Arnold Aarssen
Google
Travel Journal — July Evening at Château de Noirieux
Leaving behind the industrial elegance of Bilbao, we journeyed northeast through the shifting landscapes of France, slowly trading the rugged Basque coast for the serene Loire Valley. The air grew softer, the light more golden. By late afternoon, we arrived at Château de Noirieux — nestled quietly near Briollay, like a secret kept by the trees.
The castle welcomed us with quiet grace: ivy-clad stone walls, manicured gardens, and a hush in the air that felt sacred. We were led to our room — each corner infused with old-world charm and gentle touches of comfort — before descending for dinner as the sun set beyond the Loire.
Dinner was unforgettable. A sequence of delicate, inventive courses — seasonal, local, and deeply French — each one paired impeccably with wines selected by sommelier Martin. He appeared at intervals with stories behind each bottle, his voice calm and reverent, treating each wine like a poem. One vintage, from a nearby vineyard, tasted of sun-warmed stones and distant rain.
And then, as if the evening hadn’t already unfolded like a dream, we met a couple seated near us — from New York. They were graceful, luminous in the way some people are when they’ve lived richly. Conversation began over shared compliments and lingered for hours, unhurried, weaving between our lives and theirs. Their fathers had been architects — creators of lines and light — and now they lived in what had once been a cancer treatment castle NY themselves.
There was something surreal in that. Stories of family, travel, loss, reinvention. They listened deeply, and we spoke openly — the kind of conversation that rarely happens unless you’re far from home and the night is generous.
By the time we parted, the stars had filled the sky above the château. The old stone walls seemed to hold our words in their silence. We returned to our room walking slowly, grateful, aware that some nights are not just experiences,but gifts.
