20th Anniversary Dream Trip Contest

Great Travel Moment

Another Angle of the same story . . . I began taking French in seventh grade, possibly as a vestige of a childhood fascination with all things fairytalesque, especially castles . . . of which the French do best. My first project in French class was to build a model of Chennonceau, and describe the history of the castle in French. A decade later, I finally made my pilgrimage to the site. It far exceeded my expectations and remains my favorite castle, despite the heavy competition the other Loire Valley landmarks and Scottish isles threw its way. The grounds also featured beautiful orchards, of which no one appreciated more than my backpacking friend and I, as we'd spent all of our lunch money on the trip out to the chateau.