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Published: September 22nd 2012
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Don Quixote and the Windmill
Actually, Kevin turning it himself! Saturday, Sept 15 - This weekend most of the national monuments and treasures are open to the public free of charge, or almost free, so we decided to take advantage of this…I had a couple of biggies on my list, being Chinon, the home of Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine, and Fontevraud, the Abbey where they, Richard the Lionhearted and King John’s wife, Isabelle, were buried. But today we had saved for Chambord, which is one of the jewels of the Loire Valley.
After the debacle with all the people at Chenonceau the other day, we decided to get there early, to avoid all the crowds. We were there when it opened and, although we had to pay a small fee, it was worth it. The rooms were beautifully decorated, with wonderful signage in French AND English, and German as well. They also had a display of French hunting dogs that looked sort of like hunting beagles, and an exhibit by police horses. Pretty interesting to see, but it is all in the interaction between horse and rider. Off to Beaugency to see the Roman bridge the town is famous for.
Food was a non-event, as we are
Chambord
The outside starting to get over the having to eat a lot of food. We are happy with baguettes or baby quiches and salads. We are unable to live without our pain au chocolat or pain au raison in the mornings though and stopping for such on the road is a necessity every day.
Sunday, September 16, 2012 - Today, once again, we are off to see the free chateaus. One that everyone raves about is Azay-le-Rideau, and after seeing it, I understand why….this is another jewel. Again, documentation is excellent, and it really can make or break the visit to a place. It was furnished beautifully and got lots of ooohs and ahhhs from Wendy and me, and lots of quilting ideas as well.
On to Chinon, where we decided to have lunch at At’Able (obviously a play on words). The food was good - see the pictures - but service was pretty slack. Kevin had decided to have a starter and main, while the three of us had mains and dessert and I think the staff found that confusing, although it was their suggestion. At any rate, we lost enough time so that we had to give Chinon
Chambord
One of the bedrooms castle a miss, as I was getting pushy about seeing where Eleanor of Aquitaine was buried.
I have read a lot about this woman, whom I admire immensely, although there is little known about her. Because of the age she lived, her life wasn’t important, per se, although she wielded much power in the 1100s France and Engand. She controlled King Richard and King John, her sons, until their or her death. John’s rule in England pretty much fell apart after her death and two years later he was forced to sign the Magna Carta, giving general rights to English people. I was saddened to go into the Gift shop and find so many books on her life, but they were all in French….Otherwise the Abbey was a disappointment - minimal signage and the maps were very unhelpful. There were no furnishings, nothing. There is so much potential for the complex, but it hasn’t been taken advantage of. The government is really missing out on this opportunity.
Well, we are chateau-ed out…if I never see another turret it could be too soon…or not. Tomorrow is another day, and we are on the road to Provence!
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Heather Stone
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The food presentation is so beautiful! The sky looks blue so it looks as though the weather is holding for you. I'm looking forward to each installment ... bring on Provence!