More Chateaus

After picking up our car in Tours, Margie and I returned to Amboise to visit the Amboise Chateau.  We had already been here earlier with Backroads but only visited Clos de Luce, Michelangelo’s chateau.  And then on to Arpentis Chateau which has been converted into a hotel.  I think this must have been one of the hunting lodges, as the halls are decorated with stuffed birds and animals, a large tortoise shell, and a collection of rifles.

After picking up our car in Tours, Margie and I returned to Amboise to visit the Amboise Chateau.  We had been to Amboise earlier with Backroads but only visited Clos de Luce, Michelangelo’s chateau. The Amboise Chateau dominates the skyline of the city.

 And then on to Arpentis Chateau which has been converted into a hotel and where we stayed for three nights.  I think this must have been one of the hunting lodges, as the halls are decorated with stuffed birds and animals, a large tortoise shell, and a collection of rifles. There appear to be as many boar as deer, and a couple of bears on the stairs as well.

In our quest to visit every chateau in the Loire Valley, the next day we went to Cheverny which was definitely a hunting lodge.  The family that owns it still lives in it and maintains a pack of about one hundred dogs.  Chambord was immense, and some of the chateaus were originally defensive, so rather cold inside.  Cheverny is definitely a palace.  I could see myself living here.  Cheverny moved up to one of our top three chateaus.

In the afternoon we visited Chaumont, another chateau that was frequented by the French royalty.  The furniture, however, was from a later period - the nineteenth century.  Most of these chateaus have a similar history - built in the fourteenth to sixteenth century, abandoned or fell into disrepair in the seventeenth or eighteenth century (or looted during the French revolutionary period), and then bought by someone who restored it in the nineteenth or twentieth century.  The French government now owns and operates the chateaus, and gives each one furnishings to show what it might have looked like.  Chaumont was first built in the tenth century, destroyed by a king who was displeased with its owner, and rebuilt in the fourteenth century.  You needed to stay on the good side of the kings back then.

In the afternoon we visited Chaumont, another chateau that was frequented by the French royalty.  The furniture, however, was from a later period - the nineteenth century.  Most of these chateaus have a similar history - built in the fourteenth to sixteenth century, abandoned or fell into disrepair in the seventeenth or eighteenth century (or looted during the French revolutionary period), and then bought by someone who restored it in the nineteenth or twentieth century.  The French government now owns and operates the chateaus, and gives each one furnishings to show what it might have looked like.  Chaumont was first built in the tenth century, destroyed by a king who was displeased with its owner, and rebuilt in the fourteenth century.  You needed to stay on the good side of the kings back then.

For dinner we returned to La Croix Blanch, a lovely backyard hotel that Backroads had taken us to.  They have an incredible cognac flambe souffle for dessert.  Oh, the meal was good, too.

Finally, on our last day in the Loire Valley, we went to Azay le Rideau which is beautiful.  It quickly moved into our top three list which is a problem because the top three now have four contenders.  Azay le Rideau was essentially owned by just two families - one in the sixteenth century and one that bought and restored it in the eighteenth century.  It was furnished in the latter style and, like Cheverny, I could see myself living here.  This is another palace.  It is also built on an island in the river, and has a perfect reflecting pond in the back.  The symmetrical exterior makes it beautiful to look at.

We finished with Chinon which is older and more of a fort than a chateau.  We wished we had visited it earlier as it filled in the background of the history of the later chateaus.

Scorecard:  the Loire Valley has over 1,000 chateaus; Margie and I saw ten.  Uncle. But I think we did see the best of the best. Almost all of the chateaus had beautiful gardens with a wide variety of flowers and vegetables. Everything was green and blooming, but ... in our ten days it barely rained. In fact, the only semi-serious rain was on our first day in the car. The bike riding - perfect weather on lovely, scarcely traveled roads and bike paths. Great food, great company. Sometimes everything does go right.