Domaine de l'Arbrelle Amboise

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

... as they contained some lovely period furniture and frescos on the roofs and walls. 4 types of architcutre can be seen from standing in the centre court yard - flamboyant gothic, classical, early renaissance, and gothic. Our favourite was the renaissance wing. <br>

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 Amboise we had a short drive to Chenonceau where we keen toursits along with one tour group we there early and had to wait 10 minutes until the chateau opened for day. Once through the gates it was a lovely walk through the forest where the leaves were all changing colour - amber, yellow, red - so pretty. As we approach the end of the forest the chateau appears before us and its like stepping into a fairy tale. The chateau sat on ...

... Now came the hard part, trying to decide which chateaus to visit as we knew we could not visit them all. In the end we bought a multi-chateau pass to Cheverny, Chombard and Blois and then had to buy Chenoceau separately. <br> Why choose these chateau's? Chenonceau for the fairy tale chateau, Cheverney for the extravengant interior and furnishings, Blois for the architecture and Chombard for its grandness.

... huge basketball tournament every day. There would be a court in each hallway and the winner of the round would eventually move up a floor until the best two teams would finally compete up on the roof. We really couldn't imagine what else such a huge space could be used for. Apparently the castle was used to store works of art, including the Mona Lisa, during WWII when the French realized that Paris would soon fall. Overall, the Chambord Castle was ...

... with our friends there as I am sure they would enjoy them too!<br><br>We arrived back at the hotel at about 2.30pm and decided to head to Amboise for lunch. A quiet stroll through the streets for an hour and exploration of the baubles in the shops (many souvenirs), brought us back to the hotel. Andre has disappeared to explore the island across from the hotel while I rest my feet and type the blog. Tomorrow we move on from here and head to our next destination.

... furniture in the rooms. The most impressive is the huge ballroom that extends out over the river. Apparently during WW2 the Cher River marked the border of German occupied France, and this ballroom became a secret way of transporting people across the river without the Germans knowledge. Despite the huge crowds of people crammed into tiny rooms, it was well worth a look. Probably the most amusing part for me was overhearing an Aussie fellow trying to ...

... conversation. We talked about International Bon Vivant status, literature, writing and this amazing experience and life we lead. Dinner finished with congac (burns longer than scotch but has no after taste like scotch. It's grape based and double distilled). Dominic describing what "biche" means--"The wife of the deer." 25 November 2006 Tours-Stansted-Jerez This was our only clear day with bright blue skies. Took pictures of the chateau before we flew home.

... to the granddaddy of them all - the chateau at Chambord. With 440 rooms and 365 fireplaces, it is HUGE! The most interesting parts were the video of the construction (it wasn't originally planned to be so big), the double-helix staircase designed by Leonardo da Vinci, exploring the passageways between the wings and appreciating the grandeur of the whole thing from the park on the other side of ...