Creeping Around in an Unrestored Chateau! And Chèvre Makes Everything Better!

As I have fallen behind, this blog is being written a week after the fact, but I would just like to note that today is the day I officially decided that chèvre makes all things better.  Ham on French bread?  Decent.  With chèvre?  Best. Sandwich. Ever.  Hot chèvre salad?  Best salad ever.  A little chèvre anywhere you'd use cream cheese?  Or just for added creaminess in a sauce?  Indeed!  And chèvre here isn't like the pungent, smelly, strong-tasting stuff I've tried in the US.  They *have* that, but there are numerous varieties of chèvre as it turns out.  I'm actually quite a fan of the 2 Euro chèvre wheels from Intermarché.  Yes, in France you have bargain 2 Euro cheeses!

For somebody who can't eat cow dairy without getting sick, even if it just sneaks into something without my knowledge, the land of chèvre is a dream come true!  They put chèvre on pizzas, foccacia bread, salads, in McDonald's wraps even!  In fact, my tomato sauce with couscous and breaded turkey fillet seemed like it could use a little hot chèvre to make a sort of "parmigiana" . . . although, realistically I could make a real one with mozzarella!  If I thought it would keep, my suitcase would be packed full of chèvre and water buffalo mozzarella when I returned home.  As it is, I will be venturing back into the land of cheese when I return home to find some good US chèvre (or imported if it comes to that).

While I didn't get tired of seeing chateaus, I've have grown a bit tired of writing about them!  On that note, I bring you the FINAL chateau blog:

Chateau de Chaumont
I wanted to love this chateau and I did, but not for the reasons I expected.  Upon arriving, it was love at first glimpse.  Now this is what a castle should look like!  The fairy tale castle come true!  The first chateau was burned down in 1465 for a revolt against the King, but this one started construction in 1468.  It was still a defensive castle then.  Additions in 1498 were Renaissance styled and more decorative.  During this entire period, the chateau was owned by the d'Amboise family.

Once I entered the castle, the courtyard area was a bit uninspiring, but the Porcupine of King Louis XII was on display!

The view of the Loire River was stunning though!  You really can't beat the gorgeous river property the chateaus were built on; however, this view didn't exist until 1750 when the North Wing was knocked down.

Upon entering the chateau as instructed, I immediately realized that my guide was indicating I should start in a room that I clearly was not in.  I should have been in the Historical Apartments, which reflected the period when Catherine de Medici bought the chateau in 1550 - it was supposedly here that an astrologer told Catherine that the Valois line would end with her sons.  This chateau also played a role in the Catherine-Diane saga since Catherine traded this property for Chenonceau after Henri's death.  Diane did not like this property though (crazy woman!) and rarely used it.

After flipping through the guide a bit, I discovered I was starting in the last room.  These were the "private apartments" decorated by the Prince and Princess de Broglie, who were the last private owners of the chateau from 1875 to 1938.  My first (and last) thought on the room was, "man, they packed a lot of stuff in here!"

Two of the next three rooms I quite enjoyed though - the billiards room and the library!  I had to photograph the "indiscret," which is the little 3 seated couch from the time of Napoleon.

Upon reaching the end of this area, it wasn't immediately clear how to continue on to the Historical Apartments, so I headed up the stairs toward the designated art display.  It was immediately clear that this was housed in a part of the chateau that clearly had NOT been renovated and had been altered during some later period in history - in one section you could see where the old, huge fireplace had been walled off in a narrow area.

At this point, other than the exterior, Chateau Chaumont was pretty much a bust for me.  The newer apartments were decent, but reminded me more of 1920s New York than France.  This area though!  I admit I have strange tastes in some ways because I was fascinated by walking through the areas full of items that hadn't been restored for use yet, stored in rooms that were dusty and neglected.

The views from two of the windows were well worth having this wing open as well!  Neither view was available from the "planned" areas.

