Illiers-Combray and My First Chateau (May 30)

Today was a driving day.  I am in awe of the amazing bright poppies that line the road everywhere.

My destination was Illiers-Combray.  It used to be known as Illiers, and was the place Proust spent a lot of time when he was young, getting over asthma attacks.  In Remembrance of Things Past he called the place Combray, and it was renamed Illiers-Combray for his centenary celebrations.  It is still a quiet town, with old buildings like these -

I had a full 4 course lunch at one of the places still open at lunch time.  The entree was OK - a salad

 and the main was andouiettes sausages with frites - nice

but the cheese course was woeful - dried out cheeses and brown lettuce.  The dessert was old, but at least it was edible.  I guess I shouldn't have expected much for 11.50€, especially when 1/4l of wine is included...a lesson there I'm sure.
Of course Proust's influence here is enormous.  This was his Aunt's house, where he used to stay.

and a street that was re-named in his honour.

You can literally follow in his footsteps, as there are maps of the walks he used to take with his aunt and his uncle.  The town is a place for present-day pilgrims of another sort - it's one of the routes of the Way of St James, Santiago de Compostela.

Ah, the magical Loire, not so big in this part of the country.

This caught my eye by the side of the road.

My first chateau - Chateaudun.  There it is in the distance.

 And here it is closer.

It stands amongst old, old houses, and twisty roads.  Following the tourist route, you come upon a park with a good view of it, and some women were sitting there sketching.  Gobsmacking.