The Chateaux of the Loire Valley - Day 4 Recap

Today was another busy day.  We started out the morning with breakfast at a restaurant in town facing the hotel.  There was a buffet with bread, ham, cheese, hard boiled eggs and fruit and also some orange juice.  We sat right in the town square where the market was setting up for the day, since Wednesday is one of the traditional market days in France.

After breakfast we hiked up the hill through the medieval city of Loches.  It is so quaint and typically French with cobblestone streets, shops and people out and about.  The kids say they are enjoying being out of the hustle and bustle of Paris and that is more like the home they are used to.  Everything seems cleaner and more “French” they say :)  I have told them Paris is Paris, and while it’s great, this is France, and this is what is what I love!

After a rather steep climb through the medieval city we arrived at the Donjon (dungeon).  This dungeon was a royal fortress and prison built in the 1100s.  It was primarily defensive in nature.  There’s a tall tower that was the safe place in case of attack.  The weapons of the day were boiling water, bow and arrow, spear and later, cannons, shot through tiny windows of the tower.  Then two walls of ramparts that surrounded the fort and another moat.


We walked down a small stone spiral staircase to reach some cells where prisoners were held.  Since this was a royal prison, most of the prisoners were those of the King.  During the medieval times there were only about 8-10 prisoners at a time in the complex.  One of the most famous prisoners, Sforza, was held in prison for 4 years, and painted the walls of the cell out of boredom.  Upon his release, he dropped dead on the grounds of the fort...Later the prison was used to house revolutionaries, at times up to 60 people in a single cell with only one small window for fresh air.  Several groups of students climbed all the way to the top of the donjon tower and were rewarded with a fantastic view of the city below.

After a quick 5 minute walk to the other side of the city, we entered the king’s chateau.  This was Charles the 7th’s chateau, and was only two rooms when it was first built.  This was where Jeanne d’Arc came to convince him to give her an army to fight the British and convince Charles to reclaim the throne.  Then Charles the 8th added on to the castle and installed his mistress, Agnès Sorel, in the castle.  It was quite the contrast to the luxury and frillyness of the chateaux we had seen yesterday.

Then a bus ride to the city of Amboise, on the Loire river.  There is another famous chateau here, built by Charles the 8th as well.  This was also greatly influenced by the Italians because of the King’s many trips to Italy.  We took a photo stop across the river of the chateau, which sits high on the hill.  Leonardo da Vinci also spent time here as a guest of the king and is buried here in the chapel as well.  We let the kids loose in town to grab some lunch.  Many stopped at some pizzerias to try out French pizza, others had paninis.  Several of the adults had lunch at a jazzbar créperie.  We had buckwheat crepes filled with ham, cheese, fresh cream and some with potatoes.  We followed up with dessert crepes with melted butter and sugar.  Yummy!

Back on the bus again for the ride to Chenenceau, a privately owned chateau that has a tragic history.  Henri the 2nd took back this chateau from his tax collector, whom he believed had embezzled money from him to build it.  It was designed by the tax collector’s wife and truly has a more feminine side than the other chateaux we have viewed.  After Henri took it back, he gave it to his mistress, Diane de Poitiers, who lived there and added on to the chateau and built a beautiful garden.  After King Henri died, his wife, Catherine de Medici, demanded the castle be returned to her and Diane de Poitiers was exiled.  Catherine added on more to the castle, including her own garden (only queens had the right to grow roses in France!), and also finished the large ballroom gallery that spanned the river Cher.

The inside of the chateau is decorated with furniture, tapestries, fresh flowers (changed every two weeks) and even had fireplaces lit.  The kids said this was their favorite so far - probably because it is the most homey and cozy feeling.  We were able to tour all 3 floors, and the kitchens in the base of the castle.  On the top floor is the “black bedroom” where one of the later queens of France had it painted black to mourn the death of her husband, for 14 years!

After the inside tour was done, we headed back out to the gardens to explore.  Several students enjoyed walking the labyrinth maze of hedges and racing to get to the center and back out again.  Then the essential stop at the gift shop and vending machines for drinks/snacks and then back on the bus again.  More napping ensued :)

Dinner was quite an event, and one that deserves it’s own blog post.  Let’s just say it was an experience.....