Azay-le-Rideau, Villandry & Amboise

Thursday 31 July

Our revised program hit a couple of hiccups due to train times & accessability (and the Tourist Information office thought we would struggle to fit either Chenin or Amboise in with Azay-le-Rideau & Villandry) - but with an 11 hour day we did.

We were easily able to handle the first two via an organised trip - it was just us and a very informative and customer focussed driver (Elsa) and both sites were relatively quiet.

The Chateau at Azay was a 1510 rebuild of an existing fortress undertaken by Gilles Berthelot,  Francois I's Notary, aided and abetted by embezzlement of the Kings wealth.  Berthelot eventually fled and Francois confiscated it in 1537.  Set on water and with attractive gardens it is now in the hands of the state. Azay-le-Rideau was a beautiful village.

Villandry is another chateau with links to Francois I, and is built on what was an old 12th century fortress.  Villandry is all about gardens - and what gardens they are!!!  Set out in a classic Renaissance, precisely and geometrically patterned, they are truly amazing - ornamental,  water,  sun, vegetable and herb gardens.

Back to Tours for a train to Amboise, where there are two notable chateaux - the Chateau Royal, where a medieval fortress made way for a royal residence during the reigns of Charles VIII and Francois I (him again) and the Chateau du Clos Luce, given to Leonardo da Vinci by Francois I - and where da Vinci lived the last 3 years of his life.  Of particular interest is the focus it has on da Vinci as an inventor - and what an inventor he was.  Everything from the life buoy, the parachute, cannons of varying capabilty, water pumps, water paddles etc, etc, etc - truly a remarkable man.  As well as the chateau featuring models of many of his inventions, quite a few feature in the gardens as play and try out equipment.

The town of Amboise has been the busiest and most touristy of all we have visited in the Loire Valley.

Back to Tours for another beautiful dinner at Au Chien Jaune, and guess what, they had caught that trimmed down duck from the other night - he was the main course tonight, along with a prawn & seafood salad and a dessert of stewed apricots and ice cream.  Beautiful!!!

Off to Rotterdam tomorrow.

Tours & Chenonceau

Wednesday 30 July

Another solid breakfast at Hotel Mirabeau - truly a great little Hotel and consistently rated number 3 in Tours on TripAdvisor.

Walked down to the Market - what was it we needed to go for?  Enjoyable anyway, as are all french markets - it is usually the producers who are selling, the produce seems of good quality, and the displays are outstanding.  Bought the baguette, the jambon, the cheese and some apricots for lunch then had coffee at Place Plumerau.  Pat headed for the shops while I took the new tram to the end of the line and back.  It is the only tram line in Tours and runs about 10km, very new and sleek.  In reality it Is a light rail engineered into the the existing road system.  Stops are around 700m apart and the trams have a clear run through traffic lights. (Ticket machine at every stop.)

Lunch in the park, and then the train to Chenonceau.  Another grand chateau, made spectacular by having been built across the Cher river. 16th Century build on a demolished fortified castle and distinguished by the important roles women have played in its history. In 1547 King Henry II donated it to his favourite lady, Diane de Poitiers. The property has played important roles in both World Wars - during WWI, the then owner turned part over to, and paid for it to be a surgical hospital for wounded troops, and in WWII, its location between occupied and free France, saw it as a point of border crossing for partisans and fleeing Jews.

Spectacular gardens and a beautiful property - and certainly very different crowd wise to the relaxed and crowd free Loches of yesterday.  Retired to the Chenonceau village (delightful) for a couple of beers as the day has been very warm, before catching the train back.

We are both crashing from all the walking and climbing - and today, from all the eating.  So tonight just a relaxing pizza and pasta.

Loches

Tuesday 29 July

The best laid plans of mice and men are often ambushed.  In this case my plans have been impacted by the French rail system.  For some reason that I am yet to understand, some lines do not operate in the am, yet have plenty of pm trains.  This fact, and someone's discovery that the Tours market is on a Wednesday have caused some itinerary revision.

So today it was off to Loches (planned for Friday), a citadel town from the middle ages - and where the citadel is well preserved.   Loches is not on the main tourist trail and therefore a lot quieter.  We very much enjoyed it with its meandering streets and local community.  Much of the citadel remains and of course there are plenty of steps - up to the keep and down to the dungeon.  Its origins go back to the eleventh and twelfth centuries and there is graffiti there from the thirteenth century as well as some of the earliest hand made cannons..

We were fortunate to see an extensive and very impressive exhibition of medieval costumes that were made for, and worn in, major film productions, including Romeo & Juliet and Camelot.

Travel today was by buses (on the train system) - but later in the day trains run!  Somewhat cooler, with an early afternoon shower.  Chance to put the feet up in the late afternoon - and did they need it.

Back to  La Peche aux Moulles for another feed of mussels,  probably our last chance with our program for the next two days - and then a walk along the river and streets we had not previously walked.

Chambord, Cheverny & Blois

Monday 28 July

Before we start I need to mention yesterday's "down the drain moment" - indeed it was an "in the poo moment ". The trusty right hand failed to take a juggled catch when the camera slipped off my belt and went in. The immediate second effort ensured it did not sink - but it did have a swim! Despite the initial post dunk operational failure, some sharp work with a hairdryer saved the day!

