Beauty perishes in life, but is immortal in art.
– Leonardo da Vinci
My bales of hay, Brittany countryside, France.
A picture of David taking a picture of the bales of hay so you can appreciate the scale, Brittany countryside, France.
We left Mont St-Michel early in the morning after breakfast. We drove for the longest part of our travels – about three-ish hours – to the Loire Valley. Our destination was the town of Amboise. The Loire River, stretching east to west, separates northern and southern France. Historically, the river and its fertile valley have been significant, as the Moors leveraged the Loire as they marched from Morocco into Europe. We arrived midday and ate lunch at La Scala along Amboise’s main street, Quai du Général de Gaulle, before meeting our host and getting situated in our AirBnB house. We stayed in a delightful three-story Medieval-style house with a deck not too far away, about a 10-minute walk, from the Château d’Amboise.
My seafood pasta lunch at La Scala, Amboise.
Our Amboise AirBnB house, named La Tortue (the turtle) on Rue Victor Hugo.
The patio/entry area of our AirBnB house in Amboise, Loire Valley.
To the left of the entry is the ground-floor bedroom where Isabella and Jacob stayed. They had their own bathroom, and we had a washing machine. The only complaint from the kids was the house centipedes that crawled on their feet when they were in the bathroom!
The ground-floor level has a spiral staircase that takes you to the second floor of our AirBnB house in Amboise.
The second floor of our AirBnB house in Amboise comprises the dining, kitchen, living areas, plus the deck.
Our AirBnB house’s kitchen on the second floor, Amboise.
The living area of our Amboise AirBnB house. Jacob and Isabella pounced on the directions for connecting to the Wi-Fi.
The deck, off of the dining area on the second floor, that faces the stone walls for privacy at our Amboise abode.
Ascend the second-floor stairs to get to the top floor in our Amboise house.
The little sitting area of our master bedroom on the third floor of our Amboise house.
On the right side of our bed is a door leading to a sheltered view of greenery and stone mountain.
To the right is the master bathroom. Note the Medieval wood bracing throughout this beautiful house!
The beautiful wood staircase in our Amboise house.
Aside from its wines and agricultural bounty, especially apples or pommes, the Loire Valley is famous for the more than a thousand castles and palaces that are situated on its beautiful land. It became fashionable for Sixteenth-century royalty, especially those who loved to hunt, to ditched medieval castles for rich Renaissance palaces. According to Rick Steves, “Old-time aristocratic château-owners, struggling with the cost of upkeep, enjoy financial assistance from the government if they open their mansions to the public.” Given that Amboise is on the east side of the valley versus the west side, we were going to concentrate on seeing châteaux in this area.
Château d’Amboise, Loire Valley.
The Orléans-Penthièvre study houses a succession of late 18th century portraits showing the maternal grandfather and parents of the future French King Louis Philippe 1er, Château d’Amboise.
Soaring ceilings at Château d’Amboise.
The great part of Château d’Amboise was built in the late 15th century and was Charles VIII’s favorite royal residence in the Loire. Other residents included Louis XII and François I, who is responsible for bringing Leonardo da Vinci to Amboise in 1516. More on this later. The château has been open to the public since the 19th century. Visitors enter “the interior of the Royal Château of Ambois via the former foot soldiers’ passage, which was originally defended by a draw-bridge and portcullis. The gallery is decorated with the coats and arms of the château’s successive owners, from the 11th to the 19th centuries.” From the top of the castle – its Tour Garçonnnet – as well as from the edge of the gardens, you can appreciate the Loire River.
From the Tour Garçonnnet, Château d’Amboise.
To the left of the Tour Garçonnnet, you can see the Loire River and the roads and town of Amboise.
To the right of the Tour des Minimes of Château d’Amboise are homes along the Loire River. You can see the remains of a bridge that was bombed out during WWII.
From the Tour des Minimes of the Château d’Amboise, you can see the Naples Terrace gardens.
A close-up view of the Naples Terrace garden from the Tour des Minimes, Château d’Amboise.
