The Loire valley is prime château country. We wanted to see at least one château. We checked the guidebooks to see what we could get to, via public transportation from Tours, but decided to take a mini-bus tour. We picked a morning-only tour, to Chenonceau and then our choice of Amboise or le Clos Lucé, which is where Leonardo (known as "da Vinci," because he was from Vinci) spent his last few years.
We were to meet the mini-bus at the tourist office, which is very close to the gare.
We were early, as we are wont to be. The tourist office was open, so we got some postcards.....
On our way to Chenonceau. Our tour was by AccoDispo, and we were glad to have taken the tour rather than trying to get ourselves around by train. The mini-bus took us directly to our destinations, and the driver/guide was very well informed, and told us lots of stories about the places (and the people who built them) as we drove.
We booked a tour in English. The other three people in our van were Japanese, I think. That is to say, I know two of them were, and the third said she was Australian, but clearly was not a native speaker of English, and I believe she spoke to the two Japanese women in Japanese.
Our guide was French. She spoke very slowly and pronounced words very carefully. Her English was very good; we found her easy to understand.
We have now arrived at Chenonceau. Our guide let us out in the parking lot, and purchased our tickets for us. Then we were on our own, until pick-up time.
There is a very long avenue to traverse, from the parking lot to the chateau, pleasantly lined with sycamores.
We crossed this ... canal?moat? ... near the parking lot.
Nearer the chateau. This was on an outbuilding now used as a restaurant, I believe.
This is the only remaining part of the buildings that were here before the current chateau's construction began in the16th century. It has a lot of swallow nests -- those black flecks in the sky are swallows. (as always, click on a pic to embiggen)
We were more interested in the outside of the chateau than the inside, so we turned left and walked along the river (and a garden) to get a look at the side of the castle.
Looking at pics of chateaux before we made a choice of one to visit, it seemed that the most dramatic pics generally showed a river near the chateau. I wondered how likely it was that a person on foot would be able to access a position that would allow interesting pics.....
At Chenonceau, it turned out to be easy!
(we'll ignore the scaffolding on the very front -- it seems there is scaffolding on practically everything, practically everywhere!)
At the far corner of the garden, still beside the river, is this little drawbridge. I'd never seen a pedestrian-sized drawbridge before.
I wonder if this is hand-made.....
The drawbridge goes over this ... canal? moat?
The garden side of the wall. It's a large garden.....
We walked back to the chateau, and whisked through in the brief time allowed, so we could be back at the parking lot in time for pick up.
On the left, as you enter the chateau, is the chapel.
Diane de Poitiers, mistress of Henry II, received Chenonceau as a present from Henry. It was she who had built the arched bridge connecting the chateau to the other side of the Cher river.
This is her bedroom.
Diane and Henry's relationship recorded in the floor.
When Henry died, his widow (and regent), Catherine de Medici, ousted Diane from the chateau, and took it for herself. She had the chateau extended over the bridge. Here is the lowest level gallery over the river.
The gallery windows curve outward.
See my daughter's take on this lovely day here.
In order to facilitate chronological traverse of these posts, here is a link to the post that comes after this one.
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