Loire Valley Châteaux and Vineyards.
The Barefoot Blogger is off to explore the middle of France: the chateaus and vineyards of the Loire Valley.
Along with me on the adventure through the Loire Valley was my good friend Nancy McGee, tour expert extraordinaire.
Our home base on this trip was an Airbnb ‘chalet’ in Amboise. From there, we could easily reach more châteaux and wine than we could cram into our timeline.
Loire Valley Châteaux
Château Royal du Amboise
The Château de Amboise is in the center of the charming city that shares its name. The first trenches of the château were built in the 4th century to defend the town’s residents.
The château was the home and place to stay for the Valois and Bourbon kings. Charles VIII was born here. King Francis and the children of Henri II and Catherine de Medici were raised here. Leonardo da Vinci, a friend of King Francis, is buried on the property.
Inside Château Amboise
Loire Valley Chateaux
The Gardens at Château Amboise
An overcast morning made views of the gardens at Château de Amboise impressively dramatic.
After bidding Château de Amboise “avoir,” our next stop was the town of Amboise.
Loire Valley Châteaux: Clos Luce
Chateau Clos Luce and Leonardo da Vinci
The small château, Clos Luce, is within easy walking distance of downtown Amboise. Here, Leonardo da Vinci was invited to live by King Francis I. DaVinci stayed at Clos Luce from 1516 until he died in 1519. He is buried on the grounds of Château de Ambroise.
Château Clos in itself houses over 40 of Leonardo daVinci’s inventions. An audio-visual presentation of his life and work by IBM instructs tourists as they move through the rooms.
While on a tour of these magnificent chateaus, thank goodness for my iPhone and the video maker apps that capture and preserve my travel memories! Enjoy!
Stayed tuned…
