There is more to France than just Paris. Hard to believe, but true. I hopped on a train to the Loire Valley with the intention of checking out a few of the chateaux in the area. The Loire Valley is famous for its chateaux and its wine, and I sampled a bit of both. It was just a quick trip - three days in Tours, France (try to google practical information about a town named Tours - not easy) with a few day-trips.
Château de Chenonceau
Beautiful Chateau spanning across the River Cher. As always, click the images to make them bigger and to read more:
Blois
On the way to visit the Château de Chambord from Tours, I had to stop briefly in Blois to catch a bus for the second leg of the trip. Of course, upon arrival, I find out that the bus doesn't run on Wednesdays and today is a Wednesday. That turns the brief stop in Blois into a bit of longer one. Which was okay, because I really enjoyed it. I was only there for a few hours, but I got to see a good chunk of it. Very picturesque with a lot of hills, which I find makes for interesting towns and cities. Maybe my prairie upbringing has something to do with that.
Château de Chambord
I ended up having to take a taxi to the Château de Chambord. Bit pricier than the bus, but definitely worth it. This place was unlike anything I've ever seen. It boggles the mind.
It was built as a quaint little hunting lodge for King Francis I and he spent a grand total of seven weeks living there, because it was inconvenient for long stays. The rooms were too big to heat properly and there is no nearby town (or, at least no taxis), so they had to bring in all the food with them when they came to stay. That goes for the furniture too, because it didn't make sense to furnish a castle for such a short period of the year. The French royalty weren't exactly minimalists. I probably would have revolted too.
Oh, and Leonardo da Vinci allegedly designed the double-helix spiral staircase. Neat!
Tours
I quite liked the town of Tours, but I didn't take too many photos. To be honest, all of this beauty is a bit overwhelming. I am gravitating more and more to the strange and the ordinary, because the beauty is everywhere and becoming... almost boring. Or rather, pictures of the beauty is boring. It's more interesting and challenging to find beauty in ordinary places rather than closing your eyes and pointing your camera at the Eiffel Tower at sunset. I have touched on this before and will probably do a post on it soon. I did grab a few shots of Tours though, either way:
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All images © Levi Groeneveld - Travel and Fine Art Photographer