France Trip - Château de Chenonceau
‘Château de Chenonceau is the toast of the Loire and worth 3 triangles. This 16th-century Renaissance palace arches gracefully over the Cher River and is impeccably maintained, with fresh flower arrangements in the summer and roaring log fires in the winter.’ - Rick Steves
It was fun to strut down the tree-canopied path to the château and pass the Tour des Marques, the old round tower that predates the main building.
So grateful that someone offered to take a picture of the six of us all together. And it’s in focus!
We loved touring the lavish rooms, detailed ceilings and elegant hallways. I especially loved the fresh flowers and the artwork.
The Chenonceau Ballroom
The grand gallery was our favorite. Just look at that slate and limestone checkered floor. We couldn’t help but dance around a bit.
The Kitchens
In the basement we found the kitchen. It was built near water to fight the inevitable kitchen fires and because heat rises, it helped heat the palace. One small room was the landing bay for goods to be ferried in and out.
Views of the two gardens. ‘The upstream garden of Diane de Poitiers hasn’t changed since she first commissioned it in 1547. Designed in the austere Italian style, the water fountain was revolutionary in its time for its forceful jet. The downstream garden of Catherine de’ Medici is ore relaxed, with tree roses and lavender graceing its lines in high season.’ - Rick Steves
Flower Gardens
Fun to visit the château’s working farm, vegetable and flower garden on our way out.
Loved walked through the flower gardens and then back down the tree lined pathway from the château to the car. On to Lunch.
Lunch at La Charbonette
It started raining as we ran from the car into the restaurant. We found a pizza place who pushed tables together for us. We used Google translate to figure out what we wanted to order and were happy with our five different pizzas. So good!
With the rain we decided to push Ambroise to tomorrow and drive a little bit further out to see AZAY LE RIDEAU. A beautiful little castle set out on a romantic reflecting pond. Here we go…