We said goodbye to the beautiful chateau we had been staying at. Actually, the part we stayed in was originally a stable, but it had been remodeled to be a beautiful living space. Lily was particularly in love with the place (especially her window view) and she took these pictures to help her remember a place so special to her.
We then left to Chambord. On the way, we captured this picture and video of the sunflowers that we’d seen so much in the Loire valley.
Also, we stopped at a boulangerie for lunch. It was delicious!
I absolutely loved Chombord. The castle was so quirky. It was originally built in a swamp by Francis I, the same king who invited Leonardo da Vinci to live in France as his guest. The castle features a lot of influence from Leonardo and some people speculate he helped design it. The most obvious example of this is the double-helix staircase in the middle of the castles. Leonardo was obsessed with spirals and he thought that on some level they were a source of life. Also the entire part of the chateau around the staircase is made to look a bit like a machine or invention, which seems to nod to da Vinci.
But the thing that was most interesting to me is that the palace was never used much even though it is the largest in Loire valley (I think around 380 rooms). Francis 1 built it in the marsh because it is a good hunting area and he loved to hunt. But he was always traveling around and only stayed in it 4 times before he died. Later, it was gifted to an exiled Polish king who lived there 8 years and then up and left it with not regret because he did not like it there. Other people lived there too, but a common complaint was the mosquitos in the summer and the fierce winters. So it was only used sporadically and when Versailles was built, it no longer was as interesting to people and it went into decline until it was later restored. Also, because different people took interest in it at different times, it has different phases and styles built into it over time. It’s a bit wonky and Frankensteinish in my opinion, and I love it!
It’s a fascinating chateau. Here are some pictures!
Double-helix staircase.
We also visited this room and learned about how during World War II, France used Chambord as a staging and distribution center for relocating famous art so it would be protected from the Nazis. The Mona Lisa also has spent some time here.
Amazing gardens, but honestly we are garden snobs after Villandry. We were really hot too and so we didn’t walk through the gardens.
Then Lydia found a sweatshirt in the gift shop! She has persistently been seeking out a sweatshirt throughout the trip. She looked in multiple gift shops in St. Malo to no avail. And then she found the perfect pink sweatshirt at Chambord. It was so important to her and we were all so happy for her. Yay Lydia!
Also, Lily and the kids have been really great about writing post cards. Chambord had a mail box, so they all wrote and mailed more post cards.
After Chambord, we jumped in the car to drive to Switzerland to stay with our friends Anthony and Malika.
Ammon and Clarissa were tuckered after all the walking at Chambord. Because my back was still hurting from carrying Clarissaa too much earlier in the trip, I made her walk the whole way.
Lydia and Mary still had energy though 🙂
Around 7:00 we stopped in Dole for some food. We struggled to find a place to eat until we stumbled upon downtown and found a really good restaurant. Downtown Dole was so charming.
While eating, we heard music and wandered over to the street entertainers putting on a show for a crowd. We watched for a bit and enjoyed the view of the basilica before returning to our car.
The drive to Switzerland felt long, and I was tired, but I really enjoyed listening to the Sam Harris and All-in podcasts. I enjoyed even more talking about current events and the economy with the family. We pulled in around midnight and Anthony was so nice to wait for us. He had just gotten home from the United States with his family the day before! He had also helped line up our Airbnb for which we were grateful. I slept at his place after helping to get the kids down since there weren’t enough beds in the Airbnb.