BLOIS, France: Most people have dreamed of spending a night in a castle, and along the Loire Valley in France that dream can come true for holidaymakers.
In the morning, travelers can view Renaissance-style palaces, spend the afternoon walking through the parks and then sleep in a bed fit for a king.
When night falls in Blois, many people gather in the courtyard of the chateau which forms the backdrop for a light show accompanied by music and stories of high drama, war and mystery.
At the castle's entrance, over the portal, is a carved representation of France's King Louis XII.
"Blois was one of the royal family's main residences," says Catherine Garrigon as she points out a lily carved on a column. The lily was once the emblem of the French royal family.
The tour guide then strides up the staircase that winds its way up the castle's octagonal tower.
France's royal court and aristocracy came to the Loire Valley to enjoy its natural beauty and the region has managed to retain much of its original grace.
Just like a visit to a chateau, a walk along the river bank is like a stroll back in time. Birds still make their nests on the Loire's sand banks and France's longest river has never been straightened or canalised.
A popular place to visit is the Chateau de Chaumont-sur-Loire where people flock in the summer months to admire the castle's ornate gardens.
The simply decorated castle with its 15th century drawbridge stands in sharp contrast to the lush gardens.
"The Festival des Jardins, our International Garden Festival, was founded in 1992," explains the guide Jule Cabedoce. "Landscapers from all over the world come here every year to create modern gardens according to a different theme."
This year's theme is "Community Gardens" which aims to depict the garden as a place where different generations can share and understand the mysteries of life.
The park at Chateau Chenonceaux on the other hand contains two traditional gardens which are typical of the French Renaissance style.
One of them was laid out by France's queen consort Catherine de Medici while the other was arranged by her rival Diane de Poitiers.
These gardens would be paradises, if not for the hordes of visitors admiring their rose-lined flower beds and patterned lawns. The castle's hedge labyrinth is also full of adults and children amusing themselves royally.
Chateau Chenonceaux is also one of the finest examples of stately homes in the Loire Valley.
The castle building appears to hover over water as its western facade was built on arches spanning the River Cher, a tributary of the Loire.
Visitors can also rent a rowing boat to admire the castle and glide under the main three-storey construction with ornate fireplaces, canopied beds and oil paintings.
The castle's lower level houses a large, fully furnished Renaissance kitchen that appears to be straight out of a film.
The atmosphere is uncanny making it easy to experience the centuries-old castle during an evening's stroll accompanied by contemporary music.
Another outstanding castle is Chateau de Cheverny south of the River Loire. The castle still contains the original furniture - a rarity among the Loire's castles - because in the past the individual items were often taken on journeys with the chateau's owner.
The rooms look as if they were in use just yesterday. The walls are lined with leather and decorated with hanging carpets and tapestries.
But the jewel in the crown of Loire Valley castles is Chateau de Chambord. This French Renaissance style building is so big that some visitors get lost within its walls.
The castle is 156 m long, 56 m high and has more than 420 rooms. Even the roof with its myriad towers and chimneys has enough space to walk on. But despite the enormous proportions, it still manages to convey the feeling of visiting a fairytale.
In the 18th century, the castle belonged to Marshal Moritz de Saxe who built stables big enough to house more than 200 horses. Today, the stables provide the location for a colorful spectacle of top-quality horse riding.
When night falls, music fills the air and it's time for Les Clairs de Lune, the castle's light show, which takes visitors back to the Renaissance period and to a world of opulence and lavish parties, a taste of which visitors can still enjoy to this day.
