Thursday 1st October.
Still 17 degs but not quite so sunny which is almost a relief. The Loire is terribly low as there has been no rain for nearly 3 months now. We dread the day it decides to start! After a steep ride out of Ambroise we biked across hilly countryside with some vines (see photo of grape picking monster) and also our first pheasant which judging by the barrage of shots to be heard was probably not the only one in the vicinity, we arrived in Chenonceaux. One of the best known chateau, and according to our b and b landlady it is the second most visited place in France. Luckily by the time we arrived everyone else was having lunch so it was pretty quiet. It was a delightful family chateau (on a rather grand scale) and we have to touch up on our history as Mary, Queen of Scots features prominently here. The kitchen gardens were fantastic but apparently there are 18 full time gardeners so it is hardly surprising. The flower arrangements in the chateau are all grown there and made my efforts at church flowers look a little inadequate.
The renaissance style seems to be minimalist as far as furniture is concerned – where did they hide their TV’s, videos, radios, hats and coats, guns, computers and all that shopping, but they loved a bit of gold - see the photo of the picture of Louis XIV and also the gilded cabinet. Except for the kitchens which frankly have advanced very little in the last 500 years except for the invention of the microwave. Stoves, chopping boards, marble slabs for cooling, racks of pots and pans, every shape of knife and cleaver, garbage disposal straight into the moat, herb drying shelves, storage – it’s all there just not so well packaged and presented.
The chateau takes at least two and a half hours to do it and the gardens justice and one could spend longer, but we were on a mission and that was to get to Villandry by dark which is about 40 miles away so we caught the train from Chenonceaux’s own station back into Tours and then cycled out of the city (bit hairy) onto the Loire au velo and 15 miles and an hour and a half later we were there. And very happy to be in a small non touristy community – ‘cept for the Kiwis staying in the same chambre d’hote – who are charming!
Next time we will try and attach some more photos but they are proving very difficult to load.
Still 17 degs but not quite so sunny which is almost a relief. The Loire is terribly low as there has been no rain for nearly 3 months now. We dread the day it decides to start! After a steep ride out of Ambroise we biked across hilly countryside with some vines (see photo of grape picking monster) and also our first pheasant which judging by the barrage of shots to be heard was probably not the only one in the vicinity, we arrived in Chenonceaux. One of the best known chateau, and according to our b and b landlady it is the second most visited place in France. Luckily by the time we arrived everyone else was having lunch so it was pretty quiet. It was a delightful family chateau (on a rather grand scale) and we have to touch up on our history as Mary, Queen of Scots features prominently here. The kitchen gardens were fantastic but apparently there are 18 full time gardeners so it is hardly surprising. The flower arrangements in the chateau are all grown there and made my efforts at church flowers look a little inadequate.
The renaissance style seems to be minimalist as far as furniture is concerned – where did they hide their TV’s, videos, radios, hats and coats, guns, computers and all that shopping, but they loved a bit of gold - see the photo of the picture of Louis XIV and also the gilded cabinet. Except for the kitchens which frankly have advanced very little in the last 500 years except for the invention of the microwave. Stoves, chopping boards, marble slabs for cooling, racks of pots and pans, every shape of knife and cleaver, garbage disposal straight into the moat, herb drying shelves, storage – it’s all there just not so well packaged and presented.
The chateau takes at least two and a half hours to do it and the gardens justice and one could spend longer, but we were on a mission and that was to get to Villandry by dark which is about 40 miles away so we caught the train from Chenonceaux’s own station back into Tours and then cycled out of the city (bit hairy) onto the Loire au velo and 15 miles and an hour and a half later we were there. And very happy to be in a small non touristy community – ‘cept for the Kiwis staying in the same chambre d’hote – who are charming!
Next time we will try and attach some more photos but they are proving very difficult to load.
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