Chateau du Corvier Vouzon

... of France after the revolution, but he insisted on being crowned under the King colors rather than the tricolor of the revolution. As a result Napoleon stepped up to the plate and took the prize from under his nose. In more recent history the chateau was used to hide and store much of the Lourve's art work during WWII.

Words can't describe all that we saw in the Loire Valley so we hope our photos help.

Goodbye Loire Valley, hello Dordogne here we come!

Next stop Cheverney. This chateaux had less of a grand opening as it was able to be seen from the road, however the size of the grounds impressed. One would not have guessed what lay inside. We were wowed by Chenonceau but by Chevereny we were blown away. The detail of the rooms were simply overwhelming and at times hard to take it all in...just check out the photos we have uploaded on this page.

 From Chenonceaux we plan to drive about an hour east, to the town of Chambord with it's magnificent chateau.  Got kinda lost on our last visit here, bringin' a road map and google directions this time ...

We were not looking forward to lugging all our bags up and down the metro, trying to get to the train station. Then I spied a bus stop outside our apartment, and there was a bus that went straight to Gare de Lyon – bingo!! We bought our train tickets to Briare, and then found out we were at the wrong train station – luckily the right train station was only a 10-minute walk away.

After a quiet trip on the ...

... cafe to book accommodation for the next few days. Made a big decision today to make some pretty major changes to my bike set-up to alleviate discomfort in my shoulders and lower back. Time will tell if I've got it right. Enjoyed strolling around the city before finding a super little restaurant for another dinner of pasta and glass of local red wine. The perfect night-cap before I head further south tomorrow. DISTANCE FOR THE DAY: 115 km TOTAL SO FAR: 491 km

... a) . Es graciosísimo porque parecen todos exactamente iguales y se ponen a ladrar todos a la vez cuando les da el arrebato. Eso sí, absteneos los de nariz delicada. La zona tiene un cante jondo que no se pué aguantar. Un manguerazo no vendría nada mal... :) Lo que más nos ha llamado la atención de ambos castillos es que no hay apenas gente. Es raro porque es fin de semana y encima en Semana Santa pero se ve que tenemos suerte. Tanto en las carreteras como en los palacios se puede ...

... Fontainebleau. And believe me, Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette still spent time here (along with Francois I, the Henris and the Napoleans). Truly this is a palace through the generations. We arrived in Fonty just prior to lunch and I was finally able to snag a croque monsieur for lunch (Travis had quiche). This was every bit as heavenly as expected and I predict the consumption of croque monsieur (or madame - with an egg) at ...

... pe care le-am vazut. Apoi Saumur, dominand orasul de pe inaltimi. Ne indreptam inspre Usse, unul dintre cele mai spectaculoase pe care le-am vazut! Castelul printesei adormite, inspirand pe Perrault in scrierea povestii. Inteleg ca Usse e inca in proprietate privata si ca cel ce-l detine are 170 de caiini de vanatoare pe care poti sa-i vezi in fiecare zi daca mergi la ora 5 cand sunt hraniti. Urmatorul e Azay-le-Rideau, mai ...

After an exciting drive from and through Paris, guided by our trusty Tom-Tom that wasn't so trusty at the start since it was accidentally set to walking paths, we nervously arrived in the Valley of the Chateaux. We picked these to visit over 2 days: Chambord, Blois and Chanencaux.

... lausa Raekoja ette. Seal tärkas meil mõte lüüa lahti rüperaal ja katsetada, kuidas on konnasööjate maal lood traadita internetiga. Ja oh imet, võrke oli lausa jalaga segada ja mõni neist täitsa turvamata. Üldiselt võib WiFi-hulludele rahumeeli kinnitada, et kui mitte tasuta, siis röövelliku viie euro eest tunnist saab Orange vahendusel ja pisut soodsamalt Wanadoo võrkudes traadita internetti kasutada vähemalt nendes Prantsusmaa linnades, kuhu me oma reisi vältel sattusime.