New Year Reflections from the Loire Valley
2025 Loss & Renewal, Musings from a California Girl Living 25 years in France
Happy New Year 2025! French etiquette dictates that New Year greetings can be sent up until the end of January. Me Voilà! Here I am, slipping in right under the wire! I sincerely wish all a joyous, healthy, prosperous, and peaceful New Year, sent with love from the Loire Valley.
The 2025 year roared in, leaving me silenced - stunned, shocked, and bereft - as I watched from afar the terrifying fires that obliterated Pacific Palisades, California, where I grew up and went to high school. These fires also ravaged other communities in my hometown of Los Angeles. Although I haven't lived there since 1998, Los Angeles remains part of me and my DNA. I am still a proud Californian and an LA girl, even though I now have French nationality and will, at the age of 52, approach a time when I have lived longer in France than in the USA.
So many beloved friends and their families lost their "always" homes in the Palisades fire. My heart breaks for them, knowing the grief and loss they are experiencing. I can only be grateful that everyone I know is safe and healthy, but it boggles my mind to think about the Herculean task of recovering and rebuilding ahead. I have been following the news from my haven in the Loire Valley and am heartened to see how people have rallied together to help one another during this harrowing time. One dear high school friend wrote that the "silver lining has been reconnecting with many past acquaintances." We hadn't been in touch in over 35 years, but he reached out to ensure I was ok. Many friends wrote to me to make sure I was safe, and it so touched me when it was they who lost their homes.
This year marks my 25th year living in France, but I still think fondly about my upbringing in California. My parents moved us to the Pacific Palisades when I was 14 years old so I could attend Palisades High School, and my parents owned that house for 15 years before selling it. The Palisades is a place of incredible beauty, overlooking the expansive Pacific Ocean. When I lived there, it had a small-town feel, unlike the bling of nearby Beverly Hills, Bel Air, or, from what I understand, more recent changes that made the Palisades well-known for celebrity homes. Those were halcyon days living there as a teenager in the late '80s. My memories of that time are ethereal images, like a film filtered in dappled golden light. I have wonderful memories of my high school, including my French teacher, Mr. Johnson. He was hilarious and made reading Camus' The Stranger, heady stuff, a joy. He only spoke French and taught as the French do, including having us endure la dictée. Every French student does this “dictation” in school. It is an exercise where the teacher reads a text in French aloud, and students have to write down the text as they hear it. Sound easy? Mais non! French is so tricky that la dictée is the bane of existence for many students, even native French speakers! You have to spell every word correctly - including accents, accounting for masculine, feminine, plural variations of nouns and adjectives, and complicated verb conjugations - all while trying to decipher many words that sound alike. Mention la dictée to a French person, and they will likely groan or recount how they suffered with them in school. Mr. Johnson always made them fun, and I used to enjoy practicing them with my three French-American daughters, who were all born and studied in France.
I was blessed with many great French teachers. Before Mr. Johnson, there was Mr. Warner, my French teacher at Paul Revere Junior High School in nearby Brentwood, where, in 9th grade, at just 13 years old, I had the incredible fortune to journey to France for the first time on a school trip! Of course, I climbed the Eiffel Tower. I remember suffering from jet lag, which was my first experience with it, and discovering the incredible French chocolate mousse and being shocked by how delicious food can taste. On that trip, one beautiful girl, a classmate who looked much older than her age, snuck out to meet a French boy at the Eiffel Tower at night, almost giving Mr. Warner a heart attack. I'm happy to report that she returned safely! Between that and trying to fend off all the servers offering us young teenagers wine at every visit to a French café, Mr. Warner admitted that it was not only his first but would also be his last trip chaperoning young American students to France. Too stressful! I wish he could see me living in France now, crediting that first experience as a significant influence.
I would return to France as an exchange student while studying at the University of California at Irvine, spending my junior year abroad, 1991-1992, when I was 19 to 20 years old. I lived and studied for 5 months in Pau, in the southwest of France, and 5 months in Paris, and took off traveling all over France and Europe on school and summer holiday breaks. I fell deeper in love with France then and vowed to return, and I did! Only 8 years later, in 2000, I would return to France permanently after getting married in a little village nestled in the hilltops above Nice at my father-in-law's home. I lived five years in Paris from 2000 to 2005, where two of my daughters were born, and then moved to the Loire Valley in 2005, where my third daughter was born in Tours. France is now my "forever home," but a piece of my heart will always remain in California, where my love of France was born and nurtured!
Indeed, these recent events in Los Angeles have made me understand how precious life is, as everything can change in the blink of an eye. Each New Year, I try to remind myself of my good fortune living in the beautiful Loire Valley, although being so far away from my family, friends, and loved ones in the USA is not always easy. I am so fortunate that thanks to my job as the Loire Valley Concierge - travel planner and travel guide - I have the opportunity to work with so many wonderful clients coming here, most from the USA, for what is for many of them a "bucket list" travel experience! I love introducing my clients to my talented partners and dear friends here, and I am eager to show them the best of the Loire Valley, showcasing the French culture, cuisine, wine, stunning castles, pristine nature and gardens, and art de vivre. I love curating magical experiences to make their dreams of France come true.
Over the 2024 end-of-year holidays, I welcomed visits from my most frequent repeat guests - my parents and other family members, including my stepbrother and his wife. It was my first time meeting their young children, as I hadn't seen them since I organized their wedding here in the Loire Valley in 2019.
