Hello, luv!
Hi there!
My name is Martha and I am a single, retired woman from the Denver area who is a big fan of Rick Steves tours. Since my first trip to France in 2012 I have been hooked! I am in love with England and decided to take the Villages of Southern England tour in the fall of 2018.
LOIRE VALLEY
Day 3: Amboise, Chenonceau, and Chinon
This was our first day on the bus with our great driver, Phillippe. We were off to the chateau country, first stop right on the banks of the Loire River in Amboise. Most of the group went with Patrick to visit Leonardo's house, Clos-Luce, but I had already toured this chateau and chose to explore the small town of Amboise. I very much enjoyed wandering the streets, poking in and out of stores. I found the post office and bought some stamps to mail post cards back home. Then I stopped by a church with a funeral just ending, had a baguette sandwich for lunch, and checked out the chocolate store for a couple sweet treats for the bus ride.
Chenonceau is one of the jewels of the Loire Valley, straddling the River Cher. Outside Patrick gave us an introduction and information on the chateau and then set us free to look on our own. I checked out the inside rooms and then the gardens. At this time of year the gardens were being prepared for winter but were still beautiful.
Gallery over the River Cher
Catherine de Medicis bedroom
We ended our day in Chinon. After settling in our charming 13th century hotel, Patrick took those who wished on a short orientation tour of the town. Later we all had dinner together at a small restaurant near the river. The chocolate dessert was particularly tasty.
Day 4: Villandry and Azay-Le-Rideau
Our blitz of the chateaux continued the next morning at Villandry. This place is known in particular for its extensive gardens but the interior was lovely as well. It seemed a bit more approachable than the day before.
All set up for tea in this room.
Our second stop was at Azay-Le-Rideau. It is built on an island so there are beautiful views of the chateau reflected in the water as well as lovely rooms inside. Truthfully, by this time I was tired of seeing big houses built in the Renaissance primarily to show the owner's wealth.
We had a bit of time after exploring the chateau to pick up lunch in the charming little town outside the gates.
We were back in Chinon by early afternoon. I rested a bit and then went exploring. I took an elevator up to the fortress ruins above the town and enjoyed reading the historical displays as well as seeing some spectacular views of the town and area.
I made it back just in time for a wine tasting presented by the owners of the hotel. Jean-Pierre explained about wine making in the Chinon area and we sampled 5 different bottles and had some local snacks. It was an early night for me but others found some great restaurants in town.
