The Loire Valley

This past weekend we went to the Loire Valley!! It is where most of the big castles and chateaus are. We got to see four of them: Amboise, Chenonceau, Le Clos Luce, and Chambord. And as a surprise, our program leaders took us all wine tasting on Saturday!

Amboise was a royal chateau. It is where King Charles VIII died of a hemorrhage after hitting is head on a low doorway…ouch! It is also where Leonardo da Vinci’s tomb is in the little cathedral.

The next palace we saw was Chenonceau, which was amazing! It is said to be the most beautiful chateaux because it was designed by a woman (of course!). The chateaux is built across the Loire River, and it both a “house” and a bridge. It has beautifully landscaped gardens, including a labyrinth and many fountains. While we were there we were lucky enough to see an art exhibition for an artist named Olivier Debré. I LOVED his work!! As an added bonus to this beautiful place, the entire bottom floor was reserved just for the kitchens. It was the biggest, most glorious kitchen I have ever seen including special rooms for the butcher, the boulanger (bread maker), the main kitchen, and two dinning rooms! Pretty amazing…

My favorite place of all was Le Clos Luce. It is where Leonardo da Vinci spent the last three years of his life. IBM took the liberty of building many of his inventions exactly how da Vinci drew them in his workbooks. These inventions were all throughout the gardens and the house…I couldn’t believe how many we still use today!! One of my favorite parts about the place was that there were Leonardo da Vinci’s quotes (in French) printed on glass and hung throughout the house. What an inspiring man!

Last but far from the least is Chambord, as it is the biggest chateaux of the Loire Valley. It has 440 rooms, 365 chimneys, and thousands of stairs. Leonardo da Vinci helped design this chateau, and it is evident in the beautiful architecture of the palace.

What a great trip!! It was really nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city for a couple days. It gave me a chance to catch my breath after the whirlwind of coming to Paris, starting school, and adapting to a new culture.