The one thing that Sue told me before she came to France — for the first time since 2006 — was that the big attraction she wanted to see this time was the Château de Villandry and its gardens. I'm glad to go because, in my case, the last time I walked through those gardens was in June 2001.
Meanwhile, here are a few more photos that I took Monday afternoon — a canal lock, an old sign, a red poppy, a tree-climbing snail, and some lichens on a bridge railing.
This week, we planned to go to Villandry on Monday. It's a good hour's drive from Saint-Aignan by autoroute. However, weather reports were not good for that day. Afternoon rain and thunderstorms were predicted. Fact is, here in Saint-Aignan, Monday turned out to be a beautiful day, and we went for our walk on the banks of the Canal de Berry. We probably should have gone to Villandry that day.
We postponed the trip until Tuesday (yesterday) because forecasts for Tuesday afternoon showed a lot less rain would fall. Then yesterday morning all the forecasts were different, calling for heavy rains, thunderstorms, and even hail in the afternoon. We again postponed, and it did rain here in Saint-Aignan yesterday afternoon. Nonetheless, Sue and I took a long walk out in the vineyard around 6:00 p.m. and the sun was shining brightly. It was hot and muggy outdoors.
So today we are going to Villandry. We'll leave Saint-Aignan around 8:30 a.m. Right now, Météociel is predicting 7.5 millimeters of rain in Villandry this afternoon. That's about a third of an inch. Maybe it won't happen. We'll take raincoats and umbrellas anyway. If the sun shines, I probably take a thousand pictures of flowers.
If it rains, maybe we'll find some indoor attraction like a château or a museum to spend time in. Near Villandry are the châteaux at Langeais, Ussé, Luynes, and Azay-le-Rideau, with interesting interiors. The whole city of Tours is nearby too. Whatever happens, I think it will be a good day.
P.P.S. I just postponed the Villandry day trip for another 24 hours. The weather report says almost no part of France will be spared heavy rains, lightning strikes, and maybe even hailstorms today. It's not worth going anywhere. I prefer not to go out in the car when there is an announced risk of hail.
Un bon averti en vaut deux they say, so it's better to check the weather reports before going visiting gardens as big as Villandry's. For the Paris area, The Weather Channel has a 90% chance of rain and Météo Paris has a 70% probability of rain and thunderstorms. Que d'eau, que d'eau!
ReplyDeleteIt's raining here now, and there are heavy-rain warnings for this afternoon.
DeleteVillandry is miserable in bad weather, especially if it is windy. I highly recommend Azay le Rideau, which if you haven't seen since the renovation is well worth it. Very well curated, and the park has been renovated too, for those interested in gardens. It really is a lovely place. Eat at Coté Cour right at the entrance to the chateau courtyard (before the entry to the chateau grounds). You won't regret it and tell Sandrine I sent you.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tips, Susan. I hope Côté Cour serves salads, because that's what Sue will want to eat.
DeletePauline et moi have stopped using Meteo60 & Meteociel's forecasts.... we just do not trust them!!
ReplyDeleteI am doing short-term assessments using Meteo60's "live" rain [updated every 15 minutes] and Sat24's "live" satelite view [updated every 20mins] with the lightning strike function turned on...
that at least is allowing us to function... but, in the UK, this is why June is known as "Flaming June"... the weather is always in turmoil... too windy, too cold, too sunny, too hot, too wet, too dry... we Brits are always swearing at the weather in June!!
May is often like that too -- too wet, too cold, etc. This current weather pattern is driving me crazy. I think we are going to drive over to Villandry now. The rain seems to have let up, and the weather radar doesn't show much coming our way for the afternoon.
DeleteI think you Brits swear about the weather all the time... LOL.
I remember in NY, being so sick of being stuck inside with winter weather, finally it warmed up and spring came along and it rained every day :) Now I am in Florida ... remember the film " White Mischief " ? She looks out the window in the morning and says ..... " Another F*ing Beautiful Day " I miss NY weather, Florida is so boring or scary with hurricane babble. Enjoy your visit and weather :)
ReplyDeleteI love love love the Poppy photo !
Oh, heavens! I hope Sue will get her trip in to Villandry!
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to you Villandry garden photos. I had to google ecluse, wvwn though the a picture was right there. What a great color on that poppy!
ReplyDeleteVillandry will be beautiful after the rain! We are all enjoying Sue's visit via your photos.
ReplyDelete