It’s raining. The streets become instantly clogged with cars and buses. Jets of run-off spray splatter passers-by, as the noise level increases with each horn, each call for a cab. Aggressive umbrella holders intent on their way, take no prisoners with the point of their parapleuie.

Springtime in Paris. Although the "city of light" is arguably the world’s most romantic destination, during a deluge, wet is wet. So when I found I had a little time in May to fly to France, I decided on the Western Loire Valley, a southern part of the country I had never explored. If it rained, I thought, I could hold up in châteaux and cathedrals or even a small cafe with a minimum of noise but lots of tea, sparkling wine, camembert and rillettes (potted pork or goose).

Many years ago I had taken a car trip with Parisian friends through the Loire Valley, with the requisite stops at exquisite châteaux. I took my first hot air balloon ride at Cheverny, and learned the joys of stopping in small historic towns for lunch or dinner or simply to wander along the cobbled streets.

We made it as far as Cholet, for a quick stop to see some relatives, then back to Orly for a flight back to the States. This time I began my journey immediately after deplaning at Charles-de-Gaulle and walking over to the TGV for a quick train ride to LeMans.

LeMans? All I could think of was the car race and Jean Paul Belmondo, Alain Deleon and the Grimaldi girls partying to excess. It being nowhere near race time, I instead found a beautifully preserved town caressed by pink-toned Roman walls and crowned with a magnificent Gothic cathedral, St. Julien, with flying buttresses, a 112-foot choir and exquisite stained glass.

Les Vieux Mans

I also found great shopping.

Le Vieux Mans (the old quarter) was founded on a hill overlooking the confluence of the Sarthe and Huisine Rivers in 4,000 B.C. Originally settled by the Celts it was invaded by the Romans in the late third century and renamed Vindunum. The wedding of Geoffrey V to Mathilda, Henry I’s daughter, in 1127, led to the creation of the Plantangenet dynasty.

Le Vieux Mans looks like the movie set for a quaint French village. In fact, it is where Cyrano de Bergerac, starring Gerard Depardieu and The Man with the Iron Mask were filmed.

On the 22 acres of cobbled streets (LeMans must be explored by foot.) you’ll find 15th century half-timbered homes, Renaissance townhouses and 18th century hotels. Inside the 4,270 feet of Roman ramparts are wonderful restaurants, art galleries and boutiques. I splurged on dramatic bijoux (jewels) purchasing two pairs of hand made, original earrings. If the dollar had done better against the euro (It was $1.28!) I would also have been the proud owner of a necklace or brooch.

Normally not interested in cars, I had to be convinced into a visit to the Automobile Museum at the entrance to the 24 Hour Race Circuit. It was great. More than 115 cars, from the earliest family car designed by Amedee Boullee in 1873 to the latest model racers in pristine condition, are exhibited here. If you haven’t had enough of cars after the vintage models, interactive exhibits and animated maquettes at the museum, you can cross over from spectator to driver at the raceway’s go-cart track. After a short training session with a former racer, you’re on your own.

Apres our go-cart race it was time for lunch at Le Clos du Hallai where old French favorites are reinterpreted by the excellent chef. After a lovely stay in a very large room at the four-star Hotel Concorde – it was fabulous and in a central location – it was off to Saumur, a place now on my list to revisit.

It’s easy to see why the late medieval Dukes of Anjou built their castle here. A startling white town, carved from the chalky tufa stone characteristic of the valley and capped by a 14th century château perched on a rocky promontory, Saumur has been known for centuries as an equestrian, mushroom and wine center.

The world-famous Equestrian Academy, home to the elite Calvary squad known as the Cadre Noir, opens its doors to the public for a show around the facilities and if you’re timing is right, a show by the soldiers. A visit to the turreted white castle built by Louis I is a must and so is lunch or dinner in one of the troglodyte caves where 75% of France’s mushrooms are grown. In the Middle Ages, a quarter of France’s population lived in the creamy limestone caves and were known as troglodytes. Over the years, the troglodytes excavated an extensive network of galleries, the largest in Europe. The mushroom growers and wine makers are still here, now joined by a zoo, inns and hostels along the banks of the Loire.

The underground mushroom restaurant we visited, La Cave aux Moines, was very good, but the damp underground part wasn’t much to my liking nor was the claustrophobic scale of the tunnels in, the restaurant’s main room and discothèque and the tunnels out. I ate the fabulous button mushrooms, the baked escargot and bread pulled from a limestone oven. After a few glasses of the regional sparkling wine, Saumur Brut, it was out into the open for me for a sit by the Loire while waiting for my companions.

Our next stop, after a short drive through streets bordered by flowering trees of white magnolia and mimosa, was to one of the largest surviving complexes of monastic buildings in Europe. The Royal Abbey of Fontevraud, built in the 12th century, is nothing less than spectacular. Founded by the hermit, Robert d’Arbrissel for both men and women, it was supervised for 700 years by aristocratic abbesses, most of them royal.

More beautiful than any cinematic rendering, its soaring nave, flamboyant gables and Romanesque entrance make way to an other-worldly interior. Pillar-surrounded galleries hold shrines to saints and in one large room the recumbent figures of Henry II Plantagenet (1133-1189) and his wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine. Later Richard the Lionhearted, after reconciling with his father, the king, asked to be buried in the same chapel and was laid to rest there when he died in 1199 as were many other members of the royal family.

