

The history of the area is awe-inspiring. When you consider the changes that have occurred in the world in the six or so centuries since the construction of some of these chateaux, it boggles the mind. As I walked the great halls and bedchambers, I tried to imagine the details of daily life and was again reminded of how brief each lifetime is in the scheme of things. When I got to the intricately designed gardens, I found myself running from one vantage point to another, working to capture the immensity and the grace of what I saw.