More from Blois

Let's go inside! As you'll see, the château is very reserved and understated in its interior design. (Yeah, that's likely.) :)

As always, click on the photos for bigger versions...


Understated fireplace


Love the tiles

All of the châteaus (or at least all of the ones we have seen) have their own chapels, so the royals could be good Christians while oppressing their subjects. If nothing else, that has left lots of pretty stained glass around...






No idea what this is, but it's impressive!

The salamander is an important figure in French royalty and is found in many of their homes...



Okay, we'll stop there for now. Plenty more to come! :)

Château Royal de Blois

Next up, Blois. Blois is particularly interesting, because it's a collection of several different architectural styles, as new sections were added over the centuries.

On the way into the château, we were reminded that any number of towns in this part of France trip over themselves to mention their connection to Joan of Arc. As we entered the grounds of this château, we saw this sign:



As with so many of the châteaus (châteaux?), the sculpture inlaid in the very walls is quite impressive...


Click on this one and check out the details!

And here you can see one small section of the buildings...



Here's a closer look at the top of enclosed staircase in the last photo...



As a last shot (for this post), here's a view from the center of the courtyard...



More to come!

Continuing our visit to Chenonceau

Without further adieu...

This is the view inside a château-length hall that goes out over the river:



Something I didn't expect, but I suppose it's not surprising, given this country's (and continent's) history:



In English, "Here, 2254 casualties were treated during the war, 1914-1918."

For those of you who may be history-challenged, "the war" would have been the First World War. Sadly, another followed, but it's a strange feeling to look down that lovely, peaceful hall and think of it lined with beds, filled with horribly wounded men. Between the horrors of "The War to End All Wars" and what passed for medicine in those days, it must have been a nightmare come to life.

On a happier note, here's the outside of that same hall:



A couple of views from the hall:





To close this post, here's one of the full-time residents of the grounds:



That's a muskrat. There are lots of them living along the banks of the canals when you walk in. They're along the water, eating, and basking on the grass.

More Chenonceau

Let's see. Where did we leave off? Outside, I believe. So back to the gardens!

There were lots of pretty flowers, even though it wasn't prime blooming time there...



And the gardens--and fountain--were lovely...



Then there was the house near the gardens. Perhaps it's a groundskeeper's shack?



How long do you think it took to grow wisteria like that?





And then we went inside. Have I mentioned that there's a lot of stained glass in France? Chenonceau is no exception...



That's it for this post. Hope you're enjoying these!

Some France photos for my poor, neglected blog

I've become such a neglectful blogger. Well, let me try to make amends with a few photos, with many more to come. We began our recent trip to France in the Loire Valley. We stayed at a lovely little hotel near the Château de Chenonceau. So that château was our first stop.

As you enter the grounds, you cross what would be the first obstacle for an unwanted visitor...


It may have been meant as an obstacle, but it's just pretty now.

Then you walk down a modest, little path that leads you to the château itself...



Along the way, there's some Egyptian influence to be seen...



Next, you see the first part of the gardens...



One interesting additional measure, apparently meant to isolate the property, if needed, is this...



If you click on that last one (and, of course, I know you're clicking on all of them for better views *g*), you can get a better view of how it's put together. If you were to reach up and pull down on the near end of the lever, the little draw bridge would come up, leaving a long drop right down to the water below.

Fortunately, such measures were unnecessary, so we were able to walk across this little drawbridge, so I could get a nice shot of the château...



I hope you enjoyed those. There are many more to come, but I plan to spread them out a little. Not because it gives me lots of things for the blog; rather, because I love reliving the trip this way! :)