Having spied the interesting structure from this window, I decided to find it . . . after trying to locate the mysterious Historical Apartments.  I wandered back toward the entrance area where I realized I had missed the chapel.  *sigh*  Another chapel . . . wait, what?!?  If you're looking at the below and thinking, "what EXACTLY am I seeing?" you are not alone in that sentiment.  It appears that the un-renovated wing isn't the only place that random art was being staged.  If you see the stained glass hiding back there somewhere, it is from 1888.

I guess that's one way to avoid your chapel looking like every other chateau chapel :-O  It was about this time that I learned that I had not taken a wrong turn somewhere . . . the Historical Rooms were CLOSED for restoration work.  Ok, I understand that these things have to happen, but really to allow people to buy a ticket without mentioning it?  It is nowhere on their site, at the entry, etc and no discount is given for the fact that literally HALF of the area normally available is closed.

Time to find the unusual building I guess.  It turned out to be stables with the side building being a riding arena.

 If you ever wondered what the stables of a French chateau look like, here's the tack room and where the pampered horses lived:

There was also an area with historical carriages that were stored and saved.  From left to right: the Ladies' Phaeton, the Vis-a-Vis (a promenade carriage), le Landau (used by the Princess for trips to Paris) and the Omnibus (used for more local trips requiring luggage, such as to the train).

The riding arena was also interesting to see and to note the viewing area above where parents would watch their children below.  Ignore the giant black things, which are also "art" of some form.

As I wrapped up my day at Chaumont, the later afternoon was also a perfect time to visit here without it being very busy, so the timing at each had worked out perfectly!  I finished up my trip with one more photo of the stunning exterior and of the model gardens.

PROS: Truly looks like a fairytale castle, interesting history, decent English tour pamphlet, having the unrenovated areas open for exploring (or art display), parking is free

CONS: some of the modern art & placement choices are just bizarre, there is an extra fee to enter the actual gardens (nearly the cost of entering the chateau), the most interesting rooms (aka the historical apartments) were closed with no discount or notice to the public prior to buying a ticket

Basically, if the un-renovated areas hadn't been open for me to wander through (and I didn't enjoy that sort of thing), this would have been a bust for me, even with the idyllic exterior.  Half of the decorated rooms were closed and some of the historical areas that were open (kitchens, chapel, stables) had modern art bizarrely placed so it really interfered with the actual historical space.  Some of it was well done in terms of planning and placement, but some of it, well, I'm not sure what they were thinking.

Chambord - Better than Expected . . . And Eating Like the French, Part 2

I saw several suggestions that Chambord was big, empty and not that great to visit.  In fact, I saw so much of this that I wondered if it was worth the hour long drive out to it since the other chateaus were relatively close together?  In the end, it had a different history, very different exterior and I wanted to stick with unique chateaus, so I went.

Chateau de Chambord First off, you enter the property and then you drive . . . and drive . . .and drive.  It's truly a HUGE property (5440 hectares - roughly the size of inner Paris) with animals living in many of the woods still.  I love how the pamphlet says you may be "lucky" enough to see an actual wild boar . . . uh, no thanks!  When you finally reach the chateau, it rises up out of the woods so spectacularly that I immediately thought, "it was worth the drive for just that view."

I wasn't exactly thrilled about the paid parking, but the entry fee is the cheapest of the Loire Valley chateaus I saw, so I guess that puts it more toward the middle of the pack altogether.  As I took the hike from the parking lot to the chateau (I'm cheap and parked in the further lot), I came across this magical little bridge:

 Normally I hate people in my photos, but the couple walking toward the bridge are perfect!

And then it was time for a full view of the chateau - even if it was built as a hunting lodge, with an eye to impress other countries, it is by far the largest chateau.  You begin to understand why the French Revolution happened when your 25-year-old King is taxing you to build this . . . and then spends only 72 days in it during his 32 years on the throne!

