Blois 3 - 5 August

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Blois is a pretty little town on the northern bank of the Loire. The 'Chateau de Blois' is in the centre of town. Each of its four wings, arrrayed around a central courtyard, reflect a style from a different pepriod: Gothic, Flamboyant Gothic, ealy Renaissance and Classical.

Old City - a spiderweb of twisting medieval streets dominated by the Cathedral St-Louis. Behind the cathedral are the pretty 'Jardins de l'Eveche' (Gardens of the Bishop's palace). From the terrace is the best view of Blois, the Loire and the Pont Jaques Gabriel.

Towering over the gardens is an equestrian statue of Joan of Arc, which marks her passage through Blois in 1429 prior to the Orleans siege. It seems every French town is eager to lay claim to Joan in some way.

There is a hop on - hop off bus tour you can take to see the chateux of Blois, Chambord and Cheverny. On getting onto the bus I encountered my first taste of French beaurocracy. The bus driver refused to accept my tour ticket because the Blois chateau had already been marked as being seen the previous day. I explained that the tourist office had not made it clear that the ticket was valid for one day only, but the bus driver got in a huff and made me pay for the tour again by buying a new ticket. She seemed to relax during the day and eventually decided to remove the stick from her behind and refund my money anyway.

Chambord - Chambord is very impressive and you could probbly spend a whole day wandering aroud the 545sq km of the estate (the same area as inner Paris). It is the largest enclosed forest park in Europe and a national game reserve. The chateau was originally intended as a hunting lodge and has a while floor dedicated to this theme. The most famous feature is the double-spiral staircase that links the chateau's 3 floors. The staircase comprises two concentric spiral flights of stairs that wind independantly around a hollow central column but never meet.

Cheverny - This is the region's most magnificantly furnished chateau. It has a finely proportioned classical facade and is positioned within beautifuly manicured gardens.
Cheverny is also a hunting centre and there are about 100 canines, most of them a cross between English fox hounds and French pontevins, housed in the kennels within the grounds. I thought they looked a bit mangy, some looked too boney (maybe to prepare them for the hunt) and some were scratching away at fleas. The cement part of the compound didn't have an exactly attractive aroma either. Looking at them it was hard to believe they are an elite, highly trained animal used for killing and tearing apart stage. Actually I'd prefer not to chink about this barbaric practice they call 'sport'.

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