A little Loire

We took a one day excursion to the Loire Valley so I didn't take a ton of photos but then maybe I should have because the last time I was there was 1999 and photos were still take with film :)

The tour covered three chateaus, two of which I had seen before. That being said, if you have never been to the Loire you should definitely check them out. The first one was Chambord .The chateau was built originally in 1519 as a way to impress heads of state, François I never intended for it to be a home. It doesn't have much in the way of furnishings but it's an impressive building. It is also surrounded by a huge park (forest) in which we saw some deer and wild boars as we drove up.

Chambord

Leading up to the chateau . . .

Once you enter, there is an impressive double staircase. The two sides don't ever meet.

This is the centre of the two staircases

We climbed the stairs to the highest point which gives you some nice views of the property.

As mentioned, this is one of the chateaus that doesn't have a lot of furnishing - it was after all never supposed to be a permanent home. There were some heaters and of note, salamanders carved in several places. François I was the salamander king. The salamander was a powerful symbol because it was associated with both fire and poison and many people were afraid of it.

Carved salamanders

A few more shots before we head to the next one . . .

We then made our way to Chateau Nitray for some wine tasting and lunch. It was built in the XVIth century to replace an older castle, probably dating back the XIIIth century and is down in typical renaissance style. Today it is owned by a family in which the son-in-law is responsible for the wine making.

Chateau Nitray

During these centuries, one indication of wealth was how many pigeons you were allowed to house on the property. Pigeonniers housed the birds for the landowners to eventually eat. The number of slots you had determined the size of your property and if you lost land, you had to fill in the holes.

Then it was time for lunch, well actually we ate before the tour but the pictures made more sense to me this way :)

And last but not least, we were off to Chenonceau. Chateau Chenonceau which is the most visited of all the chateaus in the Loire and I think all the people were there that day! I had already seen this one as well so skipped most of the tour and headed for a wine tasting! I did manage to snap a few pics along the way though. I think the entrance way to the chateau has changed since I was last there or I had zero recollection of it. It's a nice little stroll to get there . . .

And la pièce de résistance!

Before heading for a drink, we did try to see some of the inside. We made it through 3 rooms and then gave up.

This is why we gave up . . .

Then the tasting!

If there is a next time, I hope to check out some of the many other chateaus in the Loire region. . .