Valley of the Kings

The Loire Valley is a couple of hours southwest of Paris and is home to literally hundreds of chateaus. One royal or noble figure after another tried to create their own unique home or home away from home. There are, of course, chateaus and then there are CHATEAUS. We decided to focus on the latter.
We began with Amboise where we visited a market below the imposing Amboise Chateau overlooking the Loire River. Close by is the Chateau Clos Luce where Leonardo da Vinci spent his final days. Chateau Chaumont is further east on the river.

Chateau Chambord is the largest and most grandiose chateau in the valley. It's unique design makes it easily recognizable. Francis I had it built in the 1500's as a hunting lodge and stocked the surrounding forest with deer. Why he needed 440 rooms, 282 fireplaces, and 84 staircases to host his hunting buddies is anybody's guess. The roofline is supposed to resemble the skyline of Constantinople.

The chateau with the most character and history is the Chateau Chenonceaux. It is famous for its span across the Cher River. Originally it was just a castle on the side of the Cher River. In 1547 Henry II gave the chateau to his mistress Diana de Poitiers. She created the gardens and had the bridge built across the river. When Henry II died, his wife Catherine of Medici took the chateau from Diana and gave her the Chateau Chaumont instead (not a bad second prize). Catherine ran the whole country of France from her little green library room and threw the most magnificent parties at the chateau including France's first display of fireworks. Now the chateau is the second most visited chateau in France after the Palace of Versailles.

Our final chateau was the Chateau Villandry. To say this place has incredible gardens is an understatement! There are so many kinds of gardens and they all are meticulously pruned and tended by a very hardworking crew of gardeners judging by the results. The colours of all the different gardens are breathtaking but the most amazing part of the palace grounds is the vegetable garden. You have never seen cabbage, broccoli, lettuce, and other vegetables so beautifully displayed. It's like they are flowers themselves.

We have had some unique Airbnb experiences but we have never stayed in a 'wine cube' before. On both sides of the Loire Valley there are many homes built right against the hillside. Some homes are dug right into the rock while others have caves for storing wine and other things. Our home was a former wine storage with four compartments that was creatively renovated into a two level home with a deck on the roof and caves for storage behind it. We really enjoyed staying in it and were even given a special tour of one of the caves by Claire, our host. Often the best part of traveling is not the famous sights you see but the little things that only the locals can show you.