J&J in Loire Valley

French road trip?  Oui, oui!  I have a long running love affair with France and just a couple hours drive from Paris you will find Lorie Valley.  Loire Valley has been high on my list of places to visit.  Here you can find real fairy-tale castles surrounded by the most gorgeous scenery, vineyards and quaint little French villages.

We booked a charming little cottage just out of Amboise through Airbnb.  Jake and I always try to book our own little oasis where we can relax and feel like a local. It was such a nice way to end our trip through France, chilling out and relaxing amongst the vineyards, soaking up the sun. Most evenings were enjoyed with a bottle of wine and some nice home cooked meals. The cottage itself was a classic 18th century building just oozing with character!

As you can tell from the photos the cottage was absolutely adorable! Five minutes after arriving the owner brought over a dozen fresh eggs from the local chickens on the property too!

Fresh eggs for breakfast!

But that's not the best part...The cottage also had a Jacuzzi! It wasn't long before I slipped on my swimmers and jumped on in!

Did I mention that the cottage was located in the middle of a vineyard?! Surrounded by nature in the heart of Lorie Valley, we were in French countryside heaven!

Of course it didn't take us long to make friends, this guys name was Faruq. He was the owners dog and loved coming over and hanging out with us. We had a lovely couple of afternoons sitting out in the afternoon sun, enjoying the peace and quiet.

As the sun went down each evening, we were greeted with awe-inspiring night skies filled with stars! Jake couldn't help but capture some amazing night time pictures.

We spent most of our days exploring magnificent château’s and picturesque French villages.  We felt like we had stepped into a fairy-tale story book.

The first château we visited was the Château de Chenonceau.  We approached the château via a tree lined drive through a forest which surrounds the estate and crossed the moat to enter the château itself.  The château was built over the River Cher and is the most visited and photographed château in the Loire Valley.

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One of the best reasons visiting off-season, was that there was a lot less foot traffic and we had more time and space to take everything in. We headed straight to the formal gardens and we literally had the whole place to ourselves! It was incredible walking around thinking about all the history of this place. I'm a enthusiast of French history and was in awe thinking I was walking the exact same steps as Diane de Poitier and Catherine de Medicis!

 I felt like I was in a fairy-tale.  Which I pretty much was, as it was rumoured that the château provided some inspiration towards the design of Cinderella’s legendary castle!  So you could say I was in Princess heaven!

Ready to come and explore with me?

This place is a dream for romantics or history buffs like me. It is so visually appealing and feels like you are entering another world! The sheer beauty of it both inside and out will take your breath away. All the rooms are fully furnished with fresh flowers grown on the property throughout the Chateau giving it a welcoming feeling. The flower decorations in each room are worth a visit of their own!

The most picturesque setting for a picnic with lined trees and a cute little stream....Lucky we had come prepared!

We finished our Lorie Valley visit with the grandest château of them all. Château de Chambord is the largest château in the Loire Valley.  This is the very château which inspired the setting for the movie, Beauty and the Beast.  Which just so happens to be my all time favourite Disney movie!

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Wouldn't be us if we didn't break out in a little dance and do a few twirls in front of this magical Chateau! Of course ending in a grand final dip sealed with a kiss!

The château is overwhelming in its size and beauty.  It has over 440 rooms, 365 fireplaces and 84 staircases.  The grandest staircase of them all is the double helix staircase which is rumoured to be designed by Leonardo Da Vinci himself!  The stairs ascend three floors and apparently never meet.  This was so that the Queen and the King’s mistresses would never cross paths....genius!  We spent hours wandering through spiralling staircases and around the château and gardens.

Lorie Valley has always been a dream of mine to visit!  I'm so happy that I finally saw these incredible châteaus in real life.  Defiantly another item ticked off the bucket list and the perfect way to end our trip in France!