The Loire， the longest river in France， rises south of the Central Massif and flows into the Atlantic Ocean 1，020 km later. This is the part that goes from the city of Orleans to the city of Tours， enclosing that area of the Loire Valley in which over 100 magnificent① castles lie.
What we are looking at is the castle of Beauregard. In this residence， the central part has a double gallery with arcades opening onto the ground floor， which was commissioned by Jean de Thier， secretary of state to Henri Ⅱ. There is a collection of paintings quite unique in the world.
This sumptuous② salon， built in the 17th century， which is covered with exquisite③ woodwork and has a marvelous ceiling with decorated beams， contains over 300 portraits going from the first sovereign of the Valois up to Louis ⅩⅢ of Bourbon. Here is Charles Ⅷ， Louis ⅩⅡ and Francois Ⅰ， it was primarily they who brought to the region： painters， cabinet-makers， sculptors， and architects， who were to live and work here.
In this chapel， which has a nave and two aisles， there lies the tomb of a genius： Leonardo da Vinci. Leonardo arrived in Amboise in 1517， having been invited to the court by Francois Ⅰ， and was put up in this residence which is called Cols-Luce. The artist lived out the last years of his life here and Francois Ⅰ acquired that masterpiece④ that even today represents one of France’s treasures： the Mona Lisa.
We continue on our way to visit another very special castle： Villandry. Built on the banks of the Loire in 1536， it is distinguished⑤ by its architectural peculiarity， which is characterized above all by its rectangular pavilions⑥ instead of round towers. But its fame is especially connected to the marvelous Italianate gardens. Here in Villandry he called Don Pacello da Mercogliano to the court， which were more a great Italian artist rather than a gardener. On the lower level， there is the decorative vegetable garden， the most visually striking and original of the whole estate. It is amazing to see how simple lettuces and vegetables manage to have this ornamental⑦ quality.
Excellent wines are produced in the ancient province of Touraine. Wines that make you love this area even more， just as the great writer honors de Balzac also loved it. And in Touraine you also learn to love wine. Its history dates back as far as the Gauls and its international reputation has certainly no need of further comment.
The ones here are the dry white Sancere， strong and vibrant， Vouvray， sparking and clear， it looks like a waterfall of pearls. This wine reminded Rabelais， the great writer of the 16th century， of taffeta⑧， a silky and delicate fabric.
Those who love glowing reds will not be disappointed by the Loirs Valley： here is Bourgureil， with the strong perfume of raspberries. Chino， on the other hand， has a delicate hint of violets.
And so， glasses rose. A toast to the beauty of these dreamlike places.
A journey on the Loire is a meander in history， art and daily life. It is in a corner of Europe that etched⑨ itself deeply in the heart and mind.
① magnificentadj. 华丽的，高尚的，宏伟的
② sumptuousadj. 奢侈的，华丽的
③ exquisiteadj. 优美的，高雅的；精致的
④ masterpiecen. 杰作，名著
⑤ distinguishedadj. 卓著的，著名的，高贵的
⑥ pavilionn. 亭，阁；大帐篷
⑦ ornamentaladj. 装饰性的，装饰的 n. 装饰物
⑧ taffetan. 平纹皱丝织品
⑨ etchv. 深印，鲜明地阐述；蚀刻，蚀镂
卢瓦尔河边的城堡
卢瓦尔河是法国最长的河流。它发源于中部山区，流经1，020公里后，汇入大西洋。这里是位于奥尔良（Orleans）和图斯（Tours）之间的一段流域，100多座宏伟的城堡屹立于此。
现在我们看到的是博雷加德城堡（Beauregard）。在它的建筑中部有一个双层画廊，其拱廊从一层往上延伸开来。它是由亨利二世的国务大臣让·徳·提艾尔（Jean De Thier）授权修建的。这里绘画藏品的风格在世界上也是独树一帜。
这座修建于17世纪的豪华沙龙，外观是精美的木艺，房顶的椽子也被精心装饰。这里保存的300多件绘画的收藏者包括了从瓦卢王朝（Valois）的开国皇帝到波旁王朝的路易十三世。查尔斯八世、路易斯十二世和佛兰索瓦一世将画家、木刻家、雕塑家和建筑师带到了这片他们生活工作的地方。
在这个拥有小广场和回廊的礼拜堂里，安葬着一位天才——来昂那多·达·芬奇。在被佛兰索瓦一世约见后，达芬奇于1517年来到昂布瓦斯镇（Amboise），并被安排住在克卢·吕斯（Cols-Luce）。艺术家在此度过了晚年，而佛兰索瓦一世也得到了艺术史上的不朽之作——《蒙娜丽莎》。
我们要继续向前，参观另一座很有特色的城堡——维朗德丽城堡（Villandry）。它于1536年建于卢瓦尔河畔，建筑特色使城堡蜚声遐迩。因为这里没有常见的圆形城堡，而是矩形的亭子。不过它的意大利式的园艺也是这里的特色之一。在维朗德丽城堡（Villandry），意大利园艺师美尔科克利阿罗（Don Pacello Da Mercogliano）更像是一位艺术家。在地势低的地方，还有一个装饰性的蔬菜花园，自然最原始的本色成为最令人赏心悦目的景色。这些最普通的蔬菜被神奇地赋予了装饰功能。
优质的葡萄酒产自历史悠久的省份——都兰。葡萄酒会令你在此地倍感心旷神怡，就如同作家巴尔扎克对这里的迷恋。在都兰，你还能学到如何热爱葡萄酒。追溯历史，早在高卢时期，当地葡萄酒的美名就已经享誉天下。
这里出产的酒有浓烈鲜艳的桑舍尔（Sancere）和炫目清澈的乌乌黑（Vouvray），那看上去如同珍珠般的瀑布。这种酒在16世纪法国作家拉伯雷（Rabelais）的笔下被比喻成一种精美的丝织品。
那些喜爱红酒的人也不会在卢瓦尔河流域失望，这里的布尔格伊酒（Bourgureil）散发着浓郁的香气。希农酒（Chinon）则拥有着紫罗兰般的绚丽色彩。
让我们举杯，为这里梦幻般的美景尽兴。
畅游在卢瓦尔河，仿佛是行进在历史、艺术与现实的交错之中。在这欧洲的一角，它已被深深镌刻在人们的心灵之中。