Chateau de Chenonceau in the Loire River Valley

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Today I visited another Loire Valley chateau. This is Chateau de Chenonceau and I have seen pictures of this before. I remember its unique feature of sitting on top of a bridge (see picture). It is very picturesque outside, but also inside. It belonged to the royal family of France for a long time and Catherine de Medici, wife of King Henri II, lived here and essentially ruled France for several years after Henri's death and before their son was old enough to become King Henri III. There is bedroom with a painting of Catherine over the mantel (see picture). Note the alternating initials of Henri's "H" and Catherine's entwined "C". Perhaps the most famous room in the chateau is the long room called The Gallery that stretches pretty much the length of the bridge that crossed the river (see picture). It was used a ballroom initially, but during WWII it was rumored to act as a passage for Jews and Resistance fighters to slip across the river. Through the windows of the chateau, you can see kayakers on the river (see picture) and look down on the formal gardens (see picture). Altogether I like this chateau better than the others I have visited and I can see why it is such a popular place. I will end with one more photo (see picture).

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