| CHAMBORD | French village in the Loire Valley, site of a 440-room Renaissance chateau commissioned by Francis I with a double helix "DNA" staircase designed by Leonardo da Vinci (8) |
| RACED | Did a 440 or a 5K |
| FONTAINEBLEAU | Town in N. France famous for its palace built in the 16c by Francis I (13) |
| ESTAING | In which picturesque French village in the north of Aveyron is the bridge over the river Lot which forms part of a world heritage site? (7) |
| BARSAC | French village in the Gironde department, known for its sweet white wines (6) |
| VEZELAY | This French village lies on a hill on the left bank of the Cure River. Its history is tied to its Benedictine abbey, founded in the 9th century. The abbey attracted pilgrims because the supposed remai |
| HENRYTHEEIGHTH | English monarch who met Francis I of France at the Field of the Cloth of Gold in 1520 |
| ANJOU | A former province of France, in the Loire Valley, the ruling family of which gave rise to the Plantagenets of England (5) |
| SCHELDT | River flowing from the French village of Gouy through the port of Antwerp to the North Sea (7) |
| LEHAVRE | French seaport in Normandy founded by King Francis I in 1517 (2,5) |
| LOUISE | --- of Savoy, mother of King Francis I and regent of France in 1515, 1525-26 and 1529 (6) |
| SIMI | ___ Valley (site of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library) |
| CHER | River in the Loire Valley spanned by the Chateau de Chenonceau (4) |
| TOURSOPERATOR | Switchboard worker in a French city in the Loire Valley? |
| MUSCADET | A white grape, grown by winemakers in the Loire valley, originally called melon de Bourgogne (8) |
| CHATEAU | Grand French country house or castle, many of which are found in the Loire Valley |
| SYRIA | Country containing about 440 miles of the course of the Euphrates and about 27 miles of the Tigris |
| CELLINI | Florentine sculptor and goldsmith noted for his autobiography La Vita and pieces including a salt cellar for Francis I and a bronze statue of Perseus (7) |
| CHOCOLAT | Joanne Harris novel set in the French village of Lansquenetsous-Tannes (8) |
| TAOS | __ Ski Valley, site of Kachina Peak |
