Chateaus of the Loire Valley, June 2002
On this page:
Bottom of the Chambord spiral staircase
      Other links:
Saturday June 22 - Fontainebleau, Chambord, and Azay le Rideau
We assembled in the Cavee parking lot at SRPC, boarded the group bus, and set off for Fontainebleau.  Most of the group had been up late the previous night for the summer solstice music festival in Paris (fete de la musique), and was happy to sleep on the bus.  We arrived at the Fontainebleau chateau an hour and a half later, and enjoyed a tour of the chateau and lunch at a cafe nearby.  I learned that the term "chateau" is be more appropriate for Fontainebleau than "castle", because "chateau" applies better to royalty and nobility country residences, while "castle" applies to defense-related fortresses.  Highlights from Fontainebleau chateau:
 
Mattias and Sabina sleeping on the bus
(also see Cecilia in the background)
The courtyard in front of the castle
(movable trees are so convenient)
Mike & Jen in front of the castle
(along with a bunch of firefighters)
No running in the castle!

We left Fontainebleau at 1pm, and headed southwest to Chambord.  Historians say that construction of the Chambord chateau began in 1526 under the direction of Francois I.  Legend has it that Leonardo da Vinci, then living at the Clos Lucé in Amboise, made several plans and models used for the construction of the chateau.   But there is no officially known architect for Chambord: Primatice, Dominique de Cortone, Leonardo da Vinci....it could be any of these, but no one is sure.

We arrived at Chambord at 3pm, and enjoyed the afternoon touring the castle, relaxing the the park, and eating ice cream. The highlight of the castle was the double helix staircase, which we climbed to the top level (see staircase photo on top of site).  The weather was perfect, and we enjoyed great views from the top.  Images from Chambord chateau:
 
Atop the helix staircase
The back door of the castle
Overlooking the backyard
Front door

We left Chambord chateau at 5pm, and headed south towards the Loire valley.  We crossed over the river, and arrived in the town of Chinon at 8pm.  We checked into a hotel near the La Vienne river (just off the Loire), and ate dinner at a nearby hotel/restaurant.  After dinner we proceeded directly to the Chateau d'Azay de Rideau for a walking light show on the walls of the chateau and in the surrounding gardens.  Built on an island in the middle of the Indre, Azay-le-Rideau was constructed between 1518 and 1523 for Gilles Berthelot, a wealthy Treasurer of France.

The chateau gates opened around 11pm (just after dark), and we spent the next hour walking through the gardens and watching various light/music exhibitions.  It was a strange combination of tradition and technology.  We boarded the bus and were back at the hotel by 1am, with just enough time to have on drink at a local bar before it closed at 1:30am.  More images from the evening:
 
Cecilia and the bus
Jen across the way from our hotel room
Light show in the Chateau d'Azay le Rideau
More of the light spectacle

Sunday June 23 - Fontevraud Abbey and Chenonceau Chateau
After a quick breakfast in the hotel at 8:30am, we headed off to the nearby Fontevraud Abbey.  During the 11th century a Breton priest and theologian, Robert d'Abrissel moved to the forest of Craon and founded the abbey of La Roë on the limits of Brittany, Normandy and Anjou.  Pope Urban II went to the abbey in 1096 to hear the priest.  The Pope was won over by d'Abrissel's eloquence, and he appointed him an "apostolic preacher" and ordered him to preach in the West of France.  Robert d'Abrissel left his community in 1098 and took to the road.  He stopped in Fontevraud in 1101 and founded a new abbey, unique in its kind as it welcomed, in five different buildings, various communities that also served as a women's prison for the past century.

We walked around the abbey gardens and enjoyed another sunny morning.  After another brief stop for ice cream, we were Back on the bus by 11am, and off to Chenonceau chateau - the final stop on our trip.  Images from the Fontevraud Abbey:
 
Entrance to the abbey
Hallways around the courtyard

Chenonceau chateau was built over the Cher river, and five women are responsible for its total design.  Chenonceau is one of the most popular chateaus in France.  We arrived at Chenonceau two hours after leaving the Fontevraud Abbey, and walked into the adjacent town to find lunch. We met in front of the castle at 3pm, and decided to skip the tour and head straight for the gardens.  We wandered around the gardens, then walked through the first floor of the castle (to cross the river).  We were not ambitious enough to climb to the top floors of the chateau, and instead decided to sit by the river and relax.  Images from Chenonceau:
 
From the gardens
Raising the drawbridge (unsuccessfully)
In the gardens
On the river
At a cafe nearby
Chateau over the river

At 5pm we walked back to the bus, and started the drive back to Paris.  The return trip was delayed a bit by traffic caused by a strike at Orly airport, and we were back in Clamart by 8:30pm.  Overall, another great weekend in the French countryside!  And we even learned a little too.
 

Did you find a mistake in this page, or do you want to add an image?  Please submit your new information.