The tour of Fontevraud includes a visit to the Grand-Moutier cloister, the Renaissance dormitories, the refectory where the nuns would hold meetings, the Romanesque kitchen made entirely of stone in 1160 with a fish-scaled roof and the Saint-Benoit Infirmaries with the remains of a mortuary chapel. Even if you’ve decided against one of those "cathedrals of France" tours, you will enjoy walking in the Abbey’s immaculate medieval gardens, designed by a perfume maker and smelling sweetly of hay, roses and the earthy scent of the Little Fontevraund Woods nearby.

Just up the Loire from the Abbey, upstream of the tiny village of La Fleche, is the grand 10th century Château du Lude. It’s a fairy tale place, beautifully furnished and owned by cousins to the Queen of England, Count and Countess de Nicolay. Once a fortress transformed by Italian architects in the Middle Ages for use by Louis XI’s chamberlain, the chateau has been added to and embellished over the years. There are four facades alone! The grand home is a visual history of French architecture. As you stroll through the interior, it is astonishing to note that in 1425 during the Hundred Years War, the castle was occupied by the English then liberated by the legendary Gilles de Rais, Bluebeard. The gardens that stretch for nearly a mile along the river are especially lovely, tiered, terraced and decorated with marble statues they also follow the evolution of time and taste.

Château du Lude

After a full day of touring we checked into the gorgeous four-star Le Prieure, positioned high above the Loire River, with fantastic views from the 12th century manor house. It was divine. The large windows of the 20 rooms open wide to the breeze off the river, and the last beams of light from a blood orange sunset. Le Prieure has 62 acres of grounds and a gourmet restaurant that serves regional specialties made from freshly caught river fish and the daily harvest of local gardens. The restaurant, too, is overlooking the river and in the intimate candlelit room it is easy to feel a slight tug of time.

Early the next morning we hopped into the car and hit another small town with a big château. It was early, the dew just lifting, a slight chill in the air. When we arrived at the zenith of a large hill there was the "Giant of the Loire Valley" a seven-story château overshadowing the tiny town of Brissac. It was market day and the town square was covered in convertible stalls selling fresh vegetables, seafood, jams, meats, handmade soaps, bedroom slippers, leather goods and all manner of elixirs. The men and women shopping were all beautifully dressed – the women with their hair done and wearing jewelry the men in starched shirts, ties and pleated pants.

We met the 13th Duc de Brissac at the "Giant" and he led us through 10 of the 204 rooms. The chateau has been in his influential family for 500 years. The future Henry II once said, "If I wasn’t a dauphin, I’d like to be a Brissac." We shouldn’t have been surprised when we learned he was related to the Nicolays from Chateau du Lude, not to mention the Queen. It’s a small world when you’re a royal. The Duke presides over the most modernized of all the lived-in châteaux we visited. The facilities include a conference room and a Belle Époque operatic theatre.

With all that modernity, we hit the road for our next stop, the industrial town of Angers. It was nothing like what I expected. Angers reminded me of an old-fashioned Paris – lots of style, great food, unique architecture but no crowds, models or pinching Parisians. There were very good restaurants with very good prices. Wine tasting bars with back-room dining areas and white-tablecloth establishments for gourmands.

Château d'Angers

The Abbaye du Ronceray is here, a Benedictine abby reserved for the daughters of nobility, and lots of winding, pedestrian-friendly streets dotted with parks filled with flowering plants. Cointreau is headquartered here and the tour through the plant is not only interesting, but fun, and ends in a tasting of creative Cointreau cocktails. I must admit I got lost walking through Angers (it was not the Cointreau), but no problem. Everyone I met was very friendly, a relief for an American traveling during these difficult times. My rescuer was a Russian student studying in one of the universities here – there are 30,000 students in Angers – she got me back to the tourism office and you can get anywhere from there.

The 17 towers of the city’s fortress enclose an area of Renaissance buildings including the "Plantagenet Gothic," St. Maurice Cathedral. The limestone and slate castle sits on the Maine River and is typical of the castles encountered on the Crusades. More than 1,000 years old with 17 towers covering five acres, it was built by Louis IX and holds the famed Apocalypse Tapestry woven in 1375 and considered the largest woven artifact in the world. It was commissioned by Louis I and is based on drawings by John of Bruges.

Nearby on rue Toussaint is an 11th century church with a modern glass roof sheltering an array of magnificent 19th century statues by David d’Angers.

Our final resting place was heaven. Really. A beautiful 15th century château, manor house and chapel in the village of Briollay, the five-star Château de Noirleu is everything you ever wanted in a hotel. She sits on acres of luxuriously landscaped gardens. The 19 large rooms are beautifully appointed with as many antiques as modern conveniences There is a great gourmet restaurant in an opulent setting, a convivial host and a public room with a grand piano and enormous hearth.

Our final dinner included medallions of foie gras with artichoke vinegrette and fine herbs, an herb encrusted lotte with fresh petits vegetables and scallop mousse and a chicory salad with a croustillant of Roquefort, banana and sweet nectarines.

The piece de resistance?

A "cascade of gourmet desserts."

A perfect ending to a perfect trip.