Hints & Tips

Here are some random thoughts that come to mind for someone considering a trip to Paris and a drive through France:

Car insurance coverage is already in place if you have a gold credit card - check before you leave to ensure you have coverage.

Vehicle rentals are expensive and not that easy from afar to arrange the vehicle type of choice at the best cost you can find and at a convenient pick up location. Deposits are not required on vehicles until just as you’re leaving, so spend some time to get the best deal you can. Make sure you show up with your passport. Try to get diesel for its economy, and make sure the vehicle can handle the number of people and luggage. Don’t even think of not having GPS - I can’t tell you how much time and anguish it saved us. Try not to gas up on the highways, as you’ll pay its premium. Generally speaking, machine attended only stations will not accept North American credit cards unless they’re the smart card version.

Be prepared for sensory and information overload. There is a vast array of things to choose from, and the monumental scale in Paris and some other cities doesn’t easily enable one to separate the sites that you may have identified or are seeking. Your options range from winging it, and enjoying the moment, to trying to organize what you want to see in a time efficient manner. The latter takes a lot of time, and the suggestion would be to isolate areas in any sortie i.e. the Champs-Élysées and monuments and Eiffel Tower vs the Louvre vs Ile de la Cité and Ile St-Louis vs Sacré Coeur and Montmartre vs le Marais vs the Left Bank.

The most important advice to receive. We found the French to be impeccably polite and helpful. The one thing you must resist doing is launching into a conversation. Whether asking a question or entering a store, the first thing you want to do is exchange greetings. This simple act will civilize your life and make your life so much smoother.

If arriving at CDG, the clear winner is the Roissybus at an individual cost of something like 8.60 € and a 45 minute run, buses running every 15 minutes or so, provided its l’ Opéra Garnier destination by American Express is convenient. Yes, you’ll have to shlepp your baggage, but it’s not a big deal. Its circuit takes it to Terminals 1-3. Terminal 3, incidentally, is very small, but it’s packed at departure, so allow at least ½ hour in line before clearing customs.

One way or the other, think about the essential photos that you want to take. It’s easy to overlook it and is often unrecoverable. For example, in the fatigue that sets in and the busy pace, we do not have portrait pics from the Louvre or Luxembourg Gardens, which would have been both memorable and nice. Be sure that your camera can handle the daily volume of photos i.e. whether memory cards or batteries. We were running at the rate of +/- 350 pics daily.

Consider purchasing the Paris Pass, which for an individual fee of something like 45 € for 4 consecutive days’ use, gets you into many of the sites you may consider visiting, including Versailles. It is described on internet sites.

If you’re in a situation where someone in your party could use wheelchair assistance, wheelchairs seem to be available at every site. They may be in limited supply, so the best strategy is to be among the earlier crowds. It may not be volunteered to you, but an individual in a wheelchair is exempt from paid admission, as is the person pushing them. Technically, you’re supposed to have some disability proof paperwork, but that isn’t the practice. You can rent a wheelchair from most pharmacies for something like 20 € per week with 24-hours’ notice.

If you plan on retaining a record or reporting on your trip, consider getting a pocket notepad and make notes constantly. Otherwise, after a while, all the cathedrals, flowers, and buildings will all start to blend. Same thing goes for people that you meet and are e-mailing pics.

In Paris, in one form or another, obtain a map that combines the subway and RER station names and number lines, each line colour coded, against a street map. Understand that you have to know the line #, the end station in the direction you’re headed, and the common points for transfer to another line. Buy common subway/bus tickets in quantities of 10 for best unit price. You enter your ticket into the reader in each stile and retrieve it - hold on to it, as it may be required to access another line before your trip ends. The RER to outlying suburbs, such as Versailles or St-Germain-en-Laye is very good, gets you there in about 30-45 minutes, and is linked to metro stations, although it’s not that obvious. Generally, the walk to a metro station is not as far as one might think from looking at the map i.e. when considering it as an alternative to otherwise having to transfer 1 or more times. The purchase price of an RER ticket (can get return on same ticket at the same time) includes its use in the metro – again, hold on to your ticket until the final trip is complete.