And so to today.

Train to Blois to pick up the chateau shuttle which gave us time at Chambord, Cheverny and Blois. An earlier start would have given us another chateau - but one of us does not do early starts. We travelled through extensive cropping, forests and lovely villages and towns - most with significant communal vegetable gardens.

Chambord is something to behold, with King Francis I having commenced its construction as a hunting lodge in 1519 and it eventually grew to encompass 77 staircases, 282 fireplaces and 426 rooms in what is now 5440 hectares and the largest enclosed forest park in Europe.  Francis spent just 72 days of his 32 year reign in Chambord. Indeed that history repeated itself across Chambord's existence and history of ownership - variously being vacant, deteriorating and being rebuilt, remodelled and extended. It is an edifice to wanton greed and architectural extravagence and now owned by the state.

Cheverny is everything that chambord is not - having been maintained in the same family for 6 centuries. It is a model of architectural splendour, magnificently maintained and beatifully decorated and furnished - including arms and music rooms. Mind you there is no shortage of money with 2 cups of " make your own " tea costing 8 euro - albeit served on a gold tray while sitting on gold chairs with red velvert cushions. Cheverny was the inspiration for the home in Tintin and maintains a pack of 100 french hounds underpinning its purpose as a hunting lodge.

Blois was a very interesting town rising above the Loire river and with meandering, narrow and often pedestrianised streets at its core. While we got to the chateau we did not go in as there was a mass of entertainment in the forecourt - including an old fashioned punch and judy show, with plenty of violence, and a troupe of players engaging in much sword fighting, all of which held the many kids engrossed for over 30 minutes.

Back to Tours for dinner at Le Chien Jaune. Pat worked through the blackboard menu with our little Sri Lankan waiter (457 visa?) - her english and his french, to the point we thought we were having a duck salad and choclate mousse. The presentation of the duck and the flavours on the plate were magnificent - but the duck had so little of him shaved off, he could still fly! The close attention of the waiter to the cleanliness of my plate (2 layers of porcelain had been removed as well as the sauces), led to a second basket of bagguete. And then, to our surprise, the main course of baked salmon arrived!  It seems Pat had been negotiating over a fixed 3 course menu! The salmon and the mousse were a match for the duck in presentation and flavour.

Back to Hotel Mirabeau after a 12 hour day.

Tours

Sunday 26 July

Good sleep and lovely breakfast in the Garden Room at Hotel Mirabeau. Excellent hotel, 500m from the station and we have the room that features in its advertising.

Off for 6.5 hours of walking in Tours. Tours stradles a spit of land between the Loire and Cher rivers and is a cathedral city with a bourgeois reputation and an old quarter dating to the 14th - 16th centuries.

Tourist office to plan tomorrow, then followed Rue Nationale through Place Jean Jacques and past the magnificent Hotel de Ville (Town Hall) to Pont Wilson to cross the Loire (had intended to tram this section - but out of service today).

Had a beer on the river (beautiful day in mid 20c's, rising to 30c at 6.30pm). Then into the old artisan quarter and Place Plumerau with its clustered ancient houses, the remains of the Archbishop's Palace and cafe streets. Bagette for lunch on the river then up to Rue Colbert (the path of the ancient Roman road) to Pont de Fil, Tours Chateau, Cathedral St Gatien and its 15th century cloisters

Finished with a walk through gardens of the Museum des Beaux Arts (massive 200 year old Lebanon cedar - 45m wide at its base level of foliage) before heading back to Hotel Mirabeau for a rest. Finished the day with dinner at La Peche aux Moules on Rue Colbert (massive plate of cream mussels and chips washed down with a Chinon red - Marie would have loved it).

On the move to Abu Dhabi, CDG & Tours in the Loire Valley

Friday/Saturday 25/26 July

Early drop off at Tullamarine and good progress through check in, security & immigration, particularly, before the long boarding wait for a sold out flight.  All good despite the passenger load, but the seats and the aisles are getting narrower - or is it me ???

Ahead of schedule into Abu Dhabi despite having to "go around".

Good exercise to walk from Terminal 3 to 1 - but a big plus to have 2 hours in the Etihad Premium Lounge courtesy of the upgrade I was successful in bidding for on our Abu Dhabi - Paris flight - out of Terminal 1.

The upgrade proved even more valuable when we were held on the ground for almost 2 hours because a car (freight) was stuck In th hold so that it could neither be unloaded or loaded. Much more bearable in Business Class where we had "beds" (12 in our module in an area that would have held 50 Economy seats).

Eventually we got moving, Pat enjoyed the bed and I enjoyed the Johnny Walker Black Label, the french wine and particularly the sports massage embedded in the "bed".

Late arrival into Charles de Gaulle, Paris and, apart from collecing luggage, were through police, immigratiion and customs in 2 minutes.  Long walk to TGV station, wait and TGV to Tours in Loire Valley.  Check in to Hotel Mirabeau then head off for a drink and pancakes before calling it a day - the whole 33 hours of travel.  (Note - still a few editing problems at the moment.)