out to win back his kingdom from the English. The Scots, too, rallied to the French cause according to the terms of the “Auld Alliance,” a defensive pact against the English which, the Scots maintain, still holds good today! In any case, to thank Scotland for its aid, John Stuart of Darnley was made Seigneur d'Aubigny. In beautifully preserved Aubigny-sur-Nère also known as the Stuarts' town, bagpipe-playing Scots decked out in kilts parade down the main street each July 14. On the outskirts of Aubigny, at the Château de la Verrerie, the hospitable Comte de Vogüé‚ has fitted out princely accommodations where a few privileged paying guests can spend the night or a few idyllic days.
To reconquer his realm Charles VII required considerable forces, and to obtain them he needed considerable funds. The man to supply them was financier Jacques Coeur, the hugely rich merchant prince whose commerce with the East (he had his own Mediterranean fleet) allowed him to build up the royal war chest. Jacques Coeur also built himself a superb palace, one of the architectural glories of Bourges. The town's other glory, of course, is the magnificent cathedral of Saint-Étienne, completed in the thirteenth century and recently registered as a world landmark by UNESCO.
If you are driving to Bourges from Paris, why not follow the Route Jacques Coeur? It begins at La Bussière with the lakebound château des Pêcheurs, then continues south through Aubigny-sur-Nère and Bourges to the Cistercian abbaye de Noirlac (where a music festival is held in July and August) and the exuberant Renaissance castle of Meillant. Last of the seventeen stops on the Route Jacques Coeur is the triple-towered medieval fortress of Culan not far from the Auvergne border.
Sancerre occupies a rocky spur on the banks of the Loire. The town's ancient vineyards (mentioned by Pliny the Elder, a Roman naturalist writing around the time of Christ) are best known for a crisp, flinty white wine produced from the Sauvignon grape. Sauvignon is also planted at nearby Menetou-Salon, Quincy, Reuilly, and Châteaumeillant, along with Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, and Gamay. Appreciated in their day by kings and royal courts, the wines of Berry nearly disappeared in the nineteenth century, attacked by the phylloxera root louse. The region's vineyards are coming back in strength today. These fruity wines make perfect partners for the famous Crottin, a tangy chèvre made in Chavignol, not far from Sancerre.
A final note for lovers of mystery: Berry has long been suspected--and still is, today--of siring witches and sorcerers. It seems that this quietly lovely land is particularly fertile terrain for superstition (or overactive imaginations). Whether to thwart the witches' power, or simply to celebrate their legend, the inhabitants Bué, once a hotbed of witchcraft, masquerade as wizards and witches during an annual festival. Nowadays, it's more frolicsome than fearsome. If black magic fascinates you, don't miss the Musée de la Sorcellerie in Concressault, where you can explore the weird world of witchcraft. You'll leave all the gladder knowing that the natural magic of Berry's gentle beauty awaits you outside!
Art treasures from an unyielding land
The last low hills of the Massif Central come to a rolling halt in the Limousin. It's something of a puzzle, really, to pinpoint exactly where one region ends and the other begins. The Limousin's connection to Auvergne is evident at Guéret, Ussel, or Aubusson, but links with Quercy are equally apparent at Collonges-la-Rouge, one of France's most beautiful villages, constructed entirely of red sandstone, and lively Brive-la-Gaillarde would look quite as much at home in Périgord as in the Limousin.
What the Limousin's three départements--Haute-Vienne, Creuse, and Corrèze--have in common are vast, deserted stretches of poor, rocky soil (like the barren plateau de Millevaches threaded with springs and streams), with precious little farmland. The land's unyielding character explains the many small holdings scattered wherever patches of arable soil make it possib