Once you manage to reach the other side of the chateau and procure a ticket (HINT: you don't have to buy them at the outside stand; there are ticket booths inside as well), you enter the inner courtyard and then the keep (aka donjon).  While there is a 15 minute video (with translation into English, Italian and I believe German?), I didn't find the video as "indispensable" to my visit as the tiny paper guide suggested.  In fact, I walked out partway through and started exploring.  One of the first things I noticed was that the ground floor rooms were rather sparsely furnished and I started to wonder if the reviews were right - was paying for parking to view the exterior the best part of the chateau?  Then, I eyed the famed double spiral staircase, which has two intertwining staircases that you can enter from each side, but never meet!  You can see others on the opposite staircase though.  This was built by order of François I and it is believed that da Vinci may have influenced the design.  The exteriors had gorgeous spiral staircases as well.

Apparently, my dream home is going to look like a French chateau because when I saw this in one of the rooms on the first floor, I decided I need something like it!  Speaking of the "first floor," this is yet another way we are different than the French - here, the bottom level of a building is the ground floor or floor 0 and the first floor is actually a level up.

The first floor was also where I realized that either the reviews were outdated or people are super critical.  One of the things I actually like best about Chambord is that there is no set tour route and you can pretty much go inside EVERY room.  For people complaining that Chambord is empty, there were 11 fully furnished rooms, 5 rooms filled with a museum about the Comte de Chambord (last of the Bourbons), 10 minimally furnished rooms and the second floor rooms had an art display of photographs shot on the expansive grounds of the chateau, some of which were back-lit in dark rooms for a museum-quality presentation.  In short, there were far more furnished rooms than virtually all of the other chateaus I saw (except perhaps Chenonceau) . . . the biggest difference being that you were allowed to wander around, even into areas that had little furnishing.  

Here is a small sampling of items from later eras.  First, from the 1680 State Apartments of Louis XIV, the style shows changes in etiquette.  Three rooms were connected, like at Versailles, and there is now a rail in front of the bed because people were presented to the King IN THE BEDROOM.  The furnishings replicate what was in place in the 1700s when the Marchel de Saxe was given the estate by Louis XV.  The fireplaces are also much smaller and more ornate.  The walls are no longer covered in tapestries, but rather papered and painted, with tapestries as decorative pieces.

The 18th century apartments were also furnished.  You could see where they had installed a new false ceiling to lower the height, converted larger fireplaces to smaller ones and partitioned large rooms into several smaller rooms so they could be kept warm more easily!  The furnishings also have a much more modern look and feel, like something your grandmother may have owned.

I wandered into the chapel, but other than being much larger than other chapels and the largest room in this particular chateau, there was nothing particularly remarkable about it.

While I can't imagine a need for one of these in my dream home, I found this porcelain oven intriguing.  First, I just like the way it looks, but interestingly, these were used for heating purposes since the porcelain would hold the heat and radiate it over a long period of time.  This is actually one of the originals that they were able to get back.  I wish I could remember more about it, but unfortunately, the booklet is not that great here.  They do have very good signs posted in the rooms that explain things though!

There's really just history everywhere.  Here is the salamander and "F" for François I:

Finally, I headed up to the top for simply stunning views of the river and forest around the chateau; however, my favorite picture from the terraces was of the lovely tower above the spiral staircase - certainly, the attention to every ornate detail is on display here.

Given the reviews about the interiors, I'd expected to breeze through here in 2 hours easily, but found myself going over that amount of time and running a bit short on time for Chaumont.  I will also say that my itinerary to this point was perfect - when I arrived at Chambord, there were very few people there and, by the time I was leaving, I had to fight my way past the mobs coming in.

PROS: You can wander nearly anywhere in this entire giant chateau like you own it, there are numerous furnished rooms & from later periods than some of the other chateaus, the double spiral staircase, the museum has interesting history about the attempt to restore the last Bourbon "King" to the throne after the Revolution, the photography exhibit of the grounds was really well done

CONS: You have to pay to park . . . and it's in the middle of nowhere, so no avoiding it!, the visit guide lacks detail and has just a brief summary of each set of rooms (the details are in the rooms, but you can't take that with you)

In short, Chambord could possibly be skipped, but I'm glad I didn't!  It showcased a different era of French history and it simply dwarves the other chateaus in size.  It's no Versailles, but it's certainly worth seeing in the Loire Valley!

