Well, Happy New Year's Eve! This is my third post tonight. It is New Year's Eve and Eric and I are not doing anything tonight. Keeping it real, we had Whataburger for dinner (along with a nice bottle of French red wine). To be honest, we haven't had the best last couple of weeks. I don't know why I have an issue with skipping things on the blog... I want everything to go in order, which is why I am obviously trying to get all of our Europe trip blogged (yes, I know we went in September) so I can update the blog with real life real time stuff! I need to update on Ollie (he had major knee surgery), we went to several weddings, we had Thanksgiving and Christmas, and most recently we celebrated the life of Eric's grandmother. But for now, let's continue with the other chateau we stayed at in Amboise, Chateau des Arpentis. Once again, since our flight was canceled going to Paris and we scrambled to push everything back, our first chateau in Amboise could not accomdodate us another night, so we luckily found this place to stay in. I guess it was okay. (Sarcasm!)
Umm even the covered the pool looks amazing. Bucket list item - to return here in the summer for a week and just relax and tour all of the beautiful chateaux in the Loire Valley and sit by this pool in the afternoons drinking a nice French white wine.
The sitting area of our room. So quaint with the fireplace.
The bathroom was to die for.
We all know I love a good bath tub and can't pass up the opportunity for a tub pic. I really should do a blog post on all the bath tubs I have taken my picture in.
Honestly this chateau was so cool. It was decorated exquisitely and the history of the place was just amazing. There was a very nice living room area you could relax in, with a fire place. Breakfast was served in a quaint little eating area. It was like out of a movie. I was actually really sad we were just here for a night - hardly any time at all to enjoy the beauty that it was. The next morning we woke up, saw one more chateau and were on our way to Spain!
After visiting the massive Chateau de Chambord, we continued on to Chateau de Cheverny. This one was on my list because I knew Eric would love it. Every night at 5:00 there is the feeding of the dogs. You see, Cheverny is still an active hunting lodge. There are 70 dogs - half English foxhound and half French Poitou and these dogs are the real thing. They are bred to have big feet and bigger stamina. Ollie would have no chance around them!
This was before the feeding - they were all just hanging out in their kennel. I love the random one sitting very regally in the middle of the chaos.
They get pretty worked up!
Hi pretty doggie!
Madness! This was like 2 hours before the feeding and they were already starting to get worked up.
Besides the dogs, Cheverny has a beautiful garden. Eric went crazy taking pictures of the impeccably kept grounds.
Cheverny - while not as large as some of the other chateaus - Cheverny is one of the most lavishly furnished of the Loire Valley. It was built from 1604 to 1634 and is uniquely uniform in style since it was built in a short time (yes, thirty years was short back then). The same family, the Hurault's, have owned the chateau since its beginnings and to this day the viscount's family still lives on the third floor. (Really?!)
Just gorgeous.
This is a prehistoric antler from some very rare animal. It was huge (and worth a bunch!)
This is the wedding dress of the owner of the house who currently resides here. The only day that this chateau has been closed is the day of the family's wedding. They are open 365 days a year.
Beautiful tapistries on all of the walls - these were there for warmth.
Pictures of the family - it was really neat to see the mix of the old and the new.
How do I get in this family?!
Ok, back to the feeding of the dogs. So the handlers remove the dogs from the feeding area. They go absolutely crazy while they put down raw meat, grains, and other food for the dogs to do a mass feeding.
They're fed once a day and the feeding (la soupe des chiens) is
a fun spectacle that shows off their strict training. Before chow
time, the hungry hounds fill the little kennel rooftop and watch the
trainer bring in troughs stacked with delectable raw meat. He opens the
gate, and they gather enthusiastically around the food and yelp
hysterically. Only when the trainer says to eat can they dig in.
Getting a little rowdy! You have to watch the video to truly understand what this is like.
