#have been! amboise is gorgeous

[elenasadventures]

Château de Chenonceau & Château du Clos Lucé

(Entry by Lachlan)

For our one full day in Amboise we first ventured a little out of town to the famous Château de Chenonceau. Chenonceau is a quaint castle/palace built over the river Cher and surrounded by old forests and kept gardens. The château was the home of many royal women since it was constructed in 1513 and each lady left their mark. The various royal living areas have been restored and are full of furniture and art from the time - rich tapestries, detailed religious paintings, ornate desks, draped beds, and ostentatious self portraits. This was contrasted by the modest and medieval servants' areas including the kitchen, pantry, and servants dining room. It is a gorgeous building with the main attraction being the two story gallery that was added in 1570 over a bridge going from the castle to the opposite river bank. Once the gallery was constructed it was used as a luxurious ballroom and dining hall. The gallery was also used during World War One as a hospital and in World War Two as a means of smuggling people out of Nazi occupied France, into the safe zone on the other side of the River Cher. We were also struck by the gorgeous forest that surrounded the castle and river. Softened by the rain it was lush and green, and dotted with pink wildflowers.

Later that day we went to Clos Lucé which is the château in Amboise where Leonardo Da Vinci lived and worked during the final years of his life. I remembered it from when I went when I was 8, and I think that’s because it’s basically Da Vinci disneyland. The estate has big beautiful gardens populated with both miniature and life size models of his inventions which were AWESOME. We got a photo of me in the tank that Alex and I loved when we went as kids, and it was amazing to see how early Da Vinci thought of things like ball bearings, compressed air cannons, and gear systems. Another highlight of Clos Lucé was the two little cats we ran into; one was taking a luxurious nap on Leonardo Da Vinci’s velvet canopied bed, and the other was sleeping soundly on a 14th century wooden bench in the hall, completely unphased by the visitors patting him as they went by.

[theretirementstory]

Happy New Year, 2023 has arrived! The weather is sunny and cloudy with hopefully a high of 15c.

This time last year we had no idea that a war would be raging on our “doorstep”, that Her Majesty the Queen would depart this world, on my birthday! I had no idea that I would be facing another health problem or that “The Paralegal” would be a homeowner by the end of the year. However this is life and we only hope and pray that there will be a conclusion to the war rather than an escalation, that the new King, Charles III, will enjoy a long reign, and that all the other good and ills that affect us throughout the coming year, are bearable.

Here is an excerpt from “Ring Out, Wild Bells (From In Memoriam) by Lord Alfred Tennyson

“Ring out the grief that saps the mind

For those that here we see no more;

Ring out the feud of rich and poor,

Ring in redress to all mankind.”

I think, like a lot of people, I have been hoping for more cards to appear in my postbox. Everyday, I run out to open the little door only to find an empty box. I am awaiting a small package which was posted on 5 December…… I really hope it arrives as I think it is an RNLI calendar.

The DVDs have been much used as “there is nothing on the telly”, I noticed that the médiathèque in town were advertising DVDs one of which was a Kate Winslet film from last year. So my plan this year is to “join” the médiathèque and take out some DVDs to watch in English 🤞 on that one!

I had a quiet Christmas but that is how I like it. Anie is away with her family, she has just sent New Year greetings from the Pyrenees. Pauline stayed in Tours, she has had days out and went to châteaux in Amboise and Blois, one was where Catherine de Medici died, one where Leonardo de Vinci died and one where Francois I lived. She told me she is using a history podcast to find out about these places. Oh I do hope that I can get some short trips in very soon. I know that she would like me to visit Tours and the surrounding area, my Turkish friends in Strasbourg want me to visit again, and I would like to visit Chalons en Champagne and Charleville-Mezieres. Both are located in the Grand Est département so shouldn’t be too difficult to visit (ha famous last words).

I had a little sleep in this morning so lunch will be around mid afternoon. I would like to go out for a walk and I may yet find that boost of energy to get me outside, obviously it’s not cold so that isn’t an excuse.

