Spoonful Of Loh: Tours . . . and the Loire Valley of Chateaux

We arrived in Tours and were promptly accosted by an affable tour operator promoting tour (not to be confused with the city, Tours) packages to the Chateaux. And why not, we thought to ourselves. Makes life a helluva lot easier, and doing our bit for the Tours economic well-being. So we signed up for a Chenonceau - Chambord - Amboise - Cheverny package. And here they are, in pictures as below -

Le Grand Hotel, where we slept while in Tours. It is literally a stone's throw away from the train station. You see the yellow awning? Beneath it, is a brioche-shoppe which sells nothing else but brioche and they have the largest brioche I have ever seen, in my life. Ever!

This is how our hotel chambre look like, as viewed from lying on the bed. And let me tell you, size does bloody matter when it comes to hotel rooms. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise, unless they are lilliputian in physique.

That's the bed, with a view to the stars (celestial, not Hollywood). I didn't quite warm to the spartan look of the hospital-like, tucked-in-corners spreads, and thought the pillows were too WWI, so . . . .

. . . . I did a little fluffing and voila, what do you think?

And then we went out to explore the city. This is Cathedral St Gatien a 13th century built gothic-style affair, which is currently undergoing serious restoration works.

One of the many brilliant medieval stained-glass windows in Cathedral St Gatien, this one is of Jesus being baptised by St. John the Baptist, I think.

One of the restaurants we chanced upon in Tours was La Souris Gourmand. On that day of our discovery, nothing else was opened. In fact we were (also) too early for LSG but they happily accommodated us although we have to sit and nurse our drinks while watching the service team changed into their gear and have their dinner at a nearby table, before getting our orders taken. Tell you what, it was worth the wait. The grub was wonderful. The chef-owner is happy, chatty and sharing with us how it was his mother who strong-armed him to return from abroad to start the restaurant because she misses not having him by her side. And business has been good and he has not looked back since. Pays to have a mother who has strong arms, it seems.

My choice - magret de canard sloshed in Ambert cheese sauce, with potatoes, provencale tomatoes, garden salad. The duck breast were tender, juicy and on the right side of pink. Very delicious when paired with the sauce. And you know how I am a fan of cheese, not!

John had the Meal Complet which gives him a main and a dessert, this is the mains, piece de boeuf, a play on piece de resistance? John said it was very good, and I have no reason to doubt him. Nevertheless I asked for a morsel and it was indeed very good - smoky and sinfully tasty in a fatty way . . .

. . . and the dessert turns out to be a strawberry parfait, adorned with chocolate rice and a bikkie.

I had a nutella crepe and an espresso, to accompany John in his dessert pursuit.

The bill was presented to us on a mousetrap, how cute!

The first stop on our Chateaux expedition was Chateau de Chenonceau. This painting in one of the many rooms inside the chateau, is titled La Reine La Saba (The Queen of Sheba) and was painted by Tintoretto, and could have passed off as a work of Michelangelo.

I think this is supposed to be where Diane de Poitiers slept when she lived in Chenonceau. If she did I would have thought she has better taste than this . . . well, she looked to be, I have a bracelet which I purchased from the souvenir store in Chenonceau with her face on it and she looked like a Paris Hilton of her day. Okay, Paris is not the right objet d'comparison but you know what I mean, right?

Another bed for your viewing pleasure; the Five Queen's bed is named in memory of Chatherine de Medici's two daughters and three daughter-in-laws. I don't think they necessarily slept in the bed, whether at the same time or taking turns.

The Marques Tower on the forecourt of Chenonceau.

Some of the lovely flowers you will find in the garden of Diane de Poitiers.

A view of the chateau from Diane de Poiters' garden, I told John we could live here, quite easily.

We left Chenonceau and arrived at Chateau d'Amboise. Of course the bloody chateau have to be built on high grounds, which makes getting up there a chore. But you can't really complain about the views once you are up there though. Quite breath-taking, literally.

A stained glass window inside the Chapelle St Hubert, adjoining the chateau.

Tourists, meaning you and I, are told Leonardo da Vinci is entombed in the Chapelle St Hubert. I wonder what the locals are told?

Some architectural details of the Chapelle St Hubert.

Another perspective of the chateau. And if you look to the left, you will see . . .

. . . . this! Once a ford, it has been replaced by a bridge with Roman arches, you like?

The Loire river stretches on and on and on and . . .

. . . . and if you look down from the parapet, you will see these lovely houses with grey roofs and limestone walls.

All these chateau-ing makes us real hungry, so we stopped for lunch. John's grilled chicken with ginger sauce, you like?