We had such a fun day, both at Chambord and Cheverny! That evening we went to dinner in Amboise at Chez Bruno. Again, I got to use more of my French skills since we were in a smaller town and our waitress did not speak a lot of English. It was hard, but neat to do. In Paris, I really did not have the opportunity to have to speak French. We had a really good dinner. I think I had fish and I cannot remember what Eric had, but it was very good. We sat next to a very nice English couple who had been RVing around France. It turns out they live in the very same city as some of Eric's relatives from England. Eric's family owns a butcher shop and this couple knew exactly where the shop was. What a small world. It really is humbling to be in a completely new city in a country we have never been to and run into someone that knows a relative.
The first chateau that we visited in the Loire Valley was Chateau de Chambord. This chateau was amazing! Eric and I were so impressed by the size and the grandeur of Chambord. (As I said in the previous post on Versailles, we thought the Loire Valley chateaux were so much more interesting!) This is the largest of all the chateaux in the Loire Valley and was built by King Francois during the years of 1519–1547 as a hunting lodge.
As soon as we drove up to Chambord - we were instantly in awe. Look at it! The château features 440 rooms, 282 fireplaces, and 84 staircases. Umm can I move in?!
Chambord is an example of distinct French Renaissance architecture which blends traditional French medieval forms with classical Renaissance structures. Chambord's towers are atypical of French contemporary design in that
they lack turrets and spires. In the opinion of author Tanaka, who
suggests Leonardo da Vinci influenced the château's design, they are
closer in design to minarets of 15th-century Milan.
One of the architectural highlights is the spectacular double helix
open staircase that is the centerpiece of the château. The two helices
ascend the three floors without ever meeting, illuminated from above by a
sort of light house at the highest point of the château. There are
suggestions that Leonardo da Vinci may have designed the staircase, but
this has not been confirmed. It was really cool because you could be going up one staricase, see someone on the other side and never meet them on the stairs. It really was a neat feature of the chateau.
The serpent is the sign for King Francois I and it was evident throughout the castle.
The views from the roof were amazing. Just imagine all the game out there. Hunters used to stand up here and look out on the land to see where the game to hunt was. The château is surrounded by a 52.5‑km² (13,000‑acre) wooded park and game reserve maintained with red deer, enclosed by a 31‑kilometer (20‑mile) wall.
We had lunch at a little cafe down in the courtyard. I actually had to use a lot of French to order and was a bit impressed with myself.
One last pic with the beautiful Chambord. Now we are off to Cheverny!
After spending the better part of the day at the palace of Versailles, we continued on to our next destination of Amboise, France. Amboise is in the Loire River Valley - an area full of old chateaux that were built by royalty, mainly as hunting lodges and to escape the pressures of the big city of Paris. After much research on where to stay, I found a lovely old chateaux named the Le Chateau De Nazelles. It is run by a lovely couple Veronique and Oliver, who live on the grounds. They have converted this old castle into a little a small hotel with only five bedrooms and cottage. The pictures did not do it justice. Everything about it was just perfect. It is located on a hill though and I once again the stupid manual rental car caused a huge problem! Eric was never happier to park and get out of the car!
Our bedroom was decorated simply and elegantly.
The bath tubs just keep getting better!
There was exposed original rock from the side of the mountain the room was built into.
That was the entrance to our room. We had a cute little table right outside we could sit at and enjoy the grounds.
I went on a little hike and took some pictures of the surrounding area.
There were tons of little outside living areas that you could enjoy.
How gorgeous is this pool? Unfortunately it was too cold, but how neat would this be in the summertime? Have to go back!
View of Amboise
That is the main part of the chateau where the owners live.
Eric is proud of this artsy picture.
There was even a little common area kitchen you could prepare your meals in.
We met a cat.
Another beautiful picture of the grounds.
The cat joined us for dinner. We went into town and found a little market. We got meat and cheese, fruit and wine, bread and a little desert and came back to have a little picnic and enjoy our beautiful surroundings.
Delicious wine! I miss how good and cheap the wine was!
Our spread! Yum!
I definitely reccommend staying at this quaint little inn. We really did enjoy our stay. We were supposed to stay two nights, but since our trip got pushed back a day, they did not have room. Coming up you will see the other chateau we stayed the night in. It was pretty awesome as well!
