Vaux-le-Vicomte is one of the highlights of our trip to France. This was the first day we rented a car and left Paris for the Loire Valley. We were awed by the entrance to the palace, a sight of perfect symmetry and stately proportions. There was hardly any tourist here, so we had the place almost to ourselves in a relaxing afternoon under perfect weather. The meticulously maintained parterre gardens and rows of perfectly aligned topiary trees were delightful and sumptuous. Grand vistas were had every few steps, strolling along the canal then up the hill to the Hercules statue was a spectacular experience. We were immersed in a bucolic countryside that is oh-so refined. The palace itself, enclosed by an elegant moat, feels like a jewel whose angular steep roofs are its facets.
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