Before we left the Loire valley for Rouen in February 2003, my friend Jeanine and I stopped for an hour or so at the château de Chenonceau. I'm not sure Jeannine had seen it before. We went inside and took advantage of fires burning in several of the château's big fireplaces to take the chill off. It was a cold but sunny day.
The Cher was full of fast-flowing, muddy water. The two formal gardens on the banks of the river were all cleaned up for the winter. Pictured below are le jardin de Diane de Poitiers and one of the fireplaces in the château. If you go to Chenonceau, go in winter, when there are fewer tourists, or go early in the morning, before the tour buses arrive, unleashing the tourist hordes.
What a wonderful fireplace! It must have been difficult to get the picture in that spot.
ReplyDeleteI was wondering exactly the same, Evelyn.
DeleteBettyAnn
Me, three!
DeleteLovely. I always get a chuckle out of the statue of a woman there labeled, La Reine, c’est moi.
ReplyDeleteBettyAnn
I can see hanging out by the fire on a cold day. We visited during the winter and it was relatively empty. The drive leading up to the chateau is nice too.
ReplyDelete