Chambord was built by 3 successive French Kings. It was started in 1517 by Francoise I, as a hunting lodge (it has a perimeter wall 32 km long which protects the largest forest park in Europe). It was subsequently added to by Henry II and Louis XIV. It became an ostentatious symbol of the King's power.
Our self guided audio tour by Pippa started in the keep...
...and then moved to the interior, where again a touristy shot was required.
The rooms reflected the styles of the various periods over which the different kings occupied it.
It was depicted through the ages in tapestries...
..and paintings.
After touring the interior we did a 4 km walk along the canal. It provided some interesting views back to the Chateau....
..plus amazingly some wildlife. This is a coypu, aka, nutria, river rat and beaver rat. It was originally a native of South America and grows to 4 to 7 kgs in weight.
We then saw this rather well constructed hide which suggested we might see some wild boar, or sanglier. Sceptically we proceeded..
....all eyes glued to the forest...
...and voilà, we saw about 4 or 5 scampering past.
It was then back to the Chateau shops for some pretty ordinary Croque Monsiers, but could couldn't fault the setting.
We then drove south west along the Loire to Amboise, and our accommodation do the night at Chateau des Arpentis, a little treat.
The inside was just as lovely, with a sitting room with open fire...
...plus the with hunting spoils well displayed.
...a none too scruffy room..
...with a nice view.
In the evening we drove into Amboise town for dinner. It was still adorned with its fully decorated Christmas trees and had Christmassy projections onto the Castle. We thought if this was Manly, the tree decorations would be gone, and maybe even the trees!
We dined at a Bistro recommended by the Chateau. We got a free aperitif and some hearty fare including escargots...
...and Iberian ham.
We found a nutria on our walk in Slovenia. Apparently they are a real pest, originally introduced for their fur, but now have a become like cane toads and overtake indigenous animals' habitats. Detested despite their cute appearance.
ReplyDeleteChateau was an inspirational stay. Gorgeous colours and furnishings.
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