The new diary, with 365 spaces, is waiting to be filled with “new adventures”. Whether at home or further afield I am looking forward to filling those spaces. I have had a little walk around the garden looking at the lovely plants that are flowering, the Christmas roses, violas, pansies, and a tiny little red primula, it’s such a wonderful sight and makes for a delightful start to this New Year.

New Year greetings were sent to “The Daddy” and “The Paralegal” in the early part of the new day. My gorgeous grandchildren will see it just as another day, but like me, they have 365 days to fill and I am sure they will have fun doing that. A walrus has decided to rest up in their home town, I don’t suppose they have been to see it as the public are requested to keep away and let it rest before embarking on its journey home. Such excitement though!

So now it’s time, to start preparing the lunch, then I will have that little walk out. My trusty camera (well phone camera) and I will go out to see what else is new on this first day of January.

Bonne année.

[thefrenchcountryside2017]

Danny’s Version - Day 3 - Amboise to Cognac to Margaux/Bordeaux

We had a great last breakfast at Le Choisel in Amboise and then started our 5 hour drive to the Margaux/Bordeaux region.  Laura wanted to stop by Limoges, France to see if we could find some Limoges boxes, like the ones that I had given to her over the years.  The roads were crowded, but the towns were empty and the stores closed.  France was celebrating  Ascension Day. Ascension Day marks the day that Jesus ascended to heaven following his crucifixion and resurrection, according to Christian belief. It is the 40th day of Easter and is ten days before Pentecost Sunday. It is a public holiday in France.  Not sure why I never heard of it before. 

The Limoges Tourist Information office told us that one factory outlet might be open, so we drove out there, only to arrive at 12:25 and be informed they were closing at 12:30.  5 minutes was not enough.  So, we tried our best to make the day better and got out our Rick Steves guide book..  We decided to drive to Cognac (on the way to our hotel) and visit the Hennessy family’s operation.  It certainly made the day better.  We took a very interesting tour of their facility, as they have been making Hennessy for over 265 years.  We got to do a tasting of their VSOP and the XO and learned how this Cognac was made.  I didn’t know that some of their Cognac can sell for as much as $1,000/bottle. 

Next, we drove the rest of the way to Blanquefort  and Château Grattequina, our accommodations for the next 4 nights.  Words cannot describe how great this place is, so please look at our pictures above.  It is a very quiet, secluded location on the Garonne River, about 10 miles north of the town of Bordeaux. This will be our headquarters for several wine tours on Friday and shopping in Bordeaux this weekend.  Our concierge recommended La Table d’Agassac for dinner, which was located in the town of Ludon-Medoc, a short 15 minute drive. It was also in a Château (isn’t everything?) and we dined on the patio overlooking the moat and the gorgeous sunset.  We had a fixed menu that was farm-to-table style, with the fresh produce from the market, along with a surprise wine pairing for each course.  The food was interesting and we tasted several new wines that we probably wouldn’t have ordered off of the wine list.  It was like playing a game (the wine bottles were covered up and one rose wine was even served in a dark red glass so that we could not see that it was a rose).  Great evening, then we retired for the night getting ready for our big visit to Château Palmer (yes, this is one of the famous wineries in Margaux) on Friday.  Bon Appetit and Au Revoir!    

[elenasadventures]

Musée des Beaux-Arts de Dijon & City Center

(Entry by Elena)

Our first day in Dijon started off slow; it’s been a very fast paced 10 days in Paris and Amboise so we were all looking forward to a sleep in and nowhere to be. We’re staying in a very historic part of town so there was lots to see just walking out our door. The Notre Dame de Dijon is next to us which makes a towering impression as you walk through the surrounding streets, across from us is the Hôtel de Vogüé which is a mansion built in the early 1600s that displays Dijon’s finest examples of Burgundian polychrome roofs (colourful glazed terracotta tiles), and around the corner is the Palace of the Dukes and Estates of Burgundy which houses the Musée des Beaux-Arts. Just walking around was amazing, but we also decided to visit the Musée des Beaux-Arts which was free! The palace the museum is in is huge and beautiful, with the oldest parts being built in the 14th & 15th centuries and the more recent parts built in the 17th & 18th centuries. The museum was opened to the public in 1787 and is one of the oldest museums in France. It featured exhibits from the 13th century right up to modern 21st century artists. It was a great museum with something for everyone.