“During the Renaissance, the king made a palace out of this château. It was a symbol of his power, center for political, economic, and artistic activity. It also stands in memory of an historical turning point, when different styles and trends from Flanders and Italy mixed. Italy, coveted by France during the entire first half of the 16th century, was also admired for its artistic vitality. Monarchs thus invited to Amboise many Italian artists and writers whose influence blended with French tastes to create the original style of the “Early French Renaissance.”
In the Cupbearer’s room, a tapestry of Queen Esther’s banquet, Aubusson Royal manufacture, 17th century, and bust, Château d’Amboise. “This room recalls the customs of the King’s table, where cupbearers served drinks. Medieval trestles were replaced with “Italian-style” tables. They were richly decorated and could be extended. The art of dining evolved slowly with the timid use of two-pronged forks (knives and spoons remained more popular until the time of Henri III).
This room, the bedchamber of King François 1er and his son Henri II, was occupied by his wife Catherine de Medici who, after his tragic death, played an active role in the affairs of the kingdom during her sons’ successive reigns. The room’s interior illustrates the introduction of perspective into 16th century decorative arts, Château d’Amboise.
The footlights along the pathway to exit of Château d’Amboise is both ghostly and ethereal.
In 1516, Leonardo da Vinci accepted the position of engineer, architect, and painter to France’s Renaissance king, François I. Allegedly, the king, who was only 22 years old at the time, brought the then-65-year-old artist and inventor to Amboise so he could “enjoy is intellectual company,” according to Rick Steve. Leonardo da Vinci is buried in the Gothic chapel, St Hubert Chapel, named in honor of the patron saint of hunters and constructed in 1493. Leonardo da Vinci dictated in his last will and testament on 23 April 1519 that he wanted to be entombed in the St Florentin church, Amboise. Upon his death on 2 May 1519, he was thus buried. His remains were exhumed and transferred to St Hubert Chapel in 1871.
The Gothic-style St Hubert Chapel, Château d’Amboise.
The stained-glass windows and ceiling of St Hubert Chapel, Château d’Amboise.
Stepping back to get a bigger picture of the interior of St Hubert Chapel, Château d’Amboise.
Light hitting the stained-glass window, St Hubert Chapel, Château d’Amboise.
The burial site of Leonardo da Vinci, St Hubert Chapel, Château d’Amboise.
Stained-glass window’s colorful reflection in the afternoon light against the stone walls, St Hubert Chapel, Château d’Amboise.
More reflections of stained-glass windows at St Hubert Chapel, Château d’Amboise.
Straight-up view of a stained-glass window, St Hubert Chapel, Château d’Amboise.
Leonardo da Vinci’s bust graces an area outside of the formal landscaped gardens. The bust marks the spot where Leonardo da Vinci was initially buried, on the spot of the St Florentin Collegiate (an 11th century Roman building). It was a very warm day we arrived, but we appreciated the symmetry and beauty of the gardens.
Bust of Leonardo da Vinci, Château d’Amboise.
The formal landscaped gardens of Château d’Amboise.
View of the Loire River from the terrace of the landscaped gardens, Château d’Amboise.
Picture frames to ponder what you see from various angles, at the top of the formal gardens, Château d’Amboise.
Another picture frame of Château d’Amboise and its formal gardens.
The Loire River from the formal gardens of Château d’Amboise.
Perfectly coiffed double row of trees at the formal gardens of Château d’Amboise.
Château d’Amboise from across the Loire River on the other side of Amboise.
We also walked around town to orient ourselves but also to enjoy our new surroundings. We were too tired to find a restaurant for dinner by the time we finished our walk. Having found the grocery store, the trusty Carrefour City, we picked up inexpensive but fantastic wine (under €9, euros) and all kinds of cheese (€2), pommes (apples), grapes, charcuterie, and voila, we had a wonderful meal at our beautiful abode. One châteaux down, four to go in the Loire Valley.
Beautiful flower I’ve never seen before along the main street of Amboise.
Bon appétit! Eating at home tonight in Amboise.
The next morning – our view of Amboise from our window.
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