These are photos of Chenonceau that I took on a cold rainy day in March 2006. Friends were visiting from California, and they really wanted to see Chenonceau, despite the damp and drear. One of those friends passed away a few years later, so I'm glad we had made the effort. Chenonceau is less than 20 miles from our house.
Above is an artist's view of Chenonceau when the sun was brighter. It was hanging on a wall inside the château and I took a picture of it. And on the right is another photo of the place. The men at river level, in bright orange vests, were cleaning out the flotsam and jetsam that had collected under the arches that span the Cher river. We had had a lot of rain.
As you can see, there are really two châteaux at Chenonceaux. The one on the left — the big round tower — was built between 1515 and 1521 on top of the foundations of a mill that stood there earlier. A few decades later, a bridge spanning the river from the château (on the right above) over to the left bank of the Cher was built. Finally, a new wing was added to the château by building it on top of the bridge and all those arches.
That long gallery must have been a heck of a place for parties. A special place.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first visited in the 90's you could walk out a door on the other side of the gallery into the woods to a grave with a statue at it. The second visit years later the door was closed and locked. I had wanted to show my husband but that wasn't possible.
ReplyDeleteI remember being allowed to walk out that door too.
ReplyDeleteWhen my French friend, Danielle, and I visited we saw a statue of a woman at the entrance to the gallery with a little plaque saying, La Reine, C’est-moi. We loved the expression and started using it.
ReplyDeleteBettyAnn
That's funny, Betty Ann!
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