Les chateaux du Loire.

My apologies as I have failed yet again to update my blog in a timely manner. You may consider this problem to be due to my extremely busy schedule or lack of anything to tell you, but in reality it is only laziness. But I figured before I take off for Italy, I should tell you about the castles I visited last weekend :) Nothing too detailed. Just the good stuff.

Chateaux de Blois

This is the first "chateau" or castle we visited, although it's not technically a castle because it has no moat or fortification around it. Its name is extremely difficult to pronounce and sounds something like Chateau de BLAH when the French say it. Compared to the other places we visited wasn't super impressive, but still lovely in the sunshine. 

During our visit, we saw a room of some of the old statues that were associated with the chateau throughout it's long history, including some very creative drain pipes which I though you might all enjoy.

Nothing like a screaming monk to keep the rain off your roof!

I think this might have been a monk...but it looks sort of like an alien to me.

Oh and someone in our group was kind enough to point out that the prince from Shrek was visiting :)

And a couple other little things...

Beautiful harpsichord inside.

Porcupine stained glass window? Yes please.

Chateaux de Clemenceau

The grounds at this place looked wonderful in the sunshine. I walked around a bit after lunch with an ice cream cone. Just lovely.

OH and this about blew my mind...

Alright, so see the tower on the right? It's attached to the main building right?

WRONG!

Crazy, huh? Apparently there used to be four of those larger towers, but once someone new got the caster, the tradition was to tear down the previous one and leave something from the one before for posterity. Therefore, they left one tower.

Back in the day, the castle was a gift from the king to his mistress. Yes, mistress not wife. And she wasn't bitter at all...once the king died and the queen took to chateau back from the mistress and added this extra floor to the bridge, just to leave her little mark on the place. Her effort for justice was rather worthless, however as the chateaux went to the next king's mistress after the queen. Nice right?

The castle was used later to treat wounded soldiers during the war and all sorts of other random things. It's nice to hear that the historical buildings have been more than just museums since their construction. Amazing that even this thing that seems just a relic of some old time, it's really a relic of the evolution of the place and a tribute to the diversity of its residents and its country.

This room belonged to one of the lovely ladies who owned this castle. She never left the place after the death of her husband and this was her bedroom. Before you can even see through the door, the lack of light you see in the doorway warns you that depression will follow shortly after entry.

Apparently all these old chateaux used to have intricately painted tiles in every room. This is what is left in the entry hall. I sort of like the worn look. I bought these white chucks shortly after I got there and my friend said, "You know those are going to get really dirty..." But that was the reason I was getting them. Sometime really wonderful about signs of dirt and wear. With my shoes, I feel like a real Parisian, who's been here long enough to have a couple puddle splashes on her shoes. It shows this is really happening. The castles are real and so is living in Paris.

Chateaux de Chambord 

The castle that inspired the design for Belle's castle in the Beauty and the Beast. Need I say more?

It was raining or overcast the whole day, but that made the grass seem greener and made the air smell wonderful. We go to take bikes around the grounds after the tour. Nothing feels so freeing as riding a bike and feeling the cool air...except maybe riding a horse or a dragon or something.

Beautiful chandeliers like at Versailles. So pretty.

In the foyer was an incredible double spiral staircase, meaning it was two spiral stair cases wrapped around each other. This shot is looking up the center to the top.

And you can see whoever is on the other side and above you and...we were having so much fun!

(from the top)

Up amongst the towers, everything looked like a dream. Hard to believe this place was just someone's "hunting lodge" when back when...

This was definitely my favorite chateaux. I'm not exactly sure why. Maybe it was the rain. Maybe it was because of Beauty and the Beast. Maybe because it was the only one that felt like a real castle. "Je ne sais pas." I'll let you know when I figure it out.

But now it's off to Italy to see my dear friend and hurry so I can catch my bus. Last photo is from on of the two wine/cheese/cookie/liquor tastings we went to. It's easy to see, especially when you taste local food why people come to France to eat.

A toute a l'heure!