Ansouis, Vallée de la Loire, Äkäslompolo…..

This has been a fall of a lot of travelling.

After leaving Träskholmen in August, having enjoyed an otherwise nice but exceptionally cold summer, we spent some weeks at home in Kullo, then left for a prolonged weekend in the Loire Valley in the beginning of September. We have talked about going there many times, but have never managed to get beyond the planning stage. So when Filip spotted cheap flights to Paris sometimes in spring he suggested we’d grab the chance to go to Loire. And since this was in spring and September seemed far away, it felt like a brilliant idea. However, the closer we came to the actual trip, the more we began to feel it was a all a bit much. Not just because of the trip to the Loire valley, but because of all that came after – Äkäslompolo, and then Provence.

Anyway, off we went, flew to Paris, rented a car and drove a few hours. We stayed in a nice little castle, Château de Nazé, close to Saumur. Pretty little place, with a very nice owner, who immediately took an interest in our interest for good restaurants, so we more or less went through her whole list of suggestions. Every morning she would eagerly ask us what we thought of last nights choice. And then we had a discussion about pros and cons with that particular restaurant.

Her place is up for sale, as are many, many other houses in the region, small and big.

Although the place is nice she might have some difficulties selling, because it lies very close to a motorway.

Castles is the main reason people come to the Loire valley, and then wine of course. But since we could not transport any wine home, we concentrated on castles. We saw quite a few. The best ones by far were Château de Chenonceau and Château de Villandry. The first because of its beauty and exquisite interior, the latter because of the garden. Never seen anything like it.

Everything in Chenonceau is beautiful – the floors, whether wooden or tiled, the windows, the furniture, the gardens outside, the kitchen, the wallpaper. And I simply loved that they had real flowers everywhere, extremely nicely and professionally arranged.

Apart from food, the wine and the castles – and, obviously – the way we were welcomed, the valley in itself and the river were something of a disappointment. Maybe because of the weather, which was not the best. Cold and cloudy all the time. Or then it was because we compare with Provence, where there is an abundance of pretty villages and the landscape is breathtakingly beautiful. Not so in Loire. The river is very shallow, and the landscape flat and often dull.

On the way back to Paris we stopped in Giverny to see Monet’s garden. A wonderful place.

A brief stop in Kullo, and then Äkäslompolo for four days of walking, or randonnée as the French would say.

Again, the weather gods were not on our side, but at least it did not rain. Nor was it cold, but the skies were gray and already in September, this means it is rather dark in Lapland. But we did some very nice walks and enjoyed good company and good food, as always.

And now we have been a little more than two weeks in Ansouis, Sud-Luberon again, enjoying an Indian summer. Nights are cold, but day temperatures have stayed around +25. A nice compensation for our summer!

We’ve had visitors, first Barbro and Antti and then Oskar, Frida and Morgan. It was great having them here and such a joy that the weather cooperated with us, for once. Now the rains can come, because they are badly needed here. It hasn’t rained properly since April!

The house is nice and the view is stunning – Luberon on one side and the village of Ansouis on the other. This is the fifth time we are here since 2015, always autumns and springs, and our third house. We have, however, stayed in the same area, close to Ansouis and Cucuron and with Lourmarin at a reasonable distance.

Another five weeks to go before we return to Finland. On est bien ici!