RATP, which governs the transit system, has a number of on line resources to enable you to get specific directions for metro, bus and/or RER, along with the associated time, including walking allowance, for time of day. Transit in Paris and suburbs is extensive and fast. There’s a separate website that I won’t set out here, which also calculates the cost, including that for RER. Each is very helpful for planning connections, time and cost.

http://www.ratp.info/orienter/cv/cv_en/carteparis.php

Meal tipping isn’t really well understood. On the one hand, 15% is included in meals but not for drinks (so you have to consider a tip for drinks). Apparently, practice for a meal of, say, 4 people is to leave up to 5 €, depending on satisfaction – it was never expressed to me as a percentage.

The Champs is very expensive, but my view is that it’s a unique experience, so suck it up and enjoy.

Cheese - the locals say to buy from the small fromageries. Some are in Ile-St- Louis and the Left Bank, and I was told that Galleries Lafayette (just above l’ Opéra Garnier) is a good place. Otherwise, it can be quite expensive in Paris, I think.

Wine - if you can, buy it at source in the country to eliminate the mark up. We saw same at 6 € in the Loire for ½ its price in Paris.

If you need one, make sure you have a power plug connector that will handle your North American plug for your appliance and match the plugs. We had a universal that supposedly works on everything - only problem is that the side for the wall socket didn’t fit. We bought one in France that works in 150 countries, but its North American end had a rectangular and not a round hole for the ground - go figure. Be sure that you know if your appliance can also work on 220V and, if not, what the power supply is as some are just 220V.

Any type of electrical or computer problem - head to FNAC, which has a number of stores and a huge range of product. It’s located on the Champs, FDR exit, I believe, and on side away from the Seine. Convenience type store - Monoprix, also a chain, also located near the Champs FNAC, each often open till midnight there, and Monoprix prices appeared to be quite relatively reasonable.

Consider mailing a copy of your passport, driver’s license and any other ID or documents that may be needed and might be lost to your hotmail address or some location that can be accessed remotely by internet.

Versailles, Opéra Garnier, Galleries Lafayette, Getting Zoomed

August 8

We were up bright and early for our petit dejeuner at our hotel, where I took some pics of the hotel and the inner courtyard view from our window. Croissants, jam, yogurt, juice and hot beverages - the usual drill - to enable us to have my beloved Citroen C6 with its GPS back by its appointed +/- 0830 to avoid getting drilled for another day’s rental. Versailles is about a 30 minute shot from Paris. Shortly on our way, I stopped to top up the tank, so I wouldn’t have to try the same in Paris, where I’ve never seen a gas station. I noticed a sign to Marnes la Coquette. I’ve never been able to find where we first lived in the Paris suburbs. Until then, I believed it to be La Celle St Cloud, but now wonder if it was Marnes la Coquette. I wish I’d had some more time, as I’m reasonably sure I’d recognize the area if I saw it. We had a very nice house, but, more importantly, it might enable me to track what happened to the Hébrards, who lived across the street and with whom we’ve lost contact.

I dropped off the gang at l’ Opéra Garnier, so that they could sit with the baggage in one of the outdoor café seating areas, while I returned the car to its rue du Rocher rental location - good thing I had the GPS, as I have no idea how I got there. As I walked toward the metro, I spotted Sacré Coeur, and took a pic, as well as another, which I should be able to recognize.

Because I had to return for the camera, which I’d left in the car, it wasn’t until maybe 1000 that I got back to the gang, standing on the sidewalk, having learned that the cafes were either not open or didn’t want their bags clogging the sidewalk, and none had thought to ask anyone where bags might be checked… A few minutes later, I’d learned that the nearby Galleries Lafayette will accept bags for its shoppers.

