We started off by packing up, taking showers in our incredibly white and sterile bathroom at the College Hotel, grabbing cold waters from the 1950s fridge in the hallway and taking the elevator to the student lounge looking reception. We were on a quest for a Creperie. I had scoped out one but once we got there it said they didn't open until noon. That was too bad since we consider Crepes to be breakfast food but as we found out, no one serves a proper breakfast, it is always some kind of hot beverage and bread. We snagged some kind of breakfast desserts and a drink and sat on the steps and watched Sam feed the birds some of his breakfast. It was lovely to be walking the streets of lyon so early and to see the sun come up on the ornate and iconic city hall building that used to be Hotel De Ville. It is flanked on one side by a gargantuan fountain of a goddess with horses circling below her- a powerful and colossal statue. We wandered over to the Opera House, a controversial structure due tot he contemporary roof and the classical base. We wrapped up our exploration with a drop into a pet groomers, Sam's animal obsessed ;) On the way back to our hotel we stopped inside the courtyard of the Beaux-Arts Museum, with it's lovely sculpture garden, a serene refuge in the middle of the city.
We pulled out around 10:30 am. After a couple hours driving Nate felt we should checkout this town Vichy. It was about an hour off the road. You never know, it could have been off the charts, but it was nicer than most towns, but also bigger than most we had been through and we were really searching for another Gordes like town. But we explored the town and walked down by the river. There was a little beach where some kids were playing and you could swim. We made our way to a little cafe that had outdoor park seating and enjoyed the sun and a yummy lunch of sandwiches and salad. We enjoyed our lunch stop and then had to motor to get to Chambord Castle by 5:25 in order to go into the palace. It showed our arrival at 5:23. We hustled and with a short pitstop on the side of the freeway in some bushes we made it with 30 secs to spare.
Chambord blew our socks off. We knew it was the largest single chateaux in the region. It was thousands of square feet with double helix stone winding staricases in the center and a third floor deck/viewing area, which gave the guests spectacular views of the property and the architecture. The highlight for me were the roofs. The castle is what Disney modeled the chateaux in Beauty and the Beast off of. It was an old hunting lodge built and not finished in the 1500s. After Francoise built it and died it sat vacant for nearly 100 years and then at several times it as gifted and bought and then vacated again. It was so vast that Francois the King chose not to furnish it but when he came for the 7 weeks he used it throughout his life, he brought collapsable furniture and furnishings, and food for the 2000 that would occupy the mansion. I am grateful that it has been well maintained and the grounds upkept. Just lovely.
We made our way to our hotel, an old Chateaux which has been in the family since the mid 1700s who now run it as bread and breakfast. We are in a suite whose french windows open and we look over the Loire River. It is picture perfect. When we first arrived we found ourselves on a dirt road along the river, it was so beautiful. We got checked in and then Nate and I wanted to explore the area down by the river by bike. We road for about 40 mins dipping down by the river on dirt paths and up onto bike paths. This place is so beautiful, just feel like we have found Nirvana here. What doesn't France have?!!!!
We pulled out around 10:30 am. After a couple hours driving Nate felt we should checkout this town Vichy. It was about an hour off the road. You never know, it could have been off the charts, but it was nicer than most towns, but also bigger than most we had been through and we were really searching for another Gordes like town. But we explored the town and walked down by the river. There was a little beach where some kids were playing and you could swim. We made our way to a little cafe that had outdoor park seating and enjoyed the sun and a yummy lunch of sandwiches and salad. We enjoyed our lunch stop and then had to motor to get to Chambord Castle by 5:25 in order to go into the palace. It showed our arrival at 5:23. We hustled and with a short pitstop on the side of the freeway in some bushes we made it with 30 secs to spare.
Chambord blew our socks off. We knew it was the largest single chateaux in the region. It was thousands of square feet with double helix stone winding staricases in the center and a third floor deck/viewing area, which gave the guests spectacular views of the property and the architecture. The highlight for me were the roofs. The castle is what Disney modeled the chateaux in Beauty and the Beast off of. It was an old hunting lodge built and not finished in the 1500s. After Francoise built it and died it sat vacant for nearly 100 years and then at several times it as gifted and bought and then vacated again. It was so vast that Francois the King chose not to furnish it but when he came for the 7 weeks he used it throughout his life, he brought collapsable furniture and furnishings, and food for the 2000 that would occupy the mansion. I am grateful that it has been well maintained and the grounds upkept. Just lovely.
We made our way to our hotel, an old Chateaux which has been in the family since the mid 1700s who now run it as bread and breakfast. We are in a suite whose french windows open and we look over the Loire River. It is picture perfect. When we first arrived we found ourselves on a dirt road along the river, it was so beautiful. We got checked in and then Nate and I wanted to explore the area down by the river by bike. We road for about 40 mins dipping down by the river on dirt paths and up onto bike paths. This place is so beautiful, just feel like we have found Nirvana here. What doesn't France have?!!!!
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