Part 4 — Beyond Paris — An Insider’s Guide to Rural France
The Loire regions
Here we find Stephanie Jarvis, family and friends, at the dreamy Château de Lalande, Paul and Karen with a 19th century château in the Indre et Loire, Phil and Angelina’s historic home, the famous Pethericks, Michael and Jonathan and the original sisters from series one.
Continued from Part 3 — Haute de France and Normandy.
Beyond Paris — An Insider’s Guide to Rural France —
Centre-Val de Loire
South of Normandy is the Centre-Val de Loire. In its department Indre-et-Loire, we find Paul, Karen and children at Château la Perrière. Tours, the capital of Centre-Val de Loire, has been a wealthy city since the royal court installed itself in the 15th century. Indre-et-Loire is named after the confluence of the River Loire with the River Indre. Another notable confluence is that of the Loire and Cher rivers. The banks of the Cher near Tours became a hub of silk and luxury goods manufacturing in the very early modern history of France. I wonder if the French word for expensive — cher — does not derive from this historic footnote.
