This was a day filled with Chateaus. We decided at breakfast that we'd go to the Chateau that was the farthest away and then work our way back, so the first Chateau on our list was Chateau Chambord.
Famous for it's grandeur- aren't they all? and famous for it's double spiral staircase that Leonardo Da Vinci supposedly designed for it.
I left the laptop in the room because I knew two things: 1) I didn't want to type because I wanted to look, and 2) that the roads we were going to take might very well be curvy because we weren't going to be on the highway. My eyes were used for sign-hunting, and for taking in the countryside. Something that struck me was the massive amounts of mistletoe that was growing all over the leaf-barren trees. These clusters of fawned-over greenery seemed to cover a large percent of the barren branches. I'm sure that the couples who travel through the area around Christmas time would be quite joyous to see these (although I'm certain they'll be exhausted before the mistletoe runs out).
When we reached the Chateau Chambord the first thing we all noticed was the roof. The central building had it's roof covered in turrets, towers, cupolas, and dormers. It was like seeing a Disney Castle all over again.
The Chateau Chambord was indeed massive, the central building having 4 stories (including the terrace on the roof where people were up walking around), and the outer wall (or buildings) were two stories high on three sides and three stories high on one. When we were in the central courtyard we read up on the Chateau Chambord. Apparently the Chateau Chambord was started by Francois I after he came back from Italy. Francois I wanted to built this Chateau as his hunting lodge because he dearly loved to hunt, and he'd grown a fondness for Italian architecture (again I point at the double staircase that Leonardo Da Vinci is said to have designed for the Chateau). Francois I wanted to make this the most grand castle in the world so he could further enhance his name. He never got to see it finished.
The Chateau's layout was ingenious. We only got to walk around in the central building and we only saw maybe 15-20 rooms (not all of them had furniture because Francois I supposedly had a moving court and took his furniture with him), and I still know that the layout was brilliant. It was built in the shape of a cross. The central cross formed the main hallways and divided up the four living sections on each floor. Each square living section also had the tower apartments connected to it. These rooms did not always have hallways to keep people from having to walk through bedrooms to reach their own beds, but that's ok because people could move everywhere else with ease. In the middle of the cross there was the double spiral staircase where one person could take one flight of steps and another person take the other flight. The two could see each other, but they never ran into each other (this was another one of those things that I thoroughly enjoyed staring openly at). Each of the rooms we visited had a fireplace (heat is for the privileged though and the nooks that the servants got didn't have them). Those servants that didn't get a personal fireplace though were not out of luck. We were warmed in multiple rooms by the fire that was lit in one fireplace in the central hallway.
Within the Chateau we visited the Kings chambers, the Queens chambers, the Kings mistress's room, and various other rooms where the previous owners got to show themselves off in their portraits (Ahmee and I laughed over Francois I's painting where he'd slaughtered a wild pig and all the women were fawning over him-some even fainting). We also got to visit the chapel which did not face the proper direction: with the alter to the East and the rest to the West. I found it interesting that the cross that was on the roof was placed there in the 19th century, not before. I also found it interesting to read that the Chateau wasn't used too often. I can list the amount it was used (I'm quoting the official pamphlet here):
Chambord's famous figures and intermittent residents:
Francis I (1494-1547) King of France, ordered the chateau to be built - Gaston d' Orleans (1608-1660) Louis XIII's brother, stayed at Chambord and Blois from 1634 and 1652 to 1660 - Louis XIV (1638-1715) King of France, stayed at Chambord nine times between 1660 and 1685 - Stanislaus Leszczynski (1677-1766) exiled King of Poland and Louis XV's father-in-law, lived here from 1725 to 1733 - The Marechal de Saxe (1696-1750) was given the estate by Louis XV and for two years threw sumptuous parties here - The Duc de Bordeaux, Comte de Chambord (1820-1883) Charles X's grandson, received the chateau by public subscription in 1821 - The French government bought the chateau from the Comte de Chambord's heirs in 1930
I'm not sure where Ahmee read it, but she also told me that someone who'd been given the Chateau as a gift refused to live there because it was "infested with mosquitos".
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Moving beyond the people who built/added on to the Chateau and who didn't live there too often. My two favorite things about the Chateau Chambord were: the spiral staircases and the terraced rooftop. We got to walk around on the roof with all the really cool towers! It was soooo neat. Not only did I have a great time looking at the architectural pieces (I always do that), I also enjoyed looked at: the extensive park that was spread out below us, and the tiny people who were walking on the gravel path up to the Chatteau. Every time I'm above people in a gargoyle-like place I want to shout, "I can see you!" This impulse only grows stronger when the people look up and point.
