The Charming Auberge du Bon Laboureur, Chenenceaux

Auberge du Bon Laboureur

37150 Chenonceaux

+33 (0) 2 47 23 90 02

Fax: +33 (0) 2 47 23 82 01

http://www.bonlaboureur.com/en/

contact@bonlaboureur.com

The Auberge du Bon Laboureur is the perfect place to set up your ‘base camp’ while you explore the Chateaux of the Loire. We were enchanted with the French charm, atmosphere, historical importance of the building, a delightful and helpful staff plus a location so close to Chateau Chenonceau, we are already thinking about returning one day in the future.

     
  

Since 1793, the Village of Chenonceaux population has only grown a little more than 100+ people.  It will never obtain the fame of the Chateau Chenonceau and her magnificent presence there and the prime reason people flock to this small commune.

You are taken back in time when you can experience the village at night. After the tourists have left, the streets empty, no sounds to be heard, one can almost transport themselves back in time as you imagine what village life was life for those who walked these streets, lived life here and were the support and help keeping the Chateau running properly.

An interesting fact why the spelling of the village and Chateau differ, during the French Revolution, the owner of the Chateau was very respectful of those in the village and removed the ‘X’ at the end and replaced with ‘U’.  Because of that, the Chateau was spared the kind of damage other Chateaux and institutions suffered during the French Revolution.

We enjoyed driving 15 minutes to Amboise where the choice of menu was almost endless. The only downside of the village, there is nothing open at night and no place to get a snack or go have a drink or hear music, etc.  Amboise offers so much, including the Chateau you can easily go there during the day and head back at night for dinner.

With our preference of fall travel, rarely are their crowds to fight or lines to stand in. To visit Chateaux and not feel as though you must rush from room to room because of large crowds or a tour group coming through makes the visit that much more enjoyable.

For the best rates the hotel would love to hear from you direct rather one of the online booking sites. Why pay a third party when the hotel will give you the best deal.

In the Loire Valley

Nothing is quite comparable to enjoying the Chateaux of the Loire Valley.  As most people never have the quality time to really explore this region we find 3 days is not enough. We do know that visiting in the fall you will not experience crowds and will not run into the traffic that would surely slow down any summer visit. 

This year we enjoyed Chenonceau, Amboise and Villandry, which blew us away! Posting a few photos of our days here.

A Life By Design - Funding the Perfect Life

As we are about to embark on 4 weeks abroad, there is the realization falling upon me that life as it is today is about to be put on hold.

Having responsibilities and those who look to you for guidance on a daily basis makes it much more challenging to step out of 'the present' and allow yourself to totally disconnect and live the life you planned for two years.

As the Managing Broker of a very large Real Estate office in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago, I am surrounded by some of the most brilliant minds in the business, coupled with THE most brilliant leaders in Real Estate (Technology) industry today.  

We have been abroad many times since 1982 however this is only the third trip since 911.  We had returned from France 9-10, the night before life as we knew it changed forever. It took us until 2004 to work up the nerve to go back. Then the economy tanked, real estate markets collapsed and those in my line of work had to be serious and not waste further time.

With economic improvement in 2016 we found ourselves returning to France and vowed we would not allow another 12 year gap pass not going anywhere.

To begin our next adventure in the Loire valley, we are excited to return there having been their last before digital photography was created.

As guests at our first French wedding will surely be one of the highlights we look forward to.

I eagerly await the scenery and new stories that will greet us in every direction. 

 

 

A French Frye in Paris

As there are many travel bloggers out there a true favorite is Corey Frye, AKA, A French Frye in Paris. I am not alone as his followers are fully committed to his cause as am I.

Long overdue for a post to my blog, I have never been so excited to promote another blogger as I am today.

As it took years to gather the knowledge we do have with respect to our travels abroad, and specifically France, but never did I realize how much I didn't know about Paris thanks to Corey Frye, an American in Paris.

Married to a Parisian and father of two, Corey is a tour guide, photographer, blogger and one of the most brilliant minds/walking-pedia of Paris. 

Not sure if that was gramatically propper but the past year has been an eye-opener for my husband and I thanks to his weekly live-stream walks through the streets of Paris.

For us, the education and insights of a city we thought we knew well has been profound. When I think of the books in our home library on Paris and France, Corey has taken us into places we could never find in a tour book.  

Corey takes you to the corners and neighborhoods of Paris one may never see especially those with less than a week in this magnificent city that can never be compared with any other across the globe.

I strongly encourage you to follow Corey on Facebook, and his Blog and consider watching his Saturday morning LIVE STREAM walks from Paris that begin at 10am CST.

So many of us who follow Corey now feel like he is our (little) brother helping us get to know our favorite city in a light that few are able to see. 

He has created this unmatched niche of bringing Paris to you in the privacy of your home. Once you join Corey on one of his walks you will not want to miss any future walks.

You can not only find his past Paris walks on his Facebook page but also on his YouTube page.  For his Patreon subscribers, there are additional benefits. Below are links to get to know Corey better.

If you love Paris this is the place for you.  Ron and I look forward to meeting Corey in the near future and know that because of his Parisian brilliance we will be enjoying Paris like we have never done before.

Visit Corey's Facebook Page:    https://www.facebook.com/AFrenchFryeInParis/ 

For detailed maps of Corey's Video Tours & other exclusive Paris content: https://www.patreon.com/afrenchfryeinparis

Corey's blog A French Frye in Paris: https://afrenchfryeinparis.com

Book a walking tour: https://afrenchfryeinparis.com/guided-tours-of-paris/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/french_frye_in_paris/

Replays of previous Live-stream tours:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfrkg0WfgjM_rh9YOoXfuhw