I am truly embracing the busy French lifestyle, so-much-so that I have gone too long without updating this blog! The past few weeks have been a whirlwind for me- my family was visiting, school work was piling up (who thought "study abroad" actually meant studying?), and I spent the entire weekend visiting the châteaus of the Loire valley. Now that things are starting to unwind a bit, here comes another life update!
The weekend my family came to visit was one of the best weekends I have had in Paris thus far. We were able to squeeze every last drop out of this city that has SO much to offer it's visitors. We visited le Tour Eiffel (went to the very top AND had dinner inside!), Notre Dame, Sacre Coeur, Avenue des Champs Élysées, took a boat ride down the Seine, and ate the most delicious cuisine Paris has to offer! It was amazing to show the city to Dad and Ali and to relive all of the experiences my mom and I shared 10 years ago!
This past weekend was another great one for me- the opportunity to visit the Loire valley and tour the magnificent châteaus! I'm a Versailles junkie, I love all of the history behind it, the ornate décor, the vast gardens; etc. so I knew our Loire excursion would be right up my alley. We first visited le château de Chenonceau, which was built in the 16th century on the Cher River. The story of the château's ownership involves a love triangle between King Henri II, his wife Catherine de'Medici, and his mistress Diane de Poitiers. Henri II originally offered Chenonceau to Diane de Poitiers, but after his death in 1559, his wife demanded proper ownership and forced Diane into exile (jealous much?!). All of the rooms in the château where furnished as they would have been in the 1500s, with elaborate tapestries (which I learned were not just to show off wealth, but to insulate the rooms as well) and beautiful paintings. My favorite room in Chenonceau, and probably in any of the châteaus I visited, was the massive cuisine (kitchen). The kitchen itself contained 3 large room- the pantry, butchery, and servants' dining quarters- and I was fascinated by the bread oven that was built into the wall and the copper theme for all of the the cooking utensils.
Our second château, le château d'Amboise, overlooks the Loire River and is the burial place of Leonardo da Vinci! Da Vinci was invited to Amboise by King Francis I and lived the last three years of his life in the town of Amboise. Le château is known for its combination of Renaissance and gothic architecture. The furniture inside was made "portable" for the royal families who moved from château to château in the 15th century- chests doubled as side tables, throne seats opened to store items in, and even the king's bed came apart for easy transportation! Dining in the town of Amboise was as incredible of an experience as visiting the château was. We found a great restaurant called L'Amboiserie, where I ordered a warm goat cheese salad with pork, fresh tomatoes, hard boiled eggs, potatoes, and walnuts. The salad was delicious, but it was dessert that won me over. Are you all starting to notice a reoccurring theme here? Every meal I have in France is, in fact, the best of my life. I had a fresh crêpe served with homemade salted butter caramel, baked apples, and vanilla ice cream. I understand if you're drooling on your keyboard right now, it was THAT good.
The last stop on our château tour was le château de Chambord, the largest in the Loire Valley. The grounds of the château are larger than the entire city of Paris, and the municipality of Chambord is the only one in France to be entirely owned by the state. Chambord was also the inspiration for the Beast's castle in Disney's Beauty and the Beast- the movie was, of course, set in France!
There are several several floors to the Chambord château; however, only the first was ever used as a residency. The double-helix staircase leads many historians to question the original architecture of the castle. Although no official blueprints have been found, many believe Leonardo da Vinci may have designed Chambord before he died. Several French kings, including François I and Louis XIV, used the château as a hunting lodge, so several rooms are full of mounted animals and antlers. There were also several cool items on display, like original keys to the château, royal dishes and silverware, and the original royal crown and sceptre!
Ma famille à Paris :)
Appartement on Avenue de la Bourdonnais, where Mom and I lived 10 years ago!
Le château de Chenonceau
La cuisine au château de Chenonceau. So many copper utensils!
Le château de Chambord, the largest in the entire valley.
The delicious crêpe from L'Amboiserie near le château d'Amboise! I would go back just for this!Cultural fact: The French use a grading scale of 1-20, 20 being the highest score; however, it is virtually impossible to receive a 20. In fact, excellent work is rarely given higher than a 15 here. I am truly looking forward to getting my Politics in France test back after learning that fun fact...
“If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a movable feast.” Ernest Hemingway
**Hemingway clearly