The French Diet, Part 2

So, one other interesting thing about the French diet is that they eat a WIDE variety of meats (just not for breakfast, mind you).  I hadn't been terribly adventurous at first, but decided to branch out when our Friday restaurant, which only offers one plat special had just "lapin" or rabbit.  It was a hind quarter and was actually quite good!  I'd definitely try rabbit again.  The following Monday, the special at O City'Ven was duck in red wine sauce (or the reoccurring beef steak), so I went with the duck.  I wasn't such a fan of that one, although after cutting off the thicker-and-fattier (than chicken) skin, I was able to actually eat it without gagging . . . probably taking a pass on future duck though.  I mean, "I could eat it without gagging" is hardly a glowing endorsement!

Last, French people have turkey in the store all the time - it is not just a holiday food!  Nor is it a giant fully frozen bird!  Frankly, I am not a turkey fan, but I decided to take a chance on the inexpensively priced turkey escalopes (which appear to be thin-sliced breast meat) since eating like French people tends to mean much more affordable meals.  Turns out, fresh turkey is quite good and I really enjoyed my home-cooked dinner this week!

Home of the Wife AND the Mistress?!? Welcome to Chenonceau!

I knew I wanted to see the "Ladies Chateau" aka Chateau Chenonceau.  I'd read tips that visiting early in the morning was best as none of the tours have arrived yet, so after grabbing my vending machine coffee (not so bad really) and pain au chocolat, I was on my way!  One of Chenonceau's claims to fame involves the infamous rivalry between Diane de Poitiers, great love of Henri II, and Catherine de Medici, his wife and queen.  Chenonceau had the best interiors with 15 well-furnished rooms and fresh flowers from the gardens in each!

Chateau de Chenonceau The chateau was conveniently located about 15 minutes from my hotel and I arrived right as they opened at 9 AM.  Due to the early arrival, I was able to get some great photos with very few people!  Here is a view from the long entry drive - fair warning, you will walk and walk and walk some more at the chateaus!

Upon approaching the chateau, you can see the last part remaining from the 1230 structure first built by Guillaume de Marques.  In 1411, the Marques family was accused of sedition and the manor was destroyed.  It was rebuilt and destroyed again in 1420 for treason.  The family was again forgiven (wow) and built it again in 1432.  When Thomas Bohier bought it in 1512, it was in ruins and he demolished everything, except the 1230 "donjon," although it was renovated to make it appear more like the rest of the building (note the pretty top it has!)  Though Thomas bought it, his wife, Katherine was responsible for most of the design.

In 1535, King François I became the owner due to financial issues in the family.  His second son, Henri, was the one who really took an interest in Chenonceau though - François was too busy building Chambord!  One of the first areas you enter is the chapel and, let's face it, by this point the chapels were all starting to look basically the same (well, not Anne's chapel) - soaring roofs, similar style, lots of white stone, etc.  I took a couple of quick pics here for two reasons - the stained glass is actually fairly new because the original glass was all destroyed in 1944 by WWII bombs :-( and inscriptions carved into the walls by the Scottish guards of Mary Stuart (later Queen of Scots) in 1543.

Next, it was off to the infamous Diane de Poitiers' bedroom.  One interesting thing to note is that people didn't really have last names at the time - "da Vinci" simply means he was from "Vinci" and in this case, "Diane of Poitiers" . . . and Poitiers is the bigger city near where I'm staying!  Henri was married to Catherine at 14 and took the 35-year-old Diane as his mistress at 15.  The fireplace in her room has the "H" of Henry and the interlocking "C"s of Catherine . . . which, when combined, form a "D" and are on the ceiling like this.  The painting is a depiction of Diane, who was a huntress, and who was known for her great beauty.  After Henri gifted her Chenonceau, she turned it into a quite profitable chateau though, so she clearly had more than beauty going for her!  

