Day 6 - The Loire

Friday morning we woke up to the sound of birds singing outside our window with plenty of time to spare before our 8 o’clock date with the breakfast table. We were served a lovely continental breakfast sure to keep us going until lunchtime.

Our plan was to visit a couple of castles and we’d agreed to start with Chateau De Chenonceau, called the ladies chateau where Catherine De Medici being the most known woman to have lived there.

This is the castle most people will recognize as the castle that has been built over the Loire River,

quite a sight and even though being from the 15th century a very workable kitchen was in use and as the pictures show it’s not bad at all.

After being guided through the inside of the chateau by our iPod audio guide we were full of history and information and hunger.

Lunch was enjoyed at one of the outside cafeteria’s and luck was on our side as rain had been promised for the day but it looked like the weather men got it wrong and rain had blown away somewhere else leaving us with a near perfect day.

After lunch and a short break it was time to explore the beautiful gardens quite spectacular with hundreds of newly planted annuals and roses in full bloom everywhere leaving a delicate scent wherever you walked.

Last we walked through a 16th century farm and vegetable gardens and by this stage we were ready to take the short drive back to our home to drop off Salme who decided to have the afternoon off. As we were driving through the village of Chenonceaux Peter and Salme were saying oh and ah look at this as Yvonne was driving, trying to navigate and not to hyperventilate as the roads were of the very narrow kind making it very hard to enjoy the scenery.

Once we were home and Yvonne’s heart rate had gone back to normal it was time for one more castle only a 10 min drive away and with Salme rested in bed with her IPod book it was Chaumont-sur-Loire’s turn.

This being a much smaller chateau but also one that Catherine de Medici used. Unfortunately we were joined but hordes of 5 year old being out on excursion making this a much less enjoyable time, they were as loud as only 5 year olds can be.

It was decided to make the stables and gardens a priority before calling it a day in time for a predinner drink and dinner.