When one goes up one must come down. After seeing the rooftop and the view from it we went all the way back down to the bottom and out through the giftshop (buying only postcards). After all our hiking we were pretty hungry. We stopped in a little Disney-world-like village that was just next to the parking lot and only a 3 minute walk from the Chateau to grab ourselves a bite to eat. While we ate our cheese-spread sandwiches (I thought it was yummy) we got sprinkled on a bit. By the time we got up and headed past the toilets (where you have to pay 40 cents to go in) it was raining, but not very hard. It was the perfect time to get in the car and go: when we're cold and wet.
We headed back the way we came, making the decision to simply stay in Amboise and visit the Chateau there instead of rushing to see the other Chateau. This was fine by me because I was ready to be back in Amboise, it felt very homey to me for some reason. After driving past the vineyards, the empty fields that contained only hunters, and my mistletoe trees we arrived back at Amboise. We parked the car at the hotel and walked to the very fortified Chateau Royal, stopping only once to reserve our seats at a restaurant.
This was basically a walled hill that had the Chateau perched on top and we got to walk up the ramp that went through the gate and around past the giftshop. There we came into view of the Chatteau Royal, the gardens at the tip top of the hill, and the St. Hubert Chapel. Before we headed into the chapel where Leonardo Da Vinci is buried we looked out at the town of Amboise. Even though the view was incredible I never got too close to the stone wall. Why? It was raining and windy and any time I got close to the edge my umbrella would threaten to come out of my hands.
After the tour group shuffled out of St. Hubert's chapel we went in to take a look at the stained glass windows, at the Carrara marble carving, at the laced stone, and at Leonardo Da Vinci's gravesite. His grave has a plaque with his aged face on it and his name beneath. Two flowers were placed on top of his grave. I was surprised there weren't more.
We didn't stay in St. Huberts chapel long, we wanted to go into the Chateau and then check out the gardens. So, we went in, we saw the guards room, the sentries walk (where we had an excellent view of the river and the valley Loire), the Noble guards room (noble men who "guarded" the King), the drummers room (dressing room), the council chamber (which was where the monarch held his council it "would be the forerunner of modern government" is what the pamphlet says), the Louis-Philippe Rooms (these were renovated by Louis-Philippe and so used a more modern style than the tapestried rooms of before), the music room (which contained the portrait of Abd El-Kader, a Prisoner of State from Algeria who lived with his family and retinue from 1848 till he was liberated by Louis Napoleon Bonaparte), and the Cavalry Towers. From the cavalry towers we got a almost 360 degree view. You could see for miles from this point and I enjoyed looking down at the high river (the rain had made the level of the water rise), the town, the gardens, and the valley off on the other side of the river. After this we went out to the gardens where we got a good look at fancy balls (these were bushes that were all trimmed up and lined up on the hillside) and at the garden that is dedicated to Abd El-Kader and his family who died at Amboise.
We left through the giftshop, through a courtyard, and down a ramped tower that was designed to allow horse-drawn carriages to descend to the main street. It was hilarious looking at the carved faces that were in the pillars. One was so obviously jeering at us that Ahmee and I couldn't help but laugh out loud. We made sure to try and get a picture of this funny fellow and then we left the Chateau Royal to again face the cobbled streets of Amboise. Since we had plenty of time to kill, we went back to the hotel where I proceeded to spend a fair amount of time emailing people (these were not very pretty emails).
When we left to go to the fancy restaurant I was troubled. The contents of the emails were painful, and all throughout the dinner I wondered what on earth I would hear back. The food was delicious, if thinly spread, and the drinks were fantastic, I was just NOT there. There have been quite a few times on this trip where that has happened, far more than I've recorded at any rate.
When we got back to the hotel I grabbed the computer and went down to the breakfast room to get even worse news. I ran out of time before I could hear back from people though and I took the computer back up to the room, thoroughly upset about how things seemed to be spiraling and how my angry emails had really not helped things. I wanted to go home so I could fix things, so I could talk to people, so I could finally set things right rather than beat around the bush. I told Ahmee and Poppy this and I told them other things. They grabbed the phone and called my Momma, who I got to talk to for a little under 20 minutes. Both of us were upset, but neither one of us took on a nasty tone during the short conversation, and we both left the conversation feeling slightly better (me much much more so). I was to stay in Europe for my last 3 weeks (I'd forgotten that again, and Momma told me that I should stay and finish the trip), and we were to continue talking through email (Momma wanted me to get a sky phone-Ahmee said no way because we only have 3 weeks left). I also got to talk to my wee sister Emma whose voice has gone and changed on me slightly and who I think has had her confidence enhanced while I've been away. When I get back she'll be about as tall as my mother and she'll have the courage (or the nerve the rascal) to knock me around a bit. I don't mind if she knocks me over with a hug, I miss her and my Momma tons. I find it funny that Em will be 13 in two months and she's already, what, 3/4's of an inch away from being as tall as my Momma (who's 5'8 3/4").
I fell asleep shortly after hanging up with them, feeling much much better about more than one situation. Apparently I was so pleased that I sang in my sleep.
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