France & London 2017, Day 4
Château d’Amboise
Our unsuccessful attempt at a jumping photo
Caroline, Alan, Aaron, Isabel, Elisabeth, Natalie, and Maggie underneath the iconic arched bridge at Chenonceau
Avery, Paiden, Elisabeth, and Natalie inside the labyrinth at Chenonceau
Château de Chenonceau
This morning we visited the lovely town of Amboise in the Loire Valley. Amboise is the home to a royal château. One of the residences of this château was François the 1st. After arriving in the town, we were given time to walk around and enjoy the culture of the town. Some people walked up to Leonardo Da vinci’s final house, which was given to him by François the 1st. After lunch, everyone met up and toured the château. We learned that it was first used as a fortress and then renovated to be a grand palace. We also learned many fun facts like the fact that doors were so short in olden times to prevent heat from escaping the room. We then walked to the chapel on the grounds and saw Leonardo da Vinci’s grave. After finishing the tour of the château d’Amboise, we visited the château in Chenonceau, which Avery is going to tell you about!
-Elisabeth Squillacioti, ’20
After seeing the Château d’Amboise, we took the bus to the Château de Chenonceau. The outside of the castle was beautiful as close attention was paid to details in building the entire castle. A moat surrounded the castle to add an element of defense. Also, there were gardens to the left and right of the castle. The one on the left was definitely small compared to the one on the right, but both were incredibly beautiful. Inside, we saw the bedrooms of kings and queens. Each one had a view of the river, and several paintings and tapestries were hung on the wall. Each piece of artwork had something to make it unique from the others. After the tour we had time to walk around the rest of the castle on our own. My group walked around inside a little more and then we went outside to the labyrinth. Once we made it out, it was time to go to dinner. When we arrived, I wasn’t really expecting the restaurant to be in a cave, but it was really cool. We had sausage and potatoes for dinner and tarte tatin (apple pie) for dessert. Finally, we got back on the bus to head back to the hotel. Luckily, we were able to see the sunset on the drive back. The colors were very pretty, especially the sun itself, which was a bright red. We are heading to Mont St. Michel and the town of St. Malo tomorrow!
-Avery East, ’20