In October 2025, Shane and I visited Angers, France and London, England for 10 days of performances and adventures. These posts capture the details of our trip.
Our second day in Angers started out much more relaxed. We had time to run the route from the evening before, but in reverse. This time we saw donkeys grazing under a rising sun in Balzac Park. (How very European of them, ha.)
The women’s skating practice was up first again; unlike the previous day, we were allowed in to the rink on time to see Kaori. She entered the rink in classic Kaori fashion: laughing because she was in her short program costume and something wasn’t properly hooked in the back. Her coach had to help her with adjustments, and then she went to work.
How it felt to watch this legend skate in person is hard to describe. She is just mesmerizing. Nothing on a flat page can fully capture the power, flow, and grace she brings to the ice. And sitting in the stands added new dimensions (shadows, sound, speed) that could only be experienced by being there.
Long story short: we knew immediately that it had been worth every penny and pain to get to Angers. =)
It was surreal seeing a run-through of Kaori’s “Time to Say Goodbye” short program, which she would skate again later that evening. Because both her programs are retirement-themed, several fans around us were already getting emotional. (And I mean, who can blame them??)
We stayed for the whole of the women’s, pairs’, and ice dance practices. To my continued delight, Riku and Ryuichi completed another run-through of “Paint It Black”, this time in costume.
Watching Lithuanian ice dancers Allison Reed and Saulius Ambrulevičius was another highlight for me. I developed a soft spot for this team last year, after the cleverness of their “Lord & Master” free dance (which tells the story of a puppet brought to life who ends up taking control of its master).
We left before the men’s practice to fit in our visit to the local castle.
Château d’Angers
The Angers castle is situated in downtown on a promontory overlooking the River Maine. The spot has been occupied since the Neolithic period, although the first royalty didn’t arrive until the 9th century. Over the centuries, the site has served as a palace, fortress, and prison.
Now a tourist attraction, the current castle is surrounded by a nearly half-kilometre-long wall with 17 defensive towers. A rampart runs along the top and offered stellar views of Angers in every direction for our visit. (We lucked out with another sunny day!)
The castle grounds also house the 14-century “Apocalypse” tapestry, so-called because it illustrates the final apocalypse according to the book of Revelations. This wool tapestry is one of the oldest surviving tapestries of such massive size: each of the six original pieces measured 6 metres high by 23 metres long!
The tapestry is currently displayed in sections suspended across a long L-shaped hallway. The scale is incredible. It’s hard to imagine the amount of effort needed to create this, especially at the time of its creation! Our tour booklet said the making took seven years, and that was considered a pretty snappy turnaround.
Once our self-guided castle tour concluded, we headed back to the IceParc for the first of the ice skating competitions.
Next up: the official start of Grand Prix de France, with the women and pairs kicking off their competition!
I loved seeing the castle. Such largeness makes it so Royal!!
The photos are superb, as usual. Letitia, you have a great eye for this.
I’m so glad you got to see your skaters in person and experience the sights and sounds of them sharing their talents.
What a great trip!!!
Thanks! Yes, it felt very royal indeed, especially in the chapel! Lots to enjoy throughout the trip.
My favorite part about this is your pure delight in watching Kaori skate.
That tapestry is amazing . My secret indulgence for the past 5 years has been watching a vlog about a woman my age who bought a chateau in France with a couple friends when she was 26. She is restoring it and it’s a mammoth project (my parents used to do this kind of thing on a much smaller scale). I love the look of old buildings. Even all the different colored stones in that wall from the Great Hall are so beautiful.
It is definitely the most I have fangirled in my life. =)
What an interesting project! I can see the appeal. There is a lot to love in the old styles.
Wow! That stained glass is amazing!
And there was an even bigger one on the main wall, but I couldn’t fit it well in the camera lens so it lives just in my mind’s eye.