On our final full day in France, we slowly made our way towards Charles de Gaulle Airport.
Along the way, we stopped at the Château de Chambord, which served as the hunting lodge for King Francis I and is located in Europe’s largest enclosed wooded park. Is anyone else reminded of the phrase, "shooting fish in a barrel"?
These buildings are located in the general compound.
Our final blog fun facts: Château de Chambord is the largest castle in Loire Valley, with 426 rooms, 77 staircases, and 282 fireplaces. But more important, this castle was the inspiration for the Beast’s castle in Disney’s "Beauty and the Beast."
I promise that I did not break into song when I saw this room..."I use antlers in all of my decorating..."
Not to mention, this is where Chambord Liqueur gets its name; the raspberry liqueur produced in the Loire Valley during the late 17th century took its name from the castle. (Not that there was a tasting...I liked it better when Château meant winery).
The big deal here are the double helix stairways, designed so that as the enemy runs up one way, you can escape on the other. Many attribute the design to Leonardo.
This is one of the throne rooms. Apparently, it was common to have the king move to a bed placed in the throne room in the morning to give the appearance that he rolled out of bed and greeted his subjects.
Here is the king's actual bed chamber. The bed with two canopies is his (the top canopy symbolizes the crown), the green bed is for his valet so that he can assist on a moment's notice, and the pallet is for the guard who will defend the crown. Cozy.
You are not likely to forget that this is Francis' palace.
The Théâtre de Molière was used to showcase ballet and opera in the palace.
After the tour, we were off to Blois, the capital of the Loire Valley, where we had time for lunch on our own. Recognize anyone?
It was Saturday market day.
Fortified by lunch, we climbed the 111 steps to Château de Blois (Charlie counted).
The upper patio is home to the Museum of Magic, which honors Houdini with this statue. The real magic would be if we did not have to climb another step on this trip.
We enjoyed some lovely city views.
But, we are here to visit Château de Blois, the residence of seven kings and ten queens of France as well as the place where Joan of Arc went in 1429 to be blessed by the Archbishop of Reims before departing with her army to drive the English from Orléans.
The interior area shows that construction occurred over multiple years, in multiple styles.
It wasn't all salamanders here. Meet the porcupine.
More spiral stairways.
The interior of Château de Blois was colorful and I would be hard pressed to recall all the details about these rooms, so just enjoy the colors.
The woodwork in this room is amazing, and the walls are loaded with hidden cubbies to stash the palace riches in case of plunder.
Look at this ceiling! This was the massive throne room, where large groups could be assembled.
Back on the bus, we settled in for the three-hour drive to Charles De Gaulle Airport (one "comfort stop"). We did see a brief view of the Eiffel Tower, but I missed the photo.
Our final hotel is the Charles DeGaulle Pullman Paris Roissy CDG Airport. It is literally a "go to Paris and stay at the airport so you can leave” hotel, sitting on top of the CDG TGV station. It was hard to be in Paris and not visit the magnificent city, but we are tired and ready to head home. We opted for the hotel restaurant, where Helen had reserved tables. A lovely end to a great trip!
Thanks for coming along!
Photos are tagged Dolce, Chambord, Blois and Loire
This featured blog entry was written by Cybercsp from the blog AmaWaterways Dolce.
Read comments or Subscribe
