Four Chateaus you shouldn't miss

(This blog is late because caves aren't very good for internet connectivity.  Today we spent the day driving to the Dordogne Valley, about which we'll tell you tomorrow and Friday. Hint: luxury hotels are different from caves.)

YESTERDAY:

Okay, so my feet are tired. They’ve earned it. We accomplished our goal today of seeing four famous chateaus in the Amboise area in the heart of the Loire valley.  But before I get into that, I want to put in a plug for the town of Amboise itself. If you come to France to see chateaus, you could do worse than find a hotel room in Amboise. Our cave is about 10 km away, but let’s face it—caves aren’t everyone’s cup of tea; now that we've done it, we're not even sure it's our cup of tea! We’ve eaten in several Amboise establishments and received consistently good friendly service at good prices. The first two chateaus you’ll see are in the town itself, and the other three are within a half-hour drive. Yes, three; one was a surprise along the way to the fourth one. So off we go.

Royal Chateau of Amboise

From across the Loire river, partly hidden by the modern construction along the riverside, you see the Royal Chateau at Amboise, home to kings from Charles VII (late 15th century) to Louis I about a hundred years later. It was tough being king in those days. The second resident king, Charles VIII, died after bumping his head on one of those low lintels, and no one dared move him. He lay there nine hours before dying.

That looks like a big enough place for several generations of kings to call home, but check this out—the black portion is what remains today, the red is what the various kings before had at their disposal.

The current claim to fame of the castle is that its St. Hubert Chapel is the final resting place for the remains of Leonardo da Vinci.

Clos de Lucé

And that brings us to our second in-town chateau.  This is sometimes called a manor house, and probably more appropriately so.  By some accounts the most important man of the Renaissance, Leonardo da Vinci, was invited by King Francis I to come to Amboise to live out his remaining years in this garden home.

As befitting the guest of a king, Leonardo lived in style, as hinted at by his bedroom. Not bad for a part-time inventor and painter of the Mona Lisa, eh?

Chenonceau

Our next stop was a 20-minute drive away to one of the most iconic chateaus in the Loire Valley, Chenonceau.  Instead of a normal moat, it actually spanned the Cher river.

During World War I, the chateau was used as a hospital, treating over 2,000 troops for the duration of the war. (All you Downtown Abby fans should have an idea what that might have entailed.)  The Great Hall served as the primary treatment center.

During its history, the chateau was the home of Diana de Poitiers, mistress of Henry II. She left her stamp on the chateau both inside and out. You can still see floor tiles with the "Double D" stamped into them. Once the king died, his wife, Catherine de Medici, evicted Diana and assumed control of the castle. Catherine had a bad case of “anything you can do I can do better”, which shows mostly in the gardens.  Compare two views of the chateau from the two gardens, Diana’s first, then Catherine’s.

Blois

As far north of Amboise as Chinonceau is south is the town of Blois with its own castle.  This castel is a study in styles.  First, see the famous Francis I Staircase:

If you’ve ever seen Biltmore Estates in North Carolina, this may look familiar.  On the two ends of that building you can see the edges of two others in completely different styles

Every king had his own “logo”.  Louis XII for some reason fancied the porcupine.  This motif is used as a walking tour assistant; at strategic points around town you will find embedded in the sidewalks a 4-inch diameter plate with a porcupine logo, to help keep you on track.  This one is in a pediment over a doorway.

Chaumont

Finally, on our way to Blois, we looked across the river and saw this.  It’s Chaumont and we are saving it for our next trip to the Loire.

Next we’re off to the Dordogne for more “beautiful villages” and maybe the occasional chateau.