Blois, Loire Valley

Apart from history and good cheese, one of the best things about travelling through the Loire Valley are the skylines. Each one follows the same pattern, the wide, winding Loire in the foreground, the picturesque medieval town in the middle leading up a hill to the château crowning the scene at the top. But of all the beautiful skylines I’ve seen on my journey, Blois has to be the most impressive. I’ve arrived in the evening, and the whole town is lit in a soft pink glow. In front of me, the arches of the Jacques-Gabriel Bridge span the river, and the town rises up next to it. The quay on the riverbank rings with life and laughter, and the large château above nestles the town like a hen over her eggs.

Blois is unique among Loire cities in that its history has been peaceful. It doesn’t occupy a strategic position nor does it guard any rare resources. This is perfect if you prefer a quiet life, as it is unlikely to attract the appetites of marauding armies, allowing the inhabitants to enjoy a degree of separation from the turbulence of history.

The château’s most famous inhabitants embodied the calm, peaceful nature of this place. Charles d’Orléans, one of Europe’s most beloved medieval poets, was born here in 1394. Charles had a difficult early life after being captured by the English at Agincourt, spending 25 years imprisoned in their dreary land. Here, he passed the long hours composing poetry and playing the lute, developing a passion for the arts that would carry him through his life.

After his ransom was finally paid, Charles was released and retired home to Blois. Here, as the new duke of Orléans, he set up a court that welcomed artists from across Europe. Charles was in some ways a sort of proto-hippie. His personal motto was "Nonchaloir", which is best translated as ‘stay chill’, or ‘keep cool’, and his court was famous for its relaxed atmosphere, artistic experimentation, and humour. Attendants at his court recount poetry and music contests lasting long into the night, and a sense of equality and fraternity that was highly unusual for a medieval court.

Charles’s son Louis became Louis XII of France, and seemed to have inherited some of his father’s good nature. He was remembered fondly after his reign by both the aristocracy, who appreciated that he didn’t try to assert himself as an absolute monarch, and the people, who benefited from his policies of tax relief. Today Louis is still known as ‘the father of the people’, and is one of the few kings in republican France without a poor reputation.