Chateau de Cheverny

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.