Mom, however, wanted to complete her Swatch mission at 10, rue de l’ Opéra. After they’d had their teas and coffees, off she and the girls trotted across the street. Maybe 45 minutes later, Gerald sent me on a rescue mission. Upon arrival, whereas I had expected to see a dizzying array of selections in a huge space to explain the time that could be devoted, it was a tiny space. I repaired back to Gerald for another 4 € coffee while we waited several more minutes before they emerged, Mom having bagged her prey to match a checkerboard ring she’d scooped an earlier day.

Major task complete and with Kim anxious not to miss their 1500 return flight, we bid goodbye to all, and Lynda and I went to Galleries Lafayette to check the bags, stroll the floors and purchase some Parisian calendars for les enfants over Lynda’s objections about something to do with “junk”. I then made some enquiries as to where we might have lunch in the area without being ripped off, and it was suggested we look at nearby rue Joubert and its restaurants. We ended up at Café Gallery for onion soup and wine, then returned to Galleries Lafayette for more exploration. Only upon our return to Canada late Saturday eve did I realize that my jacket was left behind, but, within 12 hours of my asking, Bob Carlson was kind enough to retrieve it and offer to send it with something Maria wanted to send.

Our return flight was scheduled for a 1615 departure, so we hopped the Roissybus outside American Express at l’ Opéra for the roughly 45 minute return to CDG’s Terminal 3. I’m not going to further traumatize you with the ensuing detail beyond point form highlights:

- our TO ETA was 1845 Aug 8, from which we’d be joining a wedding reception after the 1 be drive to Nottawasaga Inn

- following an announcement that no one heard (you basically can’t hear any announcement in Terminal 3), people started queuing at 1530 for our 1615 flight departure

- following a delayed flight sign, I was told by an attendant at 1630 that they were waiting to have the plane cleaned, and they expected to be able to go in 5-10 minutes

- By 1730, it was the flight crew they said they were waiting on, but didn’t know their expected arrival, nor did they know anything about anything.

- At this time, I asked when they expected we’d be going – said they didn’t know, initially said they didn’t know how long it takes to load the flight on to the buses that go to the plane, then said 10 minutes, at which time I then said we were going to get something to eat.

- We bought a sandwich and lemon tart each for 16.60 € at the cafeteria! One of the attendants with whom I’d just been speaking had some discussion with the cafeteria people. We returned on her heels to an announcement that everyone would be given vouchers to eat.

- The other attendant that had been party to the last conversation told me to tell the cafeteria people to apply our meal to the vouchers - they refused and the attendant then said that what she had said is that I try. I’m told it was my decision to go eat, and my problem. As far as I’m concerned, they either knew meal vouchers were in the works, but chose to say nothing or no one kept them informed – either way, poor form. I try to call Zoom, which telephone number is indicated as invalid and the telephone eats the 2 € coin I put in. The extra coin change I have can’t be converted to $ CAN…

At 1930, when I return to the cafeteria to better understand the sequence of events, its manager suggests (1) we eat with our unused vouchers (we’ve eaten) (2) we put 2 juice drinks (@ 3.50 € each) per voucher (undermines my pursuit of airline recovery). All he cares about is making money off the situation from the airline or us.

- 1925 announcement that, due to technical difficulty, flight departure now 2200

- rumour that flight crew arrival issue because pilot left behind in Toronto

- rumour (accurate) that part being brought in from Amsterdam – turns out it doesn’t arrive until the morning, when it’s discovered it itself is missing a part.

- 2120 web crawl to airline web finds arrival 0945, meaning departure would be 0845 local.

- 2145 agents say to me they know nothing, better to give no information than incorrect.

- 2150 announcement to pick up bags in 10 minutes

- 2230 said to be matching names to hotels

- 0000 our bunch loaded on to bus, 3 having loaded before us - I ask 5 times, one after the other, in French and without attitude, if we’re going to eat tonight, to which an attendant finally replies we’ll be told everything at the hotel (that’s code for “no”) - 5 steps later, another attendant briefs each and every passenger – breakfast tomorrow, 1130 return bus for 1450 flight (code for “no lunch”, but at least this is the 1^st time someone tells us something)

- one of our party reports going to the Supervisor and suggesting that announcements would be a better way of providing information, to which the reply is that 1 on 1 is a better method. Duh?

