Hunting Lodge? and .. Chateau Royal de Blois !!

 Before we arrived at Chambord, built by Francis I, and used as a .. hunting lodge !! Are you kidding me? .. we drove down the hill from our lodging chateau and encountered this equestrian group walking their horses down to their arena :

We headed East along the Loire River. Jan captured this image of Chateau de Chaumont-sur-Loire which is known for their international garden festival :

Here's their poster :

We drove on to the biggest castle/chateau .. CHAMBORD.  This was our first view:

It seems Francis I was fighting in Italy when he fell in love with the Italian Renaissance style of building.   You'll see this design throughout.

Who needs .. 440 rooms and 365 fireplaces for a hunting lodge?

Here's a few interior room pictures :

During WWII, Chambord was used as one of the rotating hiding places for the art in the Louvre!

Here's some from up on top, including a look at the 'French' gardens :

Over the top!   Ego at work to show off his power.   Now we're headed to Blois for lunch and a visit to my namesake chateau.   We lucked out .. arrived on a Saturday which is 'market day' here.  Here's some pics while driving and looking at Blois from across the river :

We walked through some of the market before stopping at a cafe for lunch.

Up about a hundred steps to the chateau entrance.

After entering through the passageway under the horse you enter a square with four different architectural styles, medieval / flamboyant / renaissance / classicism.

This is the .. Chateau Royal de Blois.  Home to .. Louis of Orleans (1372-1407), Charles of Orleans (1394-1465), Louis XII (1462-1515), Francis I (1494-1547), Henry II (1519-1559), Francis II (1544-1560), Henry IV (1553-1610), Charles IX (1550-1574), and Henry III (1551-1589). (important enough to be named de Blois!)

This large room was built in the 13th century! ..which for many years was the largest room in France! :

I think we're chateau'd out!  It's time to drive to Paris and fly home.  What a very fun three weeks!   Paris, the Seine, Normandy, Le Havre, Rouen, Bordeaux and its river towns on the Garonne and the Dordogne and .. the Loire Valley's chateaus!

I think we're ready for home, family, and friends, .. and church and golf and rest!

Take care.  Hope you enjoyed our travelogue.  Hope we see you soon.  Joe & Jan.

Chenonceau, Amboise, and Du Clos Luce

14,281 steps and THREE castles/chateaus !!  Big day.  We started with Chateau de Chenonceau, 'The Ladies Chateau'.   Built, remodeled many times, and run by .. Queens, mistresses, and widows .. the chateau was spared during the French Revolution because of the kindness to the local population over the years.

It's built over the River Cher.   The ladies included: Katherine Briconnet, Diane de Poitiers (mistress of Henry II), Catherine de Medici (widow of Henry II), Louise of Lorraine (widow of Henry III), Louise Dupin who saved the chateau during the French Revolution, and several others.  It was used as a hospital in WWI.

This was one of the large halls over the water :

Here are some interior room views including the chapel:

The Hundred Years' War, 1337-1453, forced the French kings to find refuge in the Loire Valley.   They stayed in castles and rebuilt many into fancy chateaus.

We drove into the town of Amboise for lunch before entering the castle.   Here are a few pics of the center of town.   We then walked across a bridge over the Loire River to get a better idea of the size of Amboise Castle.

This was the bridge that we walked on : (looking from the top, later)

Okay, let's go look at the castle.

Some interesting things we learned from the guide - this castle at Amboise was the first to learn from the Italians how to incorporate stairways within the castle instead of the outside tower!  .. and, also - the French learned from the Italians how to use a table to eat off of ..and.. how to use a fork!!   Who knew?  This is the castle's chapel on the highest level.  It's where Leonardo Da Vinci's remains are interred.

The large tower on the east side had spiralled ramps that allowed horse carriages to ride up .. one for going up!  ..and.. one for going down!

It was now time to walk to .. Chateau du Clos Luce.   In 1516, Francis I invited Leonardo Da Vinci to stay in France.  His protector has just died.  Leonardo arrived at Clos Luce with three of his paintings, including the Mona Lisa, the Virgin and child with Saint Anne, Saint John the Baptist, and all of his manuscripts.   This marked the start of the French history of these three masterpieces, today on display in the Louvre.   Francis I put his residence at Leonardo's disposal, as well as granting him an annuity of 1,000 gold crowns.  Leonardo died at Clos Luce in 1519.  Here's a look at the chateau.

The chateau's grounds and gardens showcases the major inventions of DaVinci.

It was late, it was warm, we were tired, so we skipped the inside rooms tour and sat outside under an umbrella and enjoyed some .. Leonardo beer!

We were exhausted.  After a short rest back at Chateau DePray, we caught their shuttle into town for dinner.    It was a long fun day.   One more chateau day!

It's time for the biggest!  The castle of Chambord!  ..and.. my namesake castle .. Chateau de Blois!   Then it's a drive to Paris and Charles DeGaulle Airport.

We can DO it.   One more day of adventures!!  Then Oregon here we come!

Take care, Joe & Jan.