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Published: January 18th 2012
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Last weekend, collection of us were rounded up and transported to the Loire Valley- one of the most spectacular things I have yet seen here. We spent the day exploring castles, dining, and traveling throughout the French countryside. These castles, namely Chateau d’Amboise and Chambord, were a relic of the past that symbolically narrated French history.It was a two hour bus ride from the south of Paris, where many of us students are residing, to the Valley itself. Hazy for most of the ride, our bus swam through a sea of fog. We left early in the morning, and one of the most striking things about Paris is that the sun does not come up until well past eight in the morning. So when we boarded the bus, the moon was still out…
Our first destination was Chateau d’Amboise, a castle with origins in the 11th century and continually expanded over time, with each new monarch. In 1434 it was taken by Charles VII of France, and quickly became a favourite residence among French kings. Although the castle has seen destruction and devastation over time (one fifth of what it once was stands today) it still captivates the visitor’s
imagination-the essence of true human engineering: a piece of work that transcends war and time that can still make someone today marvel at its beauty.Traveling to the next destination, Chambord, was an hour away from Amboise. We traveled on a lone country road, and along the way we passed rows of vineyards and greenery. Even in the winter, the Loire Valley glistened with life (take a lesson, Chicago). Along the journey, other chateaux speckled the landscape. It was quite remarkable.
Finally, after a brilliant lunch near Chambord (more on French dining later) we crossed the small dirt road and awed at the grandiose splendor of Chateau de Chambord, the most intricately and delicately designed castle I had ever seen. No photos or film could capture the magnificence of Chambord. It was like stepping out of the 21
st century and into a fairy tale.The construction of Le Chateau de Chambord began in 1519 by Francois I. It is the largest castle in the Loire Valley, and was primarily built to serve as a hunting lodge for Francois I, though legend has it that he built the castle to be close to his mistress Claude Rohan, whose own, Chateau de
Muides, was close by. After Francois’s conquest in Milan, he undertook building this chateau at the age of 25, blending classical medieval structure with Italian Renaissance design. The exterior of the castle is made with tufa, a soft stone, which makes its life time of centuries quite remarkable. His children and future kings of France took great care of Chambord, leaving it for the future to one day enjoy.This magnificent castle is yet another example of how one individual can inspire such phenomenal feats of architecture. Her legend, along with the Taj Mahal, ect. gave rise to this unbelievable piece of work. The castle is beautiful, but often times I find the story behind it to be the most fascinating thing of all, giving a man made structure the human element of life.
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