A fairy-tale realm par excellence, the Loire Valley is studded with storybook villages, time-burnished towns, and— bien sûr—the famous châteaux de la Loire. These postcard staples, like Chenonceau and Chambord, seem to be strung like a strand of pearls across a countryside so serene it could win the Nobel peace prize. With magic at every curve in the road, Cinderella's glass coach might |