Châteaux, Loire River #2of2

Châteaux de Cheverny is a stately mansion completed in 1634 and is one of the more modern Châteaux. The “Bourre” stone (quarried 17 miles away) used in its construction gets harder and whiter as it gets older. Emmy said, “I like my kitchen better, my bath is nicer, etc.” As would be expected, the baths and kitchens in a 300 to 500 year old, 400 room mansion, do not have all the latest in fixtures and features.

One evening we took a walk around the town of Cour Cheverny and saw an antique shop that appeared to be an antique itself. By the looks of the cob-webs and the dust covered items on the shelves and in the windows, it may not have been open since some of the items inside were new.

The Châteaux de Chenonceaux is reached by walking a quarter mile down a broad avenue lined with huge plane trees. As we approached the Châteaux, the precision-planted flower garden on the left was named for Henri II’s mistress, Diane. The “Catherine de Medici’s Garden” on the right, is named for Henri II’s wife. After Henri II died, Catherine threw Diane out of the Châteaux and lived there herself. Constructed from 1513 to 1521, as a bridge across the Cher River, the Châteaux was called “The Châteaux of Six Women.” In addition to the ladies mentioned above, Catherine Briçonnet, Louise of Lorraine, Madame Dupin, and Madame Pelouze all lived there at one time or another, ranging from the 1500s to the late-1800s.

Châteaux de Blois, with a five story spiral staircase, is situated on top of a hill, in the heart of town. The Châteaux became a royal residence, and for a long time it played a part comparable with that of Versailles a few hundred years later.

Chambord, the Châteaux built in the 1500s with dozens of pointed towers, looks like a roofer’s nightmare, or rather a roofer’s retirement plan. This is the largest Châteaux in the area, with 440 rooms and a famous double spiral staircase said to have been designed by Leonardo da Vinci.

The Châteaux in Amboise sits on a hill overlooking the Loire, and was in its glory in the 1400s. Charles VII was born here in 1403, and he died here in 1461 after bumping his head on a low doorway in the Châteaux. Leonardo da Vinci lived in the Clos-Luce, a red-bricked manor house nearby, until he (da Vinci) died on May 2, 1519, at the age of 67.