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.