Our group at lunch
|
Wednesday, 29 September (cont.). Then we left the Cher River and turned
north toward Cheverny. After a 90 minute lunch at a pretty little restaurant, we
got to the chateau at Cheverny at 2:45.
While this 17th century chateau lacks the royal
history of Chenanceau, there are more rooms and, with their rich decoration and
magnificent furnishings, they were even more impressive. The Chateau is still
owned by the descendants of the original builder. They occupied the private
apartments in the Chateau until 1985. Successive generations have spent a
fortune in maintaining, restoring, and furnishing it. While the exterior setting
does not compare to Chenonceau, the interior far surpasses it. The
tour of the inside took over an hour.
Us at Cheverny |
The dining room |
Dining room leather-covered
ceiling |
One of the private apartments |
King's bed of Persian silk |
17th century Flemish tapestry |
The great drawing room |
Little girl's bedroom |
The hounds |
Our bus then left for Chambord, arriving at 4:10. This chateau, now with 440 rooms and second in size only to
Versailles, began as Francis I's hunting lodge (1519). By 1537 he had added the
many towers and chimneys that characterize the structure, but the construction
was continued by his son, Henry II, and finally completed by Louis XIV in
1685.
Chambord from the rear |
Chambord from the
front |
Looking through front gate |
A visit to the inside was not included,
but we were given 40 minutes to walk around the exterior and take pictures. We
got back to the hotel in Blois about 5:15. Since we were leaving for Paris in
the morning, we began packing. After the huge lunch near Cheverny, we just had a
light dinner in the hotel dining room.
