Loire Valley Chateaux

Within 30 kilometers of Blois, France there are 6 major chateaux.  We visited all of them in six days and the rain only poured down on us for our visit to Chambord, the biggest castle we visited.  It looks like a hodge-podge all organized around a square courtyard.  The spiral staircases were lovely, and the double staircase at the center is famous because two people can ascend at the same time and never see each
other.


After Chambord we traveled to Cheverny, which was my favorite castle to visit.  It is still lived in by the family and the tour pamphlet was well organized and informative.  Cheverny is known for its hunting dogs.  They have 51 who are all fed at the same time in an enclosed yard.  The smell (clorox mixed with dead chicken) was horrific.  Cheverny is also the inspiration for Marlinspike Hall (home of Tintin).  I was more interested in the gardens, which were being manured that day and therefore smelled nearly as bad as the dog enclosure.   That evening brought the challenge of locating our hotel, then the receptionist, and then finding a place to eat.  I have learned the lesson that French food, when done badly, is thoroughly disgusting.


Chateau Chambord, center staircase.  The rest of the photos are all of Cheverny.    

 

Also at Cheverny we found the cute couple who took our picture at Chambord.