Down on the farm
France has a great system to support local small agricultural producers. After paying a fee for the year, you can spend the night in your campervan on any farm in the network for free. There’s no obligation to buy anything, but many of the farms do offer products – wine, cheese, wool, milk… It’s a great way to see parts of France we’d never otherwise see, and save a little money, too. Every third night, we’re spending in a paid campground, so we can get showers, power up our electronics, empty our waste and fill our water tank.
This morning, we woke up on a farm near Audes to the sound of a rooster crowing and bison snorting nearby. Yes, bison. American bison. Unfortunately, the farmers – three generations of men, it looked like – were not particularly communicative, and very busy getting a barn built before the rain comes, so we have no idea why they decided to raise bison, but we have seen their products in area restaurants. We took a long walk down a dirt road from their property, and enjoyed the beautiful vistas and tiny creatures that make up central France. 
Tomorrow night, we will sleep with goats – well, near goats, anyway.
While our nights pass in the company of farm animals, our days are spent marveling at the castles of the Loire Valley. Today, on a one-lane road as we drove down the hill from the bison farm, I asked Joe to stop the van so I could take a picture of this lovely old (11th century!) church.
When we got close, we noticed that beyond the gate, there was also a 14th century chateau. No signs, no arrow, nothing visible from the street. Just sitting there like a regular house – for 700 years!
We have seen several castles since then. The most dramatic was the one at Chenonceau on the river Cher, first built in the 16th century, then added onto twice. The history of the castle is one of strong women who designed, furnished and paid for it – a merchant, a queen, a king’s mistress, a Medici, and another merchant. It is open to the public, and dogs are allowed not only to stroll the grounds, but even to come into the beautifully furnished castle itself, as long as you can carry them. Jacob rode in state in Joe’s arms, and cheerfully accepted the kisses of a class of 11-year-old French girls who found him irresistible.
But nature was visible even here, as a river otter in the moat and these wild irises caught my eye.
This evening, we are camping on the banks of the Cher. Tomorrow we will ride our bikes to the Chenonceau castle, take a boat ride, and then head up to the goat farm.
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