We had pain aux raisin pastries and espressos in our room. It turns out Gayle does not like pain aux raisin but she is a fan of kouign-amann pastries. We followed Rick Steves’ suggestion of doubling the time we think it is going to take when traveling by car in France. We were parked and waiting at the gate 15 minutes ahead of schedule. The Chateau Chenonceau has a long and varied history of different owners. At one time it was given as a gift by the French King Henry II to his mistress Diane de Poitiers. When the King died his wife, Catherine de Medici, “negotiated” with Diane and succeeded in having her relinquish the chateau in exchange for Chateau Chaumont, which Gayle and are visiting tomorrow in order to see the International Garden Festival hosted at that site.
Two sphinx statues greeted us as we neared the chateau.
The original chateau was built in the 16th century. Over the centuries the current chateau has gone through some changes but the moat and the keep have been here since well before the 16th century.
It has two large gardens on either side of the Chateau along the bank of the River Cher. One was created by Diane and the other one by Catherine. Diane’s is much larger that Catherine’s.
We moved from room to room on the first floor. There is a chapel…
This is Diane’s bedroom.
The portrait above the fireplace is of Catherine. The frame appears to be built right into the fireplace facade.
The Chateau is room after room of oil paintings,
canopy beds,
incredible fireplaces,
intricate ceilings,
and huge bouquets of living flowers.
But the most impressive rooms were downstairs in the kitchen. Gayle convinced me to “park” her in the hallway while I went down the stairs and brought back photos. There were more copper pots and pans than I could count.
Fireplaces in the basement were utilitarian.
One room was dedicated solely to butchering meat.
Every room was furnished with an animal head.
By the time I returned from the kitchens, Gayle was determined to use her cane and climb up to experience the additional two stories above us. The stairs were steep.
There were more treasures in the upper rooms…like the cross-eyed Jesus carving (at least he looked cross-eyed to me),
and the view was better.
We still had enough energy to poke our heads into the wine cellar,
and the flower shop where all the bouquets are created.
Here is Catherine de Medici’s apothecary.
We expected a room of little pill bottles. But it was a huge room of beautiful ceramic, permanently-labeled urns.
Across the hall from the apothecary was a room that was dedicated to the history of Catherine de Medici’s connection to the French apothecary and astrologer Nostradamus. Catherine liked to consult scholars on varying subjects. These scholars were part of her court and accompanied her on her travels. Nostradamus was a member of Catherine’s court.
We walked past the vast vegetable and flower gardens to the donkey stables and then back to our car. By then we were hungry and thirsty. I found a restaurant in the nearby town of Francueil called La Reine Blanche that had excellent reviews. We sat outside on what felt like the town square. Some kind of walking field trip was happening at the local elementary school and dozens and dozens of children were ushered past us by harried parents and crossing guards. When Gayle and I had talked about this trip we wanted time to just sit outside at a cafe and enjoy being in a French town. So far we have been surrounded by tourists. There weren’t any other tourists in sight. It was such a lovely scene. Across from the restaurant was a church and while we waited for our food I hiked up the multiple steps to take a peek inside. When I got back Gayle asked me how it was. “Unremarkable,” I replied. The cathedrals of France have spoiled me. I have become a cathedral snob.
My lunch was amazing. I had steak frites. I couldn’t stop sighing and telling Gayle over and over again how delicious it was. On the way home we stopped at our personal “laundromat” and started more laundry. We spent the rest of the afternoon recovering from all of the wonderful adventures of the last several days. For dinner we went to an outdoor restaurant next to the Loire River. I told Gayle I wanted a place where it didn’t take all evening to eat a meal and we had non-surly wait staff. The restaurant had picnic tables that sat six to a side at communal tables. We were given the middle two seats and tried gracefully to sit down. Hot air balloons flew by us over the Loire River.
We both got burgers, as did the French speaking couple beside us. We noticed that they ate their burger with a knife and a fork. Gayle was not intimidated by their prissy way of eating a burger. But the woman next to us kept looking at us and laughing I caved. I admit that I ate the rest of my burger with a knife and fork. Gayle continued to be proudly herself. We returned to our room and packed to leave for the next day. We won’t just have to check out of this hotel tomorrow but out of our “laundromat” as well.
The grounds of the Chateau and its gardens cover 200 acres. As you enter there is a “parking lot” of strollers and wheelchairs you can borrow while visiting. I grabbed a wheelchair for Gayle and we started down the long path leading to the impressive castle.