- all wait on bus 45 minutes before being transported maybe 50’ and deposited at a building with 2 customs agents

- 0110 awaiting next bus with lower level baggage handling for 10 minute drive to Ibis Hotel after bus leaves - 2 buses to handle group of maybe 280, return cycle 35 minutes for each bus - when I give opinion to attendant that it will be 0300 before we’re in bed, she replies that we’re fortunate that we’ll be able to use the interval between the departure time to do other things…

- 0135 2^nd bus arrives and far side of lower level baggage handling filled by people far down the line, resulting in our bags not being taken - directed to shlepp them into the aisles of the bus.

- 0200 arrive at hotel

- 0205, while entire group queuing in hotel, party storms out, citing cockroaches and moths (turns out not to be true)

- 0230 in bed

- next morning, after a great breakfast, take the hotel bus at maybe 1000 to Terminal 2 and shlepp across to Terminal 3

- 1150, front of line when seat assignment opens, get left window seat to enable Paris view, plane reportedly empty and being sent from Glasgow

- 1430 on bus to convey to flight, turns out direct flight with passengers has been diverted and maybe 10 passengers, including ourselves are double booked. I suggest, in the same way that we (who were 1^st in line and 1^st seat allocated) were bumped, we should seat ourselves and bump others. We’re asked to wait until this full flight loads - I and others are considering the possibility that there will be no seats or wife won’t have the window seat she expected.

- 1455? takeoff, 2 hrs late

- 1800? Diverted to Ottawa because of weather and flight control at Pearson, sit on tarmac, as Ottawa airport won’t authorize gate.

- 1955 takeoff

- 2045 touchdown at Pearson

- 2155 bags start on carousel

- 2210 bags in hand

In terminal Supervisor totally out of it, with subordinates like deer in headlights, more interested in having cover than in providing information. Personnel at the Ibis Hotel and their bus were fabulous. Air crew on return flight were fabulous.

Good to be home.

Château de Blois, Château de Chambord, Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres, Joel & Micheline a Villejust

August 7

This was to be our last trip day, culminating in a supper hosted by Jerome’s cousin, Joel, and Micheline in Villejust, sleeping over at the Cheval Rouge in Versailles.

We left at 0800 for the Royal Château de Blois, a 50 minute drive toward Paris, arriving at its opening. It’s really difficult to appreciate the size of the château, which towers over the street below, on the one hand, and dominates the Loire River. On the other hand, its frontal section around the corner masks the courtyard and buildings behind it that form a square. The château comprises several buildings constructed from the 13th to the 17th century around the main courtyard. Blois was the principal royal residence until Henri IV moved the court to Paris in 1598. Louis XIV's Versailles was to eclipse Blois with magnificence and size. The residence of several French kings, it is also the place where Joan of Arc went in 1429 to be blessed by the Archbishop of Reims before departing with her army to drive the English from Orléans.

The Château's most renowned feature is the spiral staircase in the François I wing. The extraordinary thing, which I saw in no other place, was the extent of the collections of porcelain. This may well have been because of the route provided visitors in wheelchairs to areas that are generally not open to the public or which require separate paid admissions. In any event, one reels from the range and quality of materials displayed.

The "Versailles" of the 16th century and the largest of the Loire châteaux, the Château de Chambord is the kind of place William Randolph Hearst might have built if he'd had the money. Variously dubbed "megalomaniacal" and "an enormous film-set extravaganza," this is one of the most extraordinary structures in Europe, set in the middle of a royal game forest, with just a cluster of buildings across the road. With 440 rooms and 365 chimneys, a wall 32 km (20 mi) long to enclose a 13,000-acre forest, this is one of the greatest buildings in France. It was built to serve only as a hunting lodge for King François I, who maintained his royal residences at Château de Blois and at Château d'Amboise. He had the original grandiose idea to divert the Loire to form a moat, but was persuaded to make do with the River Cosson. He used the château only for short stays; yet when he came, 12,000 horses were required to transport his luggage, servants, and entourage. Later kings also used Chambord as an occasional retreat.

