To Float on the Wayward Wind

My review of the English National Opera's production of Philip Glass' Satyagraha  has been posted at:  http://passionofopera.blogspot.com/2013/12/timely-intensity-glass-satyagraha-at.html

My review of the English National Opera's production of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Die Zauberflöte  has been posted at:  http://passionofopera.blogspot.com/2013/12/simple-comedy-mozarts-die-zauberflote.html

My review of the Royal Opera House's production of Richard Wagner's  Parsifal  has been posted at:  http://passionofopera.blogspot.com/2013/12/musical-mastery-wagners-parsifal-at.html

My review of the English National Opera's production of Giacomo Puccini's  Madama Butterfly  has been posted at: http://passionofopera.blogspot.com/2013/12/ravishing-visual-beauty-puccinis-madama.html

My review of the Royal Opera House's production of Alban Berg's Wozzeck  has been posted at: http://passionofopera.blogspot.com/2013/12/chilling-sterility-bergs-wozzeck-at.html

My review of Royal Albert Hall's concert of Britten's  War Requiem  on Remembrance Day Sunday has been posted at:  http://passionofopera.blogspot.com/2013/12/atmosphere-defeated-brittens-war.html

Day 1: Azay-le-Rideau, Langeais, et Villandry My trip to the Loire Valley was exactly what I had hoped for my trip "somewhere else in France other than Paris" for my first visit to the country. It was a new experience for me in terms of location, cuisine, and touring style. The chateaus were incredible and I was glad to broaden my horizons. It's interesting that there are many countries, wonderful as they are, where the places that I would like to visit within them are pretty clearly defined and limited to one or a handful. In France, however, it felt like there were kind of infinite places I might want to visit. Still, the Loire Valley was a good start! This post is going to be heavy on the photos so there may be some spots with just a column of photos and little text. Still, I'll try to get up my response to each chateau and other experience! After arriving in Tours by my very  early train from Paris and wandering a bit to find the Tours tourist office (yes -