Saint-Malo and Cancale

We started our counter-clockwise road trek around the Brittany peninsula at Saint-Malo and Cancale, certainly the oyster capital of the region. If you read the fictional book, All the Light You Cannot See, you’ll know about the bombing of the old-walled city from WWII. But it’s been beautifully restored, and now feels historic and fun (in peacetime).

Loire Valley

Take a trip through French renaissance architecture and explore the river landscapes and historic chateaux of the Loire Valley. One of the most famous castles in the region, Chambord was commissioned by King Francis I and built between 1519 and 1547. 

Flying into Nantes, France, from Geneva, Switzerland, we rented a car and stopped at pastoral inns along the Loire to see the surrounding beautifully restored castles. Then, based in Amboise, there is the impressive Chateau Royal d'Amboise, and also Clos Luce, home of Leonardo da Vinci 1516-1519, supported by benefactor King Francis I. 

Driving back toward our next journey in Brittany, we stopped in Chinon, the renowned wine region, and discovered the medieval Royal Fortress of Chinon. It was famously visited by Joan of Arc in 1429 to convince the future king for military support during the Hundred Years' War between France and England and a civil war in France in the late Middle Ages.