Azay-le-Rideau

While the town of Azay-le-Rideau is scenic - an old mill on the river with a bridge and church, the château is the big draw. Françoise I, a wealthy Financier built this beautiful château located about 28 km from Tours.

The château sits on a little island in the Indre river. We went through the château on one of our visits of the area. Many of the rooms are furnished, and after a while they all start to look somewhat the same. Inside you will see paintings, furniture and tapestries, all beautiful. What I remember, however, is the grand staircase is noteable and it is designed in a straight line, something unique at the time..

Blois

Located 181 km from Paris, Blois was one of stops in the Loire Valley on my very first trip to France, so it remains special. on my first tours of France.

I travelled by Train to Blois, it was a short trip, in under two hours. As a single man, of course I arrived with no reservation. Those were the days that travellers left the rail station with a Let's Go in their hand and started the hunt for a room. Many years later when I arrived with my wife, we had hotel reservations.

On the first trip I used Blois as my base and booked a number of tours of various other châteaux, all the tours typically included two or three differ châteaux on a daily run.

But staying in one location for a number of days, I got to experience the difference of being in France rather than traveling through France.

The local cheese shop got to know me and my limited French. By the third visit they were bringing out cheeses that were not in the case.

On later trips Blois would again be a stop and it is an easy city to drive into with a car and then travel the area. If you are there in the spring, Blois is known for the asparagus grown in the area.

The château is impressive and interesting to visit. It was the former seat of the Dukes of Orléans and is one of the more stately châteaux in the Loire Valley. in the day. During the 16th Century all of the six Kings stayed some time in Blois. See the Catherine de Medici apartments with furniture and tapestries.. Don't miss the staircase!

On some evenings they play music and light up the château and do a sort of play with lights in rooms going on and off in conjunction with a recount of some of the events.

Chambord

A Another one of the châteaux not to be missed. I frist saw this on one of my "three châteaux a day" buy tour and then returned a number of years later with my wife for a longer visit.

It was a former hunting lodge of Françoise I. This is big, and that was the goal, to build someting that would out do Charles V. There are more than 440 rooms, 85 staircases and some 465 chimenys crowing the building.

It was designed by an Italian architect in 1519. It follows the plan of a feudal château with a central keep with four towers and a wall enclosing the château, it was inspired by Saint Peter's in Rome. When you are visiting of course you will walk the spiral staircase, there are actually two sets of stairs allowing two people to walk down from floor to floor and not bump into each other! Also visit the chapel and the King's Apartments.

Some 1,800 to 2,000 men worked on the construction during the time of Francois I. This is a castle of many owners but a permanent residence to none. In fact, Francois I only lived in there for six months.

Some say Leonardo da Vinci was the real architect of the château as he was living at the Clos Lucé in nearby Amboise.

The stables are also impressive and great ready, they can house 1,200 horses.

Chambord actually was almost demolished after the French Revolution. In 1793 all of its the furnishings were dispersed. Luckily for us, the State took over in 1947 and commenced restoration work.

Chenonceau

And women say men don't listen! Diane de Poiter, the mistress of Henri II suggested a five-arched bridge across the river Cher. That started it all. Later, when Henri II died, Catherine de Medici made Diane give up Chenonceau for the Château Chaumont and had the grand gallery built on the bridge.

The château was built in 1515. The keep, the front section was actually part of a previous manor was was dismantled to build the new château.

This is a very pleasant château to visit. Walking along a gravel roadway lined with plane trees the front of the château greets you but you do not see the impact of the gallery over the river until you walk along the river so you can get a view. The kitchens are down in the archways below the building and worth have a look at. All that food that had to be carried up!

Cheverny

Built between 1604 to 1634 this château has been in the Hurault family for more than 400 years. The viscount's family still lives on the third floor. Luckily Cheverny was not sacked during the French Revolution. So go and enjoy the furnishings of this château and the dogs. The dogs are what I remember from my visit here. It seemed like hundreds of dogs who will all run up along the fence to meet you.

If you can be there at 5:00 it is dinner time and the noise of the dogs barking for their food... they know what time it is.. is incredible. I was amazed at the incredible discipline of the dogs. They must stay in their place while the food is being put out. No one moves until they get the command.

Yes this is a hunting place and see the trophy room as it has more than one thousand antlers and the heads of five wild boar.

Chinon

The streets of the town down by the river have a medieval flavor. The ruined château is up on a rock spur above the town. You can walk through parts of the château.

.

Ussé

Every château has a history, and for this, Charles Perrault, author of Mother Goose, was inspired by this château to write his materpiece, Sleeping Beauty. The building dates from the 15th Century and it is part château and part fortress.

We saw the brocheur, and at the time, the price of 44 Francs for entry seemed steep and from the pictures the interior to be a little too much over the top and touristry. Here is an example of where things are better seen from a far.

Once outside, walk across the road and walk along the canal and this provides a great view. In fact, it was in the parking lot for this chateau that we met a couple and their children - Le Gouëffs - this was in 1991 and we have been friends ever since.

We have visited them in France on more than one occasion. They, traveled to Canada and drove through the Rockies and toured the Inside Passage of the West Coast.

Yes, we think there is something magical about Château Ussé.

Villandry

	This château is know for its gardens and that is what led us for a visit. The formal gardens, including the herb and vegetable garden boxes were of some interest to me, Karen enjoyed them more, but I think there are other château that would be of greater general interest.

Amboise

	Amboise was first part of the possessions of the Counts of Anjou. It then changed "hands" to be part of the House of Amboise and with these changes the flavour of the town changed fromone of fortress, to one of Royal Residence.

One of the true "royal" residences, the chateau was built during the 15th and the 16th centuries on the orders of Charles VIII, Louis XII and François 1.

The Royal Castle was important as in the Middle Ages it held a strategic position looking over one of the few bridges that crossed the Loire River.

The Chapel of St. Hubert is within the walls of the castle and it is the last resting-place of Leonardo da Vinci. Originally Leonardo was buried in the king-castle, in the cloister of the church Saint Florentin. The church was destroyed and also part of the Kinds Castle, so his remains were moved to the Chapel of St. Hubert.

We lucked and and were able to stay at the Chateau de Pray.

La Châtre| Saint-Chartier

Traveling with no pre-booked reservations at hotesl offers your the most freedom and the potential for dissapointment. Sometimes you simply can't get a room where you want. In the case of visiting La Châtre, we could not find anything, but that turned out to be a good thing as we stayed in the town of Saint-Chartier at the Chateau Saint Chartier and ended up having quite the experience.

This area is famous because of George Sand - the pen name of Aurore Dupin. She was born the great granddaughter of the Marérchal de Saxe, a brillant military commander under Louis XV. She often danced in the village at La Châtre and socialized there. They have George Sand festivals each year here. So, writing in my travel journal seem so appropriate and at the Chateau, the rooms included a large grand desk.