A Family AFFAIR

Nearby, the Château du Clos Lucé displays the work of one of history’s most distinguished fi gures, Leonardo da Vinci. The original Renaissance man, da Vinci was as much a civil and military engineer as he was painter, architect, botanist and mathematician. In 1516, da Vinci arrived from Italy by mule with the Mona Lisa apparently among his possessions. When I’d visited as a boy, the tiny museum captured my imagination. Since then, the site has greatly expanded, with some of da Vinci’s inventions built to scale in an expansive park. For kids, it doesn’t get much better. With my creative appetite satiated, I contentedly head for the medieval streets of Amboise where, after eyeing the patisserie window for about 10 minutes, I finally select my childhood favourite, the chocolate eclair. I march against the cold wind and huddle in the car, a dessert box expectantly on my lap. Either my mouth has gotten bigger or the eclairs have become smaller, because after three bites, it has vanished.

On my final night with Dad before heading off to Paris on my own, the wine flows freely around the massive dining room table at the B & B. Our hosts, Marcel-Paul and Brigitte, ply us with Vernou’s local selections. We enjoy the company of two Australian guests, Lesley and Otto van de Velde. Brigitte is adamant we speak French, but after a few minutes, we slide back into English. “Travelling for a month through France, you almost have to speak like a child,” says Lesley, who commands just enough French to get by and feels constrained by her limited vocabulary. “But sometimes you want to speak as an adult and have adult conversations.” In our case, this means speaking in English.

As the evening unfolds amid our merry-making and the exchange of travel stories, an extraordinary selection of cheeses arrives before us. I’ve never been one for mouldy stinky cheese, but the time and the wine are right. I try them all: Selles-sur- Cher, made from local goat milk, Sainte-Maure de Touraine, a white cheese rolled in a black wood ash, and Crottin de Chavignol, which comes from the raw milk of mountain goats.

With a full belly, I roll into bed and slip into a world of cheese-induced dreams. Outside my window, the fantastical reds of early morning paint the cliff walls of Vernou so that for a brief moment dream and waking life are one.

I leave the Loire Valley on a blue and cloudless day. But before I say goodbye to my dad, we walk up toward the vineyards passing abandoned caverns with for-sale signs where barrels of wine were once aged. On several occasions, our family visited the winemakers in their damp and dimly lit caves, sampling their mellow creations.

In the near distance, two older gentlemen patiently remove the unhealthy leaves from vines that were planted the same year I was born. It’s an intriguing thought that these vines have continued to grow and be nurtured much the same way I have over the last four decades.

My dad points to the old cemetery that sits amidst the vineyards. He sighs deeply as only my father can sigh. This time, he doesn’t need to say anything. I know what he means. It was here we had one of our most poignant moments when I was eight or nine years old. We wandered among the headstones of the cemetery and sat on a bench in the fading light of evening, father and son, admiring the beauty surrounding us and discussing the meaning of life and mortality.

I can’t help but smile in memory. The nature of time is elusive like the dream approached but never quite grasped. I take a deep breath. Perhaps the fragrance unique to France is the earth that is ploughed and cultivated religiously each year. Or is it history itself that lingers about this sensual landscape, flavouring the countryside and cities, its scent somehow revealing both the depth and beauty of France’s historical topography? I imagine my own family story has somehow become a part of this place, each journey adding meaning like the rich layers of soil that have proven so bountiful. ˛

RobeRt J. bRodey is an associate editor of and a regular contributor to Outpost. He is currently on assignment in Morocco and The Gambia. Visit his website at www.cloudgazer.com.

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