We got in the car bright and early at 8am this morning and drove an hour to Le Chateau de Chambord, arriving 2 minutes after it opened. AT LAST, we played the tourist crowds right! There were only a handful of cars in the parking lot and we endured just a short ticket line before entering the castle. I love Chambord because it's tall and fancy and they let tourists wander all over the inside on all four floors. In Versailles (which is much bigger), there is a prescribed route and traffic flow through the palace. But at Chambord, it is open season--go where you want to, when you want to--our kind of place!
We started by climbing the massive double helix staircase all the way four floors up to the roof to walk around the balconies and admire the views and turrets. It felt very kingly up there, looking down upon the well-manicured patterned gardens and glassy moat. We worked our way back down the floors, admiring the displays and furniture scattered sparsely through the enormous castle. I particularly liked the handwritten signature of Francois 1 on a letter in one display. Original primary sources always give me a thrill--500 years ago, the king of France wrote this letter and signed it himself. I like his French spelling better than modern French spelling--it was more phonetic than shot-in-the-dark with a dozen silent letters at the end like modern French.
At one point in Chambord, the kids and I got separated from Jeff and Leslie. We wandered nearly an entire floor of the chateau together before resorting to text messages to locate the rest of our party. It was stressful handling three kids going in three directions all at once in the huge castle that was fast-filling with people, especially when one of those kids was an Amber. At last we were reunited with the other adults and things got easier again.
We exited the castle, ate a snack from our backpack, and then rented a "roselie" family bike-carriage with six seats and four sets of pedals. We pedaled nearly 3 miles around the grounds, taking in the scenery and racing a few rental golf carts. I gave Amber the camera to keep her entertained while we pedaled, and she took some hilarious pictures.
After our hour was up, we returned our rental bike-contraption and headed for the car and a late baguette--canard-saint-felicien-fromage sandwich lunch with cherry tomatoes and carrots on the side. We stopped in Blois on our way home and picked up a box of 6 ice cream cones from a small grocery store, and ate them on a bench in town. Then we drove to Decathalon, our favorite French sporting goods store. We basked in the large sporty-ness of the place and bought discount running socks.
Google took us on a long winding road back to our house in Civray-de-Touraine, but we arrived at last a little after 4pm. It was a long good day. We were all so relieved that Jeff's sore back allowed him to function as long as he had ibuprofen in his system.
Since I didn't have time to run this morning, I went on a hot evening run at 5pm on the trail to Chenonceau. I got so hot once I left the shady trees on my way back that I peeled off my shirt, tucked it into my waistband, and ran in my sportsbra. The breeze felt divine on my bare stomach and I ended up running an extra mile to fully enjoy the sensation. I don't know why I never run shirtless, but today was very liberating.
Jeff made his creamy pasta carbonara for dinner tonight and I refrained from eating it. I have eaten way too many dairy products on this trip and my tummy needed a break. I made myself eggs and taters for dinner and it was calm, filling, and tasty, even though Jeff's pasta smelled decadently delicious. My tummy felt happy after dinner and that's what matters.
Six more days in France before we begin our homeward journey!
Chambord is the most delightfully CASTLE-ish of all the chateaux.
Up on the top of the castle.
Amber loved the maps at every site we visited. She walked around referring to it constantly and kept asking where we were now and where we were going next.
I tried to get one triple-kid picture at each site we visited. It was not easy.
These couches inside the castle were big and comfy--it was surprising we were allowed to sit on them! Maybe they weren't as old as they looked. (photo credit: Amber)
We arrived long before that long line behind Amber.
Jeff randomly took a picture--this was the only one he voluntarily took all month!
Our Fred Flinstone vehicle. Side note: this cart was SO HARD to steer. The steering wheel was stiff so every time I tugged it, we jerked. I did all the steering in an attempt to preserve Jeff's sore back.
Amby took all kinds of pictures while we pedaled.
She's getting freckles!
We took a break to check out a view and Amber would not get out until she had tried every single seat in the whole cart.
After three weeks of travel, I stopped hoping to get a picture of all six of us at each site--instead we took turns. I took a picture, then Leslie and I switched places and she took a picture. Photo fatigue is a thing.
Heehee, Amby.
Amber kept taking pictures of everyone we passed while pedaling our cart. These two folks were amused.
Amber's selfies were my favorite--this one she captured her tight curls and soft earlobe to perfection.
Jay and Rose took turns pedaling our fourth set of pedals, while the three adults pedaled the whole time.
Inside Decathalon. We love that store.
Seriously, Google?? We made it home, but what kind of road is this? France has plenty of comfy well-maintained highways. This skinny road took forever to drive down. It was fun to see the rustic countryside, but we have carsick-prone children so it was risky and uncomfy.
Back home, playing in the yard making "potions."
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