King Francis I built Château Chambord in the Sixteenth century to serve three concurrent purposes: country palace, hunting lodge and sturdy fortress. He wanted to impress his subjects and visiting foreign dignitaries - and was successful in doing it. The high point here is the spectacular chimneyscape - a forest of towers, turrets, cupolas, gables, and chimneys have been compared to everything from the minarets of Constantinople to a bizarre chessboard. The most eye-popping time to see this roof is at night, when the château is spectacularly illuminated. The main Chambord Château interior attraction is the twin, spiraling staircases, which are intertwined, double-helix style. People ascending do not encounter those descending.

Among the châteaux we visited, this châteaux was unusual in that it had a fairly substantial open air market with vendors of food products, as well as food service stations and sit down tables and chairs with umbrellas. This is where we had a quick lunch before hitting the road again.

Shortly after we arrived in Chartres and its cathedral, it began to rain, becoming quite the downpour and prolonging our exit when we were in its interior.

Not only is the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres one of the greatest achievements in the history of architecture, it is almost perfectly preserved in its original design and details. Chartres' extensive cycle of portal sculpture remains fully intact and its glowing stained-glass windows are all originals. Of the original 186 stained-glass windows, 152 have survived. It is thus the only cathedral that conveys an almost perfect image of how it looked when it was built. The cathedral's origins are uncertain; some have suggested it grew up over an ancient Druid site that later became a Roman temple. As early as the 4th century, there was a Christian basilica here.

This magnificent medieval Gothic cathedral in France has nearly 200 bright-hued stained glass windows dating back to the 12th and 13th Centuries. Covering an expanse of more than 2,500 sq. m. (27,000 sq. ft.), the glass is unlike anything else in the world. The stained glass was spared in both world wars by being painstakingly removed, piece by piece, and stored away. The huge roseate windows above the cathedral's main entrances are particularly spectacular and justifiably world famous. It's difficult to single out one panel or window above the others, but an exceptional one is the 12th-century Vierge de la Belle Verrière (Our Lady of the Beautiful Window) on the south side. Its stained glass, which gave the world a new color, Chartres blue, has not been able to duplicate its production. The extensive windowing would have been impossible were it not for the newfound flying buttress construction method. It lowered the load-bearing responsibilities of the Chartres Cathedral walls, allowing them to be taller and full of sizeable holes for the windows. The outdoor sculptures of Chartres are almost as renowned as the stained glass windows. They adorn the cathedral's exterior around the doorways.

If you want a visual tour of the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres, this is an excellent link:

http://gallery.sjsu.edu/chartres/tour.html

We were finished in sufficient time to meet our targeted 1600 arrival, as suggested by Lindsay, in Villejust; however, we debated about whether to first divert to our final hotel in Versailles, which is about 30 minutes from Villejust, so that the girls could get dolled up. At the end of the day, since we were uncertain of distances and times overall, we decided to proceed to Villjust. For whatever reason, our reliable GPS would not deliver us to the appointed address, which was rectified once we spoke to a local outside a bistro (whose immediate question upon learning we sought directions was to ask if we had GPS). We probably arrived around 1700.

As fatigued as we were from the continuous boot camp, we were delighted to see the friendly faces of Joel & Micheline. They had had something like 3.75 cm of rain overnight and rain again that day, so we weren’t able to see the large garden from which nearly everything served that evening had been produced. While I intended, I also never really had the opportunity I anticipated to take some pics of their house, which is lovely.

