Bonjour tous!
I have just returned from a lovely two days in the Loire Valley with my organization (AYA) and with another group of American students from the University of Delaware. We saw four
chateaux, two cute towns, and one
cave de vin, and it was a blast!
Friday morning, we left Paris very early, by coach bus, heading SSW towards the Loire Valley. After about three hours of driving, we arrived at the
Chateau de Chambord, hunting lodge of François I, among others, and most likely designed by Leonardo da Vinci--the famous double-helix staircase was definitely designed by him. I visited
Chambord with my high school when I was here in April 2008, and it was a lot of fun to see it again! The double-helix staircase is always fun--it's two separate sets of stairs, really, and apparently it was made so that the king's mistress could take one set of stairs, and his wife could take the other, and they wouldn't have to meet... Anyway, it is a really beautiful castle, so here are the goods:
 |
| double-helix staircase |
 |
| view of the other side of the stairs |
 |
| the center of said staircase |
 |
| F for François--the salamander above was also his symbol |
 |
| view from the back of the chateau |
 |
| towers--detail |
Then, after a lunch in the town of
Amboise, we walked less than a mile to
Clos Lucé, which François I gave to Leonardo da Vinci, and
where the latter ended his days. It's not really a chateau, it's really more of a manor house, but it is still quite striking, and I was surprised by how colorful it was inside! The gardens here were also really pretty, very natural, and it was a fun place to wander around.
 |
| The Chateau d'Amboise, which we didn't tour... |
 |
| Yes, that's peanut butter. The cheese here is great, but I needed a change! In the background: the town of Amboise. |
 |
| at a café/pâtisserie in Amboise |
 |
| the café/pâtisserie |
 |
| Clos Lucé, home of Leonardo da Vinci |
 |
| There was a cat sleeping on THE Leonardo's bed! |
 |
| It was really colorful inside! |
 |
| more stained glass... |
 |
| mock-up of da Vinci's design for a tank |
pastry looks yummi in the cafe' and the cat? I like! Love Dad.
ReplyDeleteHi I really liked it alot Ms paris Hugs bye Frome Florida I made it back buddy Bye
ReplyDeleteDad: apparently da Vinci was really into cats, so they keep them around his house still... (Hemingway's house in Key West is the same--cats roaming around). The yummy treat on the café table was actually for Alex, although I had a bite, and it was good. I just had tea.
ReplyDelete