Part-Two of my parents' visit was fantastic. Most importantly, Max was fully recovered so he was in his usual happy and "energetic" form. We drove to the Loire Valley where we stayed in an authentic 14th century chateau, and from there we made day trips to different lovely towns and famous, beautiful castles. We had incredible weather, great food and lots and lots of laughs. Here are the highlights in review.
Chateau de la Barre...
This is the chateau we stayed in for three nights. It is beautiful, and so full of history you can't help feeling like you're stepping (way) back in time. The owners were very interesting and attentive, and added another dimension to our stay.
View of the Chateau from the front.
My parents in front of the formal gardens.
These are their dogs - Max was in heaven.
Max didn't really understand the fragile nature of everything in the place. Among other antics with the antiques, he liked using the luggage rack as a car.
All of us in front of the 14th century fireplace...
Le Mans is a city in the Loire Valley that is famous for the 24 Hours of Le Mans sports car race held annually since 1923. We visited for the afternoon on our first day in the Loire Valley.
Chenonceau...
Just hanging around Le Mans.
The impressive cathedral in Le Mans.
Amboise...
Amboise is a town with a famous palace where Francois the 1st lived. Interesting. But we all thought it was even more interesting that he invited Leonardo da Vinci to live there during his final years (they were apparently very good friends). Now da Vinci's house is a museum, and they have turned the property into the most incredible "park," where they have recreated many of his early inventions. My explanation and the photos do not do it justice... it is so spectacular.
Near the entrance...
Max, bored by the thought of more historical sight-seeing.
Max playing with one of the cool da Vinci sketch banners.
As a side note, Max learned how to see-saw at da Vinci's house. Cool.
Chenonceau...
What can I say about Chenonceau without boring the pants off of you? Well, it is an incredible castle built across a river. It is charming and more understated than other castles I've visited. I loved it. Enough said.
Chambord...
View approaching the front (too bad about the scaffolding).
Amazingly beautiful formal gardens on a beautiful day.
View of the gallery that spans the river. Very cool.
Last one, I promise. On our last day we visited Chambord, possibly the MOST famous castles in France. It has the awesome double-helix staircase. And the crazy roof top. It is beautiful. It is huge. It is majestic. I loved it. Really.
The rooftop. Just look at it.
Royal wanna-bes in front of the main entrance.
Max being a really good sport about yet-another castle.
Brook & Max having fun on the famous staircase.
The End!
Oh, except click here if you want to see more/better photos of our trip. And I forgot to mention that we also visited a famous cathedral in Chartes on our way to the Loire Valley... you can see photos of that in the album too. I know you can't wait.
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