Day Eleven - Chillin' and Checking Out Château de Chenonceau

Cassie's Viewpoint

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As it turned out Cassie had chosen an excellent spot for yet another photo of the chateau.

I Think the Trimmer Took Off a Bit Too Much

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There was a whole long line of these grotesquely trimmed trees near the gardens. I think they're rather ugly.

Ten Minutes After Finding Relief

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As I mentioned earlier, the bathrooms we found were a wonderful respite. Thankfully they were free and clean. Once we had finished business we strolled through the adjacent 16th Century farm on the de'Medici side of the estate. As evidenced by the big drop in the center of my picture, a light drizzle began to fall.

I Should've Cleaned Off the Lens

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A nice shot of the farmhouses is ruined.

Winter Garden

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We had to peer through a chainlink fence to see the chateau gardens. Even in winter there were herbs and a few flowers growing. This would be the one area of the chateau grounds I'd like to have seen in spring or summer. As long as the buses of tourists hadn't arrived yet.

Frenck Jackasses

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and ponies. The group of mini-horses came close to the fence as we called them but turned around and left when they saw we had nothing to feed to them.

Time to Hit the Road

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But not until we cross the bridge over this canal and exit the grounds via the gift shop. Naturally that took us another half an hour.

Onward to Montrichard

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My notes told me we should head to Montrichard on the baks of the Loire River next. Unfortuantely I didn't have any details on what to stop and see. Looking up the town on the internet shows we should've spent more time driving around because there was another chateau nearby and a picturesque stone bridge over the river. More importantly, we finally found an ATM. We were still a few hours away from our accommodations for the night so we just did a quick photo stop at the old castle ruins then headed North.

There's the Right Flag

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The Fleur de Lis is what I expect to see on my old medieval French buildings.

Another World War II Site

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It looks like the town was attacked during the German invasion of France in 1940. Little information about that on the internet as well.

Just a Few Hours Later

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By the time we left the outskirts of Montrichard all my companions were asleep while I navigated toward our very special accomodations for the night in Moresville. Apparently there was nothing of interest along the way because I took no pictures. As the in-car GPS indicated we were nearing our destination we passed through a medium-sized town replete with a number of fast food shops and chain restaurants. All appeared to be closed. New Year's Eve might be a problem. Our course took us a few more miles out of town and into a little farming village. Way off the main road our GPS told us to keep driving up a one lane semi-paved road. We passed the entrance to our hotel twice before we finally spotted a tiny sign. This is what greeted us as we drove inside the gate. Things looked deserted here as well, but once I went inside I found an extremely nice English-speaking lady who not only gave me our keys but also offered a print-out with dinner recommendations. Back in the car we headed off in the direction we were sent, but the two places at the top of the list appeared to be closed for the entire winter. Totally dark. A third choice looked pretty pricey. Thinking we might come back if that was the only choice, we returned to the mid-sized town to see if the chain restaurants were open. We saw lights on and a few waiters moving around inside La Pataterie. Before we could get out of the car and try the front door a young couple walked up, tugged on the door, then decided to sit down at a table just outside the front door. Once again the seven o'clock rule seemed to be in effect. The four of us simply sat in our warm car for the next half hour watching the couple get up and try the front door again and again. Finally they were let in and we followed shortly thereafter.

The Whole Place for Ourselves

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Who knows where they put that young couple, but we were ushered to the back of the restaurant where we initially had the room to ourselves. On my sixtieth birthday night I was more than happy to dine in a place where I knew I wouldn't be getting one of those gigantic plates with a tiny forkful of meat surrounded by thin lines of sauce. No lunch meant that we were all quite famished.

Soon to Join My All-Time Favorites List

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As soon as I saw Grimbergen on the menu I ordered it. In the months following the trip I fondly recalled the deliciousness of their brews. On our summer trip though Paris I was lucky enough to enjoy a few more. I hope they export to the USA sometime soon.

Cassie is Revived

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Time for more camera fun with me as the joke. I didn't care if they were laughing at my picture - I had my Grimsbergen.

The Birthday Boy Having a Great Time at His Party

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As you can see I was already for the next Grimsbergen when this picture was taken.

Gail's Mega Meal

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I think she thought she was ordering a dieter's delight when Gail chose a baked potato from the menu. Instead she got a watermelon-sized glob of cheese with the biggest potato I'd ever seen attached to it.

The Low Cholesterol Meal

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Now THIS is how you present a French dinner. No tiny specks of meat on a gigantic plate with little swirls of brown sauce and chive sprinkles.

The Meat Lovers' Tater

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My potato may have been the smallest at the table weighing in at a mere 3 lbs, but they loaded my plate up with so much other stuff that I had no clue where to put it all. I just started cramming the meats and cheese into the potato and created a spud sandwich. And incidently, the onion soup was one of the best I ever had and I've probably consumed thousands in my lifetime. Sweet onions and lots of gooey cheese.