Here's a website that showcases the castle in Blois

http://www.castles.org/castles/Europe/Western_Europe/France/france110.htm

The Loire Valley is known for castles and wine. Here are two sites that highlight the latter:

http://www.frenchwinesfood.com/course/9_loire.html http://www.loirevalleywine.com/foodwine.html

Blois is a lovely, typical Mediaeval town. The castle sits at the top of a winding road and is worth a visit. We stayed in a small hotel (honestly don't remember the name) on the road and, after walking around town for 1/2 hour, ate at a restaurant right next door. It was late, and as is typical, shops were closed and the town seemed quiet. However, in the morning we awoke to activity and had baguette and cafe au lait at a cafe next to the restaurant we had eaten in the night before. The Loire Valley is generally beautiful and specializes in castles - too numerous to mention. You can easily find numerous websites. You have some time, so I'd suggest contacting the French tourist board for detailed information. You may even want to contact the Alliance Francais in New York City http://www.fiaf.org/index1.htm They are most willing to offer information about France. Bon Voyage, Lucy