The Valley of the Kings

Thursday (when I was 21 and one day) we went to the Loire Valley. Our first day wasn't too thrilling. We started with an almost-all-day excursion to Blois. Blois. Even the name sounds like Blah. We did have a nice little lunch, then we went to the first chateau. It was pretty cold, and cloudy, and there weren't any gardens. There was a nifty staircase. Claim to fame? This is where the Duc de Guise was assassinated. Yay for holy wars. Fun things: I watched Ever After a little while ago, and this is where Francois 1er lived along with his son Henry II (the characters in Ever After). I got pictures of their busts, and for some reason they don't look a thing like the people in the movie! Then we went to Tours to check into our hotel (more like a hostel really). I liked that it was in Tours because that is where Aramis's lover is exiled in The Three Musketeers. We went and ate at a restaurant in honor of mon anniversaire. I had salmon - and it was divine. And we watched Taken - the movie about the girl who is kidnapped in Paris. Wow. Dumb movie.
Day 2! This day was much more exciting, we woke up and headed out to Chinon. On the way, we passed Sleeping Beauty's castle!! Unfortunately our director didn't think this one deserved a tour. I have other ideas, but I will save them for myself. Then we had an hour-long history lesson inside one of the towers of Chinon about the history of England and France and Joan of Arc. This was especially hard to bear (my attention span shortens after ever tour) because it was BEAUTIFUL out and we were stuck in a medieval tower. But we were finally released! This was a very castle-like chateau. With towers and ruins underneath, and defense things. All that jazz. It felt like a castle. And did I mention how beautiful it was?! I even took off my coat AND rolled up my sleeves. Plus afterward we went into the little village and got a pastry (Abraham LOVES taking pictures with me btw).
After Chinon we went to... Da da da dahh! Chenonceau! The ONLY one I have heard about prior and have been in love with for quite some time! It is so beautiful! It was sadly under some restoration and they were planting the garden, so that was offlimits, but it was still gorgeous. Absolutely beautiful. Not only is the chateau beautiful, but it has a whole little farm that is also very pretty. And a VERY difficult maze (the hedge is about 5 feet tall so you can look over it). And I just love water. And! They actually had fires in the fireplaces inside the castle. It was fantastic. I bought a Loire Valley Chateau book. Chenonceau is on the cover. Favorite moment? When James started singing "Little town, full of little people" when we saw the little farm. He is from South Carolina and has a wonderful accent that is very clear when he sings Disney songs. After Chenonceau we went back to Tours and got Kabobs: I love Kabobs.
Day 3! Woke up this morning and picked up some lunch items at the store to have a picnic at Cheverny. This one reminded me of the great house in The Duchess, especially with all the dogs. We had a tour - apparently the Count and Countess still live their with their children. Then, due to poor planning we had to leave. We didn't even get to tour the grounds. I was very saddened, considering it is the best kept grounds in the Loire. And it has a lovely Orangerie and the hunting trophies room! But alas, we missed it all. That was also where they hid the Mona Lisa during WWII. It is the only place in France where "Release the hounds" is a viable threat.
After our very short visit to Cheverny, we went to Chambord. If I wanted to live in the most ostentatious house I could find and just feel superior to everyone everyday of my life, I would live in Chambord. It has 3 mouts. Three. It is amazingly beautiful and has something like 282 chimneys. It was remarkable. In the Spring/Summer/Fall you can rent boats and bikes and cruise around. I think it will open up for that in like a week. We were not so fortunate. But it was still beautiful. James practiced his creeper face, and we all had a swell time. After that (also a very short trip! I don't know why there were so short, we left at 3. That is not exactly a full day) we went back to Paris. Which has lost some of its charm after seeing the beautiful countryside and grand chateaux.