A magnificent Chateau

Thursday 26th June

Lunch yesterday at Cafe du Commerce in Bracieux.
These guys were there on their postie bikes.

Rally paraphernalia.

And staff happy to be part of our story.

These wooden 'animals' out front of the cafe.

Just one last Chateau before we take to the road again. This time it was Chateau Chambord, 10k away. We'd left this one until last as the lady in the office de tourisme didn't seem to rate this one up there with the others she recommended. It was raining on and off overnight and much cooler this morning. We hoped the rain would hold off for our time at the Chateau. 

First thing though, the local market. A small market (small village) but we were able to buy prawns and fish (rainbow trout) for dinner, and some fresh fruit (cherries and apricots).

The drive there was interesting. The storm last night had done plenty of damage to the trees in the forest. Either side of the road there were huge trees with the centres ripped right out. You could see where trees had come down across the roads - lots of leaf debris everywhere. The council crews had obviously been busy since daylight because all the roads were clear. No damage at the house though we had to stand the bins back up and relocate the garden furniture.

This castle was huge. I think it's the biggest one we have visited. It was built in the 16th century, and bought by the state in 1930. It hosted many hunting parties with a few of the kings of France. We arrived to find lots of busses in the car park - oh dear, this is going to be packed we thought. Lots of groups of school kids, and other tour groups also. Fortunately the castle is so big that the crowds dispersed and we really didn't strike any packed areas.

One of our first views of the castle.

The main entrance.

Staircase to all levels of the chapel.

A few of the structures at the top of the castle.

The main feature of the castle is the double spiral staircase, inspired by Leonardo da Vinci. It is formed by two flights of steps that wind one above the other around a central core. It is at the heart of the castle with the rooms located in the corners.  

We had a map of the castle and the areas to visit but it was easier to just get lost wandering around and discover things as you went. The furnished rooms in this castle were well done with furniture appropriate to the time and the use of the rooms. Again - tapestries. Obviously well looked after with the colours still vibrant. They have amazed me on every trip to France and this time I am determined to read up on their production. A very enjoyable couple of hours. 

Not an original but a reproduction of the needlework frame.

Yes - graffiti, even in the 1700s.

The queen's bedroom.

How lucky are these kids to be able to see the history.

...with their own guide.

in the 'hunting room'. More tapestries with a hunting theme,
and some of the hunt. 

A European wild cat - treated as vermin, like foxes.

Finally - the gardens, taken from almost the top of the castle. 

The blue seating was from last weekend
when the Black Eyed Peas performed at the castle. 

A huge police presence when we arrived, including inside the castle with firearms. Apparently someone important was coming but they'd been and gone by the time we came back out.

Finally, finally, the kitchens.

We came home a different way to visit the supermarket and there was a lot more storm damage along the roads. In one village there were trees down that had knocked down the power lines, and close by we came across council crews clearing more trees along the road. Such a lot of damage for a reasonably short, but violent storm.

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