Comfort Hotel Orleans

Our final chateau - Chambord. Everything about Chambord is done on a grand scale and on apporaching the chateau one is awe struck by the size, not only of the chateau but the grounds which cover 35sq kms! Inside has over 400 rooms, some bare conrete walls, some with renaissance art hanging on the walls and several had the full works - tapestries, furniture, frescos.

The history of the chateau was also very interesting as it was home to whom would have been next ...

... for campsite directions. One gentleman tells us there are none around the area and another man gives us directions to one on the outskirts of town. That was a wild goose chase!
All we could do was travel south to the next town (Orleans) an hour away and hope for a hotel.
Feeling really ****** *** we set off and after 5 minutes came across a wonderful sight, a tent symbol on a sign pointing left. Yipeeee.
Half an hour ...

 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 ...

... 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

... metiese algo en el estómago al mediodía... pero el desayuno merecía la pena. El primero, el de Chambord levantado por Francisco I, tiene una llegada preciosa. Según te acercas con el coche por una carretera pequeña que tiene una ligera subida, empiezas a ver el castillo al fondo. Primero las torres, luego parte del cuerpo del edificio y, de repente, te encuentras con el castillo en todo su esplendor a unos 2 kms. Lo más diferenciador de este castillo es que tiene una escalera de ...

... 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 ...

... a look around the grounds. We decided not to go inside, but settled on driving to the Chateau de Chiverny to have a look instead. Whilst it wasn't quite as impressive as Chambord from the outisde, it was just outstanding on the inside! The same family has owned it since the 16th century & even still lived there up to only 20 years ago! The other claim to fame for Chiverny, is that it was the building that ...

... at home. Today is Mother's Day in France and they were clearly making a big day of it. All the flower shops were open and doing a roaring trade. Everyone was dressed up and off to visit. There aren't the huge pub restaurants that we have, and it looked as if all the celebrations would be taking place in family homes - nice. The next part of our journey was through a very agricultural landscape. This part ...

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.

Järgmiseks läbisõidu kohaks oli 112 600 elanikuga Jeanne d'Arci poolt vabaks võideldud linn. Orleans oli arhitektuurilt ja üldmulje poolest modernseim seninähtud linnadest. Vähem esines vanu saksa stiilis maju - pigem meenutas see skandinaavia stiili. Linna keskust läbib loogeldes Loire'i jõgi. Kuna oli pühapäev, siis oli enamik poode suletud ning jalutasime vaid läbi peatänava, tegime mõned pildid Jeanne d'Arci kuju juures ning suundusime tagasi auto juurde, mis oli ...