When family visits, I always find special gems for them to discover since they have visited many times. We visited the Château de Gaillard, one of the three castles in Amboise city center, known for its spectacular gardens and the site of France’s first Royal Orangerie. We also visited, for the first time, the Château de Beauregard near the Château de Chambord and the Château de Cheverny. The portrait gallery at the Château de Beauregard, the largest in Europe, is fabulous and a must-see, especially for lovers of French history! You can see portraits of many French kings, queens, and notable people who have influenced France over the centuries. We also ventured to the Château d’Angers, a 2-hour drive from Amboise, to marvel at the enormous Medieval Tapestry of the Apocalypse, the oldest and longest of its kind in the world, followed by a walk through the old town and chocolate tasting at Benoit Chocolat.
Another first last year was discovering and sending two big groups to the Château de Brissac, the tallest Château in France. It was an absolute delight to have guided visits there and meet the castle's owner, who is himself a Duke. One group I sent there enjoyed lunch in the Château's Medieval Kitchens.
Another first was a visit to a nearby goat farm, only a 20-minute drive from my house. I had never visited and always thought I would do that someday. And in 2024, we did! The children loved visiting the goats, pigs, horses, chickens, and donkeys, and then we all tasted the most delicious goat cheese made on-site and took home more to enjoy! The owner, born and raised there, gave a fabulous tour and even ran home to bring a bottle of wine for us to taste along with the French cheeses. I highly recommend the tour and can be an on-site translator if needed, as the delightful owner is French-speaking only.
I had a couple more firsts in 2024, including organizing an event for a returning client. He enjoyed his visit to the Loire Valley I organized for a group of his friends a couple of years ago so much that he asked me to organize an event for him and 45 of his closest friends and family, but this time NOT in the Loire Valley, but in Ireland! It was a thrill, and I was on-site as their event coordinator. Another new experience in 2024 was acting as an extra on a film set in Paris. A friend who is a movie producer in Los Angeles was in town filming an upcoming Netflix movie, and I spent a day as an extra on the set at a Parisian Palace Hotel. Despite having grown up in Los Angeles, having been in many theatre productions, and being a drama (and French) major in University, it was my film debut, although I am not sure you'll see me in the final cut and if I do make it, don't blink or you may miss me!
I also traveled to a new place with my daughters for a week's holiday in the summer. We went to the beaches only a 3-hour drive from our home near Amboise - visiting the beaches of Saint-Nazaire, Saint-Michel-Chef- Chef, Pornic, La Baule, and the city of Nantes, which boasts the Château de Nantes, the Château of the Dukes of Brittany, the birthplace of Anne de Bretagne, Anne of Brittany, who would go on to marry King Charles VIII, born in the Royal Château d’Amboise in the 15th century. They lived together in the Royal Amboise Castle, where King Charles VIII died in 1498. Anne of Brittany was then required to marry the next French King, Louis XII, born in the Royal Château of Blois, which would become their primary residence. Their daughter, Claude de France, would become Queen of France when she married the next King of France, François I, known as the Renaissance King, who famously invited Leonardo da Vinci to live in Amboise at the Château du Clos Lucé, and it was King François I who built the Château de Chambord.
So, even though I have lived in France for 25 years and know it very well, I am still discovering it anew. It reminds me of the Notre Dame Cathedral of Paris, recently reopened after years of renovation following the terrible fire that ravaged that historic treasure. I had lived in Paris for five years and had stepped inside Notre Dame many times, but I had not done the complete visit before the fire! I thought there would always be time, one day. Note to self: Don't wait. Be grateful for all the treasures around you and visit them like there is no tomorrow. For all those coming to France in 2025, DO visit Notre Dame - the renovation is spectacular.
While 2025 had a rough start, I am looking ahead to a year full of wonder, seizing every moment and continuing to try new experiences. I am focusing on training for a hike in Iceland this year. It is the first time I've done much hiking since living in the Santa Monica Mountains of California. Being in the Valley of the Loire, we don't have steep ascents but endless forest trails for lovely long walks in nature. Most recently, to train, I did a 19-km walk (about 12 miles) around Amboise and walked up and down the 157 steps in Amboise on the rue Victor Hugo that runs from the Royal Château d’Amboise to the Château du Clos Lucé. The 157 stairs lead you up to the back of the Royal Château d’Amboise and its Lion's Gate entrance. You'll also be able to peek into the nearby troglodyte homes and cave dwellings as you climb the steps! I did the stairs, up and down, 10 times in an hour (my friend did it 18 times, so it shows you how much I have to improve!). I was exhausted and feeling it in my legs for days! The up-and-down stair climb might sound monotonous to some, but not to me, as one of LA's most grueling and trendiest workouts is the 170 Santa Monica stairs!
Here is hope for a Happy New Year filled with wonder, great adventures, and gratitude. I wish courage, strength, and recovery to those facing an uphill climb this year.
Dreaming of France? Contact me, the Loire Valley Concierge, today to plan a magical experience that will leave you with memories that last a lifetime. A bientôt!
Bonjour Summer. What a touching tribute to your California roots, your love of France, the great teachers who got you started and the professional life you created for yourself in the Loire Valley. I feel like I know you a little bit better now. -- Good luck training for that hike in Iceland. I know the stairs you mentioned in Amboise and took them on a couple of occasions. I can't imagine doing that 10 times in an hour! Félicitations. Bonne année (there's still time.) I am sure our paths will cross again in 2025 in spite of our busy schedules.
love this!