For dinner that night Lachlan and I found an Italian deli and got the most devine selection of meats, cheese, olives, and some eggplant lasagne. Paired with some French wine and bread, we had a dinner fit for kings.

We have absolutely fallen in love with Dijon. It’s so unbelievably gorgeous it feels like a film set!

(Entry by Lachlan)

Later in the evening Dad and I ventured out to watch the France-Uruguay game. As with our other games to watch on TV it's inseparable from experiencing French nightlife. We found ourselves in this square packed with French uni students. We were quickly adopted by a bunch of French uni boys who were talking to us in broken English about the rugby, about whether we supported Barcelona or Real Madrid, and having us speak the French we knew (Putain!) which they loved. The game itself was super entertaining, with Uruguay having the game in their hands before a couple of classic Tier 2 mistakes taking it out of their hands. We walked back through the dream-like streets of Dijon with its classic buildings and atmospheric lighting.

[thefrenchcountryside2017]

Danny’s Version - Day One & Two - Dallas to Paris to Amboise

We left DFW at 5:00 p.m. on Monday, May 22 on American Airlines and, after a 9 hour non-stop flight, we landed about 45 minutes before our scheduled arrival time at Charles De Gaulle Airport in Paris at 9 a.m., Paris Time, on Tuesday, May 23. 

The airport was very nice and clean, but no moving sidewalks or trams; so, a lot of walking.  Getting through customs and getting our luggage was extremely easy and we were at the rental car counter around 9:30 a.m.  It took about 30 - 45 minutes to get the rental car, but finally got it (a station wagon) and were on our way.  We were both exhausted from little to no sleep on the plane, but I was the driver and Laura was the navigator.  Due to our irritable moods, it was a little tense driving through Paris.  We had a GPS unit, but decided to rely on the WAZE app on my IPhone and it did a good job.  We did drive through parts of Paris, but once we got south, it was a nice big 6 lane (3 in each direction) toll road for most of the remaining 100 miles (cost was 18 EUR, about $20 US) for the tollway.  

After our 3 hour drive, we arrived in Amboise around 2 p.m. and checked into our room (room #1) at Hotel Le Choiseul.  What a gorgeous hotel!  Our room is located in the main building looking out over the Loire River.  We decided to tough it out and try to stay awake.  We walked to town (about a 10 minute walk) and had a quick light lunch.  We stopped at Patisserie Bigot and sat at a sidewalk cafe table, watching the tourists and locals walk by.  We each had a Verre De Vin Rose (Rose wine) and Laura ate a feuillete poireaux (mushroom and leek pastry) and I had quiche lorraine.  After lunch, we walked around town and looked in several shops and wine bars.  We decided to go back to the room around 5 p.m. and take a quick nap.  Also, we moved our dinner reservations up from 8:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. (we were the second table seated, as most French people eat later).

We had reservations at Le 36, in the hotel, and it is a Michelin 1 Star restaurant. Not very many restaurants have a Michelin star, but we soon found out why they do.  We had a fixed menu (see picture), but we could each select an appetizer, entree and either cheese or sweet for dessert.  The food was outstanding.  If we had been asked to pick the food off of the menu, we probably never would have selected those particular items, but each course was better and better.  My main course was duck and Laura’s was the filet of sea brill (like a sea bass).  We intentionally picked the opposite food choice for each course (there were 2 options), so if you look at the menu picture above, you can see that we got everything on the menu.  We had great champagne, wine, gin and service. Exhausted, we got back to the room around 9 p.m. and decided we need to get to bed early, catch up on our sleep and prepare for our big Chateau day tomorrow.  Au Revoir!