I had the confit de canard du Sud Ouest, which looked like John's grilled chook but did taste very different. The legumes were a tad overcooked for my liking but I ate everything on the plate, not even the lettuce leaf was spared.

This sign was spotted in the candy shop where we got our sweet-fix. An attempt at humor, I suppose.

After a filled tummy, we went on to Chateau du Chambord. Size-wise, this chateau is a dream come true for me, as you know I do like big things. I was also quite taken by the French style of Renaissance architecture but I thought the interiors were a bit of a letdown. Perhaps it has something to do with the chateau being used mostly as a hunting lodge . . . *shrugs*

Some fancy architectural details on the Chambord.

The arvo sun coated the Chambord with a patina of reddish hue, tres romantic.

You might say it's only a drain pipe why bother but look what they've done; a serpent snout at the end of the drain pipe gives the impression of a serpent spewing out water when the rain comes! Brilliant.

Not clear in perspective but you can see my BapeSta sneakers on the steps of the double-helix staircase designed by Leonardo da Vinci, can't you?

Just a gentle reminder the Chambord is a hunting lodge. Don't play, play.

Another grim reminder of the hunting activities that were associated with the Chambord. There are even tiny ones, of fawns I suppose, which you have to take out if you have taken out the mommy. Eeurgh!

A tapestry on one of the wall inside the Chambord - would you have guessed if I didn't tell you it is of Cleopatra and Mark Anthony?

Finally, a commode. I was wondering how these royalty did their number twos as all the bedrooms do not seem to have ensuite.

This towering ceramic contraption is used for heating of the chateau interiors.

I don't think Laura Ashley would have approved of this. So OTT.

Looks tiny on a map, but the Chambord is truly massive.

The final stop of our chateau-expedition is Cheverny, a 33-room chateau and also one of the better preserved chateau along the Loire valley. The interiors are full of exquisite and beautiful details, this timber chandelier is one such example.

Arvo tea, good enough to eat but alas, they are only for display at the Cheverny.

One of the many paintings adorning the walls within the Cheverny.

This room in the Cheverny was built for King Henry II but apparently he has never slept in it. Doesn't quite look like a bed fit for a king, does it . . . I mean it is not exactly king-size, no? And what's with the plastic sheet?

Another painting in the Cheverny, forgotten what it was called but I find it strangely dramatic and thought I would share it with you.

My outfit at the next Sleaze Ball, whaddya think?

Yes, even the Cheverny has "no-go" zones.

Er . . . gaming room?

I love this console, but damn it wouldn't fit into my LV bag.

Apple tree, they grow for you and me . . .

Garden and fountain at the back of the Cheverny.

A tree in Cheverny, very ancient, very awesome . . .

We were completely chateaux-ed out by the time our visit to Cheverny was over. Dinner back in Tours was a cheap and cheerful affair at Tosca. We were simply too exhausted to care where we eat as long as they were serving food, and wine.

The pasta at Tosca - looks cheap, right? One out of two ain't bad.

Next day, refreshed and recharged, we took a bus to Chinon where we intended to catch a cab that will take us to the Abbey of Fontevraud.

Joan of Arc - the statue you won't miss in Chinon. It's quite impressive, it meaning the stallion.

Took us a while before we figured out that we have to ask the station-master at Chinon to ring for a cab, and it took another forty-minutes before the cab arrived. But finally, we made it to the Abbey of Fontevraud . . . .

. . . . Richard the Lionheart and Isabella of Angouleme. Hearsay the bodies have been ransacked during the French Revolution but present day government insists the bodies are still somewhere in the grounds of the Abbey; their refusal to find them I suppose is to retain the draw of the Abbey for tourists?

Eleanor of Acquitaine and Henry II were also supposed to be buried somewhere in the Abbey. These are only the sarcophagi.

One of the many cloisters in the Abbey, surreal isn't it?

Architectural details on the ceiling . . .

Carvings on the arches spanning the doorway to rooms . . .

Judas's kiss - not quite Continental.

Roman punishment - crucifixion. And they were easily crossed those days . . .

My job is done, let me sleep.

A courtyard in the Abbey, very tranquil.

Smoke gets in your eyes, not. It all goes up through this hole in the Roman kitchen.

The exterior of the Roman kitchen in the Abbey grounds.

A gendarme centaur?

All kinds of merry everything that makes the carousel go round.

The town square just outside the Abbey, where we caught the bus to S aumur in order to connect with the train back to Tours.

We stumbled upon this dodgy cafe in Saumur while waiting for the 5 o'clock train back to Tours, and trust me you want to be there - it has free wifi (pronounced wee-fee) courtesy of the (just as dodgy) hotel upstairs.