We were kinda wound up as we arrived, bringing in individual luggage to enable repacking for the flight the next day, knowing that we were likely to be getting into our hotel in Versailles not before 2200 or 2300 (which turned out to be the case). I had Joel call the hotel and confirm our arrival, but after their 1900 closing, so that they could provide the code to enter the hotel and its locked parking compound and know our room numbers.

We had a nice, leisurely and civilized meal, beginning with coke and/or beer to slake our thirst. There was then a round of crudités, followed by snacks; then separate courses of a beet salad (loved by those who don’t typically like beets) and the first tomatoes of the season with basil; then a fabulous potato pie, prepared with crème fraiche; then a delicious ratatouille; roast beef, as good as the maudit English could do and overseen by Joel came next; then a course of 4 types of cheese, including chevre and camembert; and, finally, ice cream with real chocolate sauce.

We had presented gifts earlier, including ice cider. During our conversation, Joel had shown a lot of interest in Ireland and in wanting to visit it soon. Gerald presented him with a pretty exhaustive guide book that he had purchased, which Joel found very touching. Joel knew that were quite fatigued, and graciously took it easy in allowing us to beg off further gluttony. I took a photo of Joel and Micheline with the painting given him upon his recent retirement from Air France.

I didn’t know if it was because he was distracted, but I’d been quite looking forward to Joel’s showing his wine cellar, as I understand from Lindsay and Jerome that it is quite impressive. Of course, it won’t be as impressive as when we arrived, in that, by my count, we depleted his stores by 2 champagnes (not counting the one that Gerald walked away with), 2 1978 Baron Vardeuil Nuzet red, and 1 Sancerres white. Lots of dead soldiers, and good times had by all.

With that, we took off for Versailles and our rooms at Hotel du Cheval Rouge in Versailles. The rooms were fine, overlooking an interior courtyard, and shower and bathroom spacious and very much like the standard expected chez nous.

Bléré, Château de Villandry Gardens, Château d'Amboise, Château de Chenonceau, Amboise

August 6

The temperature reached 35 C today - ouch - 29 C at 2230!

Mom was pretty bushed from the continuous schedule and heat, and elected to waive our morning trip in favour of rest, and Kim decided to stay with her. We got off a little after 9:00, headed for the Château de Villandry Gardens. This was in the area of our inbound trip yesterday, when we didn’t have the time. And is about a ½ hour drive. Along the way, we stopped for photo ops of a huge field of sunflowers, just west of Bléré; the Loire river at Véretz (mirrored reflections in the Loire); and Savonnieres (mirrored reflection of bridge), which is just east of Villandry; and the north side of the River Cher, as we approached Bléré.

At Villandry, we were tight on time, but made our way quickly through most of the gardens, which featured geometric designs, a maze, large herb gardens, and a moat with huge and numerous carp. The gardens at Villandry are considered by many to be very special. We’ve been spoiled previously with the geometric gardens of Versailles and the very beautiful Luxembourg Gardens, a clear favourite.

We next headed to Château d'Amboise, within 10 km of where we’ve been staying. The Château Royal D'Amboise is a royal castle that was built during the 15th and 16th centuries on the orders of Charles VIII, Louis XII and Francois 1. In the Middle Ages, Amboise was in a strategic position looking over one of the few bridges that allowed people to cross the Loire. It has a lovely scale to its château and gardens, and its ramp and circular gang walk and stairways are particularly attractive, as well as the wonderful views from its ramparts. It is probably my favourite. The gardens of the Château reportedly offer one of the most splendid views of the Loire Valley.

Francis I, King of France in the early 15th century, became Leonardo da Vinci's patron and convinced him to move to Amboise where Leonardo spent the remainder of his life. The Clos-Lucé is where Leonardo da Vinci lived out his last days. The Lower Floor of Clos-Lucé has recreations of many of Leonardo's inventions (which we did not see). It is said that he carried the painting of the Mona Lisa in his belongings when he rode to Amboise from Italy, on his donkey. We saw where he is reportedly buried in the Chapel of St. Hubert (the tower illuminated at night and seen from the square below where the restaurants and shops are located).