Two sphinx statues greeted us as we neared the chateau.
The original chateau was built in the 16th century. Over the centuries the current chateau has gone through some changes but the moat and the keep have been here since well before the 16th century.
It has two large gardens on either side of the Chateau along the bank of the River Cher. One was created by Diane and the other one by Catherine. Diane’s is much larger that Catherine’s.
We moved from room to room on the first floor. There is a chapel…
…complete with a painting of Jesus preaching in front of Ferdinand and Isabelle, King and Queen of Spain in the 15th century, which is around 1400 years after the death of Jesus. You can’t see me give an eye roll but I did.
This is Diane’s bedroom.
This is Catherine’s bedroom.
The portrait above the fireplace is of Catherine. The frame appears to be built right into the fireplace facade.
The Chateau is room after room of oil paintings,
canopy beds,
incredible fireplaces,
intricate ceilings,
and huge bouquets of living flowers.
But the most impressive rooms were downstairs in the kitchen. Gayle convinced me to “park” her in the hallway while I went down the stairs and brought back photos. There were more copper pots and pans than I could count.
Fireplaces in the basement were utilitarian.
There was a servants’ dining room.
One room was dedicated solely to butchering meat.
Every room was furnished with an animal head.
By the time I returned from the kitchens, Gayle was determined to use her cane and climb up to experience the additional two stories above us. The stairs were steep.
There were more treasures in the upper rooms…like the cross-eyed Jesus carving (at least he looked cross-eyed to me),
and the view was better.
On the side of the chateau that you cannot see as you walk up from the parking lot is a long hall that extends all the way to the other side of the river bank. Diane had it built as a bridge and when Catherine became the owner she had it enclosed as a gallery/ballroom. During WWII, when France lost a key battle the country was cut in two by an impassable border. However, this gallery led to the free zone. The owners of the chateau at that time helped villagers and Jews escape to the south. German patrols watched the river and patrolled the moats at regular intervals but the curator had the keys and let refugees pass through whenever the coast was clear.
We still had enough energy to poke our heads into the wine cellar,
and the flower shop where all the bouquets are created.
Here is Catherine de Medici’s apothecary.
We expected a room of little pill bottles. But it was a huge room of beautiful ceramic, permanently-labeled urns.
Across the hall from the apothecary was a room that was dedicated to the history of Catherine de Medici’s connection to the French apothecary and astrologer Nostradamus. Catherine liked to consult scholars on varying subjects. These scholars were part of her court and accompanied her on her travels. Nostradamus was a member of Catherine’s court.
We walked past the vast vegetable and flower gardens to the donkey stables and then back to our car. By then we were hungry and thirsty. I found a restaurant in the nearby town of Francueil called La Reine Blanche that had excellent reviews. We sat outside on what felt like the town square. Some kind of walking field trip was happening at the local elementary school and dozens and dozens of children were ushered past us by harried parents and crossing guards. When Gayle and I had talked about this trip we wanted time to just sit outside at a cafe and enjoy being in a French town. So far we have been surrounded by tourists. There weren’t any other tourists in sight. It was such a lovely scene. Across from the restaurant was a church and while we waited for our food I hiked up the multiple steps to take a peek inside. When I got back Gayle asked me how it was. “Unremarkable,” I replied. The cathedrals of France have spoiled me. I have become a cathedral snob.
My lunch was amazing. I had steak frites. I couldn’t stop sighing and telling Gayle over and over again how delicious it was. On the way home we stopped at our personal “laundromat” and started more laundry. We spent the rest of the afternoon recovering from all of the wonderful adventures of the last several days. For dinner we went to an outdoor restaurant next to the Loire River. I told Gayle I wanted a place where it didn’t take all evening to eat a meal and we had non-surly wait staff. The restaurant had picnic tables that sat six to a side at communal tables. We were given the middle two seats and tried gracefully to sit down. Hot air balloons flew by us over the Loire River.
We both got burgers, as did the French speaking couple beside us. We noticed that they ate their burger with a knife and a fork. Gayle was not intimidated by their prissy way of eating a burger. But the woman next to us kept looking at us and laughing I caved. I admit that I ate the rest of my burger with a knife and fork. Gayle continued to be proudly herself. We returned to our room and packed to leave for the next day. We won’t just have to check out of this hotel tomorrow but out of our “laundromat” as well.
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