Linda Kovic-Skow, author of French Illusions
My photo from 2001
In this second post highlighting my favorite French chateaux from the Loire Valley, I’m featuring the Château de Chenonceau. Known for its architectural mixture of Gothic and French Renaissance, the château was originally constructed on the Cher River sometime during the 12th century. Destroyed twice and rebuilt, it eventually fell into the hands of French King Henry II, who gifted it to his mistress, Diane de Poitiers, in 1547.
This will be the first of three posts highlighting three of my favorite French chateaux from the Loire Valley. First on my list, is the magnificent Château de Chambord, the brainchild of Franis I, King of France between the years 1515-1547.
Chateau de Chambord
When my husband and I moved from Washington to Arizona in 2014, we had to do a lot of downsizing. As I rummaged through old boxes, sorting “keep” piles and “give away” piles, I stumbled across my copy of Le Petit Prince (The Little Prince) from my stay in France, in 1980. My heart lurched as I picked up the well-used book, turned to the first page and discovered an inscription — long forgotten — from “Michel,” one of my love interests in my sequel, French Illusions, From Tours to Paris.
Back in 2007, when I decided to write a story based on my diary, I knew that I would have to change the names of people and places to protect identities. This was especially true with regard to my host au pair family. Acquiring permission from them was out of the question. Totally out of the question. Read my book and you’ll understand. Additionally, over thirty years had passed since I spoke with anyone I’d met in France. I no longer had any contact information.
Four months ago, France Magazine featured The Loire Valley in their May, 2019 issue. Thanks to a dear friend, I obtained a copy of this edition and spent an afternoon pouring over the articles and photos.
The Loire Valley in central France is dotted with elegant, large, stone structures, or manors. Many of these “chateaux,” flanked by rows and rows of fertile vineyards, have been handed down through generations of families.
I first toured the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris in 1980. 
Having been raised in a Catholic household, I was anxious to see this famous sight and as you will see in this excerpt from my memoir, French Illusions: From Tours to Paris, my tour of the structure on a rainy spring day, didn’t disappoint.
