Chateau Hopping

My mother had a thing for the French, she was Swiss but chose to go French with our middle names. I've been blessed with...Madeleine and Erica was given Antoinette. We love the names and always have and it seems to be very fitting ..... especially here in France. We really feel like we belong here. We are heading to the Loire Valley and all I can do is wonder if we had lived in these times...which Chateau would we have been lucky enough to live in.

Chateaus are everywhere in the Loire Valley. Chateau de Chenonceau and Chateau d'Amboise are the two chosen for today's itinerary. They are located on the Cher and Leroux rivers. Chateau de Chenonceau actually stretches across the Cher River and has a 197 foot gallery built over a series of arches. The rooms are extravagantly furnished and the formal gardens are beautiful. Henry II had two mistresses. Everything relates to these two women, their lives intertwined in this Chateau and I'm sure some days were better than others as their lives progressed... but the Chateaus....are breathtakng. Each woman even had her own formal garden. I think this is my favorite. So I'll rename this one: Chateau de Madeleine. Erica really liked "big nose's" hunting lodge....so how does Chateau de Antointte sound? I think they both sound fabulous and I know I can speak for both of us when I say this...all of our friends and relatives are welcome to come for some rest and relaxation at anytime. Just let us know so that we can tidy up before you get here.....you know, we need to dust and vacuum,mow the lawns. We may ask for a little help from you tending to the flower gardens... other than that...we think you'll love it here.

We also make a stop in Amboise to visit the Royal Chateau d'Amboise. King Francois I is most closely associated with this beauty and was friends with Leonardo da Vinci. Everyone knows Leo....he's a sculptor, an artist, an engineer, and mathematician and so much more. So..if you did get invited to one of the party's at one of our chateaus, you wouldn't have been surprised if you did run into Leo. The artist is buried in the chapel here in Tours. Other famous people who loved Tours: Winston Churchhill, Thomas Edison, Edith Piaf, Ernest Hemingway (another fav and whose haunts I visit every chance I get) and many others. And... now we are here!

Here's a fun fact: if you want the purest form of French for the French language, you'll find it in Tours. There is no local accent!

And here is a French riddle:

Do you know what David, The Thinker, is thinking about?

He's thinking about where he left his clothes.

Do you know why Mona Lisa is smiling?

She knows where he left them.

And one piece of French info...Mona Lisa is the most famous painting in the world....ever!

After picking up the famed baguette, some liver pate, almonds, salami and some fruit...we are having a nice picnic for dinner. Two pastries from the Patisserie round out another wonderful day!