Spring Vacation 2010 - Loire Valley

The first stop over on the way back from Chasseneuil was to visit a couple of chateaus in the Loire Valley. We visited 4 chateaus, Chenonceau, Amboise, Chambord and Blois.

Chenonceau was the first, and under normal circumstances would have been the best. This is the one of the best known of the Loire chateaus. It is the one that seems to float above the Cher river. It was built on the site of a fortified castle in the 16th century. Only the keep from the previous castle was left standing. It was then owned by a series of 5 women that were responsible for refinements in the design to create what stands today. One of the 5 women was Catherine de Medici who ruled France from a small room over the Cher until her son came of age.

The each room in the chateau is decorated in a style of one of the owners. The thing I remember the most are the tapestries on the walls. Some of them were exceptional.

There were a couple of unfortunate things about visiting Chenonceau when we did. The first, we knew about. One of the magnificent things about Chenonceau is the gardens. But at this time of year, we were a bit early to enjoy the gardens. Second is that this time of year, Chenonceau is a magnet for buses full of kids on school trips. Third was that the front of the chateau was covered for repairs.

Still, we spent 2 hours before we had to leave. We could have easily spent doubled that with out being bored, more if the gardens had been in bloom.

Amboise was a fortified position on a hill above the Loire. It was the home of Francois I who became the king of France in 1515. Francois I was a patron of the arts. He was the first to build in the style of the Italian Renaissance. He surrounded himself with Italian artists, including Leonardo da Vinci. Leonardo served Francois I from 1516 to his death in 1519. Leonardo is buried in a small chapel on the ground of Amboise.

One of Leonardo's projects was certain design elements for Francois' hunting lodge at Chambord. As you turn the corner in the forest and look down a 2 mile path cut out of the forest to view the chateau, you understand the this was more than just a hunting lodge. It was a statement that the King of France was one powerful fellow.

Work began in 1519 and the chateau was completed in 1537. I don't think the picture give you an idea of the scale of this place. It is simply huge. This is also the chateau with the double winding stairways.

After Chambord, we were pretty chateaued-out. But we did stop be Blois to view the exterior of the chateau there. It is famous for the staircase in the picture that could be used to ride a horse into the upper floors of the chateau






The slide shows below can also be used to links to more of our pictures from Chenonceau and Chambord.