Once Diane officially owned the chateau in 1555, she was the one who added the bridge over the river Cher; however, its current appearance is due to Catherine de Medici, who built the galleries on top of the bridge in 1577.  My favorite story about the gallery is the river Cher was the line of demarcation between occupied France and the free zone during WWII, so people would sneak through this gallery to freedom on the South bank.  A German tank was positioned to destroy Chenonceau at any time, but fortunately that never happened!

After Henri's death, Catherine took Chenonceau back and gave Diane Chateau de Chaumont instead, which removed her from court.  Catherine was one of the most powerful women in French royal history while her sons were young and she governed France, in part, from the Green Study in Chenonceau.  The below tapestry is remarkable because it shows animals and fauna from the newly discovered American continent.  The ceiling is also very rare in France (Italian style) and dates from 1525.  This chateau became a favorite of Catherine's.  Her son, François II, and Mary, Queen of Scots, were also married here in 1560.

A tour of the kitchens was up next and I was finally able to get a shot of an old bread oven.  I love these old brick ovens, especially because you can see very similar ovens still in use in France!  In fact, the second photo below shows that there appears to have been an old oven setup in the cottage I'm staying in, which has since been bricked up.

There were two lovely drawing rooms, then the Five Queens' Bedroom in memory of Catherine's two daughters (Margot & Elisabeth) and three daughters-in-law (Mary Stuart, Elisabeth of Austria and Louise of Lorraine).  They were similar enough in appearance to other rooms that I didn't photograph them - same with Catherine de Medici's bedroom.  While not in order in the tour, chronologically the next room of interest belonged to Henri III's wife, Louise of Lorraine.  After Henri III was assassinated (with no heirs), his queen went into mourning in white gowns and painted her room black; she remained in mourning for the rest of her life.  The original ceiling is still in place and was used to restore the rest of the room.  During a time of arranged marriages, this display of mourning was fascinating to see.

Moving on to the next era of French rulers (Bourbons), Catherine's sons all died without an heir, so King Henri IV became king and there are rooms here for his great love (and mistress) Gabrielle d'Estrees and her son, Cesar of Vendôme.  Gold and Pink were apparently a big thing with French royalty of both genders!

One of the other famous women of Chenonceau is Louise Dupin, who saved the chateau from being destroyed in the Revolution by proving with documents that it was legitimately privately owned and converting the chapel into a wood store!  Other famous ladies were Marguerite Pelouze, who restored Chenonceau to how it looked in Diane's era, and Simone Menier, who worked in the WWI hospital in the galleries.

While the interiors were incredibly well-done, the exterior is too!  Below is a painting of Chenonceau "then" and Chenonceau now:

The gardens represent the Diane vs. Catherine rivalry as well.  Diane's gardens are to the left of the chateau and shown below with the view from that side:

To the right of the chateau are Catherine's gardens, with both gardens still patterned after their initial designs.  Catherine's garden was much smaller, but I personally enjoyed the design more.

A quick pic of me at the chateau (which my phone *really* washed out) and it was time to head to Chambord!  I should mention that by the time I was leaving (3 hours later with a quick lunch), it was CRAWLING with people - do go early if you want to avoid the crowds!

Of course, on my way to Chambord, I came across this!  France strikes again with a random chateau, Chateau de Chissay, which appears to be a privately-owned restaurant!  Oh well, at least it's open to the public, unlike some of them.

I've fallen quite a bit behind on my posts due to the "special close" at work to facilitate our company being purchased and taken private, but here are the pros & cons for Chenonceau:

PROS: a ghost town early in the day, huge number of fully decorated rooms, *really* colorful history, unique river-crossing design, stunningly pretty exterior, nicely detailed free English visit guide, free parking, several gardens, MAZE!

CONS: I really tried to think of one and failed to come up with anything - Chenonceau should be on absolutely everyone's Loire Valley chateau list