I promised a long time ago that I would write a quick blurb on my adventures from last Thursday, August 15, so here it is:
My friends and I had come up with about 5 different plans for our holiday on Thursday--all of which would've worked if it hadn't been a holiday. The buses weren't running or were full, and every bike store in Tours had already rented out all their bikes for the day (we were going to bike to the chateau Villandres, but the lack of bikes killed that option).
So, we all met at the train station, looked at local tickets, and bought one of the cheapest tickets, which ended up taking us to Blois.
And for a spontaneous pick, Blois ended up being a pretty good choice!
It was a nice city to walk around, and the chateau (located a 4-minute walk from the train station) was free admission due to the holiday (yay not spending all my money!). We also got into a little magic show for free.
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| Gargoyles! |
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| The spiral stone steps of the Chateau de Blois |
However, my adventure on Saturday is what this post is really going to focus on.
Saturday was the quintessence of summer, in my eyes: the sky was that deep summer blue straight out of the movies, marbled with marshmallow clouds; the cicadas were chirping in full force; and with the heat of the sun on my back, I felt like it was finally August. (The days here in Tours have been quite chilly in the mornings and reasonably warm in the afternoons, but nothing like the hot, lazy dog days I'm used to back home).
Kat and I decided to forgo the trip with the Institute and planned our own adventure: and we chose to visit Chateau de Chaumont.
It was absolutely perfect. The two of us arrived at noon and walked up the hill (already scoring points--I love my hills and mountains) to the chateau to discover very few other visitors. Apparently, Chaumont isn't one of the most well-known names of chateau in the region, although it's so beautiful that I don't understand why not.
The gardens of the chateau seem to stretch on for miles--there were white and purple flowers everywhere, and grassy fields, and patches of forest, and rosebush gardens... It was the perfect day to wander around the colorful grounds of the chateau.
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| Kat and I in front of the Chateau |
Kat and I snapped some pictures of the beautiful castle (sans a lot of other tourists in the background), then entered the chateau--to discover that the inside is probably THE COOLEST chateau that we've been in.
The ground floor is fully restored, of course--elegantly furnished with fine china, beautiful tiles and tapestries, silver candles, and plush sofas from the Napoleon III time period.
Upstairs, though, is a completely different story.
There are dozens upon dozens of unrestored rooms that wind through the second and third floors of the chateau, dimly lit (at first, Kat and I thought "Are we even allowed up here?") and truly creepy looking. Many were completely empty: there were lightning-bolt cracks spider-webbing across the ceilings and scraps of the chateau's original wallpaper were peeling off in tatters. Other rooms were arranged artfully to look like abandoned storage rooms: one room was full of ancient, rusted armor; another had a few dozen old, worn doors and cupboards with cracked glass shelves stacked up against the peeling walls.
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| A creepy old storeroom/art exhibit in the chateau, complete with peeling paint and stained glass |
Best of all, these unrestored rooms were set up as a creepy (but awesome) art exhibit: in every ancient, dusty room, there was a beautiful stained-glass picture hanging in each window, casting richly colored light upon the creaky, scuffed wooden floorboards.
Coming to Tours, I thought Chennonceau was going to remain my favorite castle, but Chateau de Chaumont was definitely more interesting, and in many ways, it was equally as beautiful. I'm so glad that Kat and I discovered it!
Saturday was so perfect.
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