Following our stay in Paris, we spent a few days in the Loire Valley in central France…it was pure magic! We stayed in the small town of Amboise and rented a car which we drove from châteaux to châteaux in the surrounding towns. If you have never been to the Loire Valley, you must go! It was so beautiful and a wonderful way to wrap up our month-long adventure in Europe.
Cole and the charming town of Amboise:
Château d’Amboise:
A view of Amboise from the Château:
The chapel of Saint-Hubert where Leonardo da Vinci is buried:
Detail of Late Gothic carving on the Chapel of Saint-Hubert:
Stained glass in the chapel of Saint-Hubert:
Leonardo da Vinci’s tomb in the chapel of Saint-Hubert:
View across the river Loire from the Château:
Inside Château d’Amboise:
View from the roof:
The gardens:
After lunch in Amboise, we drove to the royal Château de Chambord. It is one of the most recognizable châteaux in the world, and the largest château in the Loire Valley:
Château de Chambord was built to serve as a hunting lodge for François I. On the day we visited Chambord there was a huge game show, hunting expo and game fair taking place.
The double-helix open staircase at the center of the château is rumored to have been designed by Leonardo da Vinci. The two helices ascend three floors without ever meeting, illuminated from above by a sort of light house at the highest point of the château.
After visiting Château de Chambord, we returned to the car and navigated to Château de Cheverny. We arrived just in time to walk over to the chenil for the feeding of the hound dogs. A pack of some seventy hound dogs are kept on the grounds and are taken out for hunts twice weekly.
We took a tour of the château, which was beautifully furnished, decorated with fresh flowers, and much smaller and more intimate than the last château:
As the sunset, we drove out to see Château de Chenonceau, our favorite. We went for a quiet walk and admired the beautiful château from across the river. Classical music played from the gardens and the whole evening just felt like a fairy tale. We were excited to return in the morning and tour the inside of the magnificent château.