Charles VII stayed here, as did the unfortunate Charles VIII, best remembered for banging his head on a low doorway lintel and dying as a result. The gigantic Tour des Minimes drops down the side of the cliff, enclosing a massive circular ramp designed to lead horses and carriages up the steep hillside. François I, whose long nose appears in so many château paintings, based his court here. The castle was also the stage for the Amboise Conspiracy, an ill-fated Protestant plot against François II; corpses of 1,200 conspirators dangled from the castle walls.

We returned to join up with Kim and Mom at 1330, who had already had lunch. We went to an outdoor table of the brasserie opposite our hotel. It was scorching hot. I characteristically do not perspire much; however, at this stage, the front of my shirt already had residual salt deposits! Mon bleu.

I only wanted something light, so I got some advice and went up the street to a boulangerie (name on wrapping given to Lynda for safekeeping and future ID, now claims absolutely positive never received), one of only 1 or 2 in Bléré that produces baguettes. There, I got a ham and gruyère baguette for 3 € and a high apricot flan slice for 1.5 €. In the course of our discussion, I learned that this boulangerie and the tea shop in Amboise where we’d eaten last night are the 2 in the region considered to make the best pastries. In addition, she said it was also noted f its chocolates, and had introduced coloured chocolates to France 25 years ago. She also said that, although she and her husband had 4 children, none had an interest in working in such a business, finances being a challenge, and they’d recently sold the business. The business had been founded in 1900.

She also told a story of how here father had taken in a lost Canadian couple that was wondering through Europe. He took them home; they stayed 3 months; and recently returned.

After wolfing this grand lunch, I rejoined the group to have a white wine and a couple of carafes of water to prepare for our last trip - Château de Chenonceau, about 15 minutes away.

It has been said that the Chenonceau Château is unquestionably the most beautiful of France's many Loire Valley châteaus. Despite the incorporation (probably by Michelangelo) of feudal trappings in its layout, this château was built for pleasure. Achingly beautiful, the Château de Chenonceau has long been considered the "most romantic" of all the Loire châteaux, thanks in part to its showpiece - a breathtaking galerie de bal that spans the River Cher like a bridge. The gallery was used as an escape point for French Resistance fighters during World War II, since all other crossings had been bombed.

The building itself is the main attraction here. Built between 1513 and 1521 and resting on a series of graceful arches, the Château de Chenonceau is constructed over the River Cher, and appears a magical place. The building and the river exist in harmony, one complementing the other. It is nicknamed the "Château of the Ladies" because it was owned and enhanced by a succession of women of the royal court, including the queen Catherine de Medici. Henri II gave the palace to his mistress, Diane de Poitiers. After the king's death, his widow, Catherine de Médicis, humiliated Diane by forcing her to move to a less prestigious château in nearby Chaumont.

Both gardens were originally designed by women of historical importance; one by Diane De Poitiers and the other by Catherine De Medici.

Only after we were walking away did we notice that we had toured the main floor and its lower level (kitchens), but missed its 2 upper floors; however, no one had the motivation or energy to return. Included in what we saw were the furnished Louis XIV sitting room, the Francois I bedroom, and the kitchens. We also exited from the gangway to the other side of the river for photo ops.

We finished the day by respectively downing our beverages of choice after Lynda and I had cooled off in the hotel’s outdoor pool, which is located across the street and behind its parking compound. Gerald and I revisited my now favourite boulangerie to buy some desserts for the evening. We then headed to Amboise, about 10 km distant, where Lynda and I had had supper last evening and quite enjoyed the scene, the square having the entry ramp of the Château d'Amboise in its immediate background. We sat at an outdoor table of the restaurant, Anne de Bretagne. Excepting Kim, we all had onion soup. Kim and I had a fresh salad of baby shrimp and palm hearts. Gerald had a ham and cheese gallette. Lynda had spaghetti Bolognese.

Our day done, we returned to the hotel to prepare for an early departure tomorrow.