The McQ's: Chateaux till you drop

Friday 10 and Saturday 11 May

On Friday we hit the road again leaving behind cute little St Malo. The drive to Noizay in the Loire valley was quite a long one but you can make good progress on the motorways cruising at 130km/h. They are toll roads so you need to be prepared for a little financial pain. We paid 18.80 euro for one long stretch - enough to make you sit up and take notice I thought!

Noizay is in the Loire valley which is renowned for its chateaus. They are essentially grand castles or country houses for the historically rich and famous. There are very many chateaus, in fact we are staying at a minor one (Chateau de Noizay) that has been converted into a small hotel. This doesn't make us rich (more the opposite), nor famous but it is a nice experience for our last couple of nights in France.

Before getting to Noizay we visited Chenonceaux. This chateau is famous for being built on a bridge over the Cher river.

As with most chateaus it includes magnificent grounds. It reminded me somewhat of M'boro. M'boro might not have a stream running through, but like Chenonceaux it does have manicured lawns (Chenonceaux's gardeners are a bit precious about theirs - you aren't allowed to walk on them)

vege gardens

sheds

and firewood heaps.

Saturday took us to two more Chateaus.

Chambord, which is a phenomonal pile with 426 rooms and vast grounds. It was built by King Francois 1st in the 16th century but he scarcely visited and died long before it was finished. Over the centuries it has been built, altered, and added to on a grand scale but not much lived in. So in some ways it is a monument to excess, but it is still a spectacular place.

Next was Cheverny, a much more manageable size and with wonderful gardens. It is richly furnished and decorated and is still lived in by the Hurault family who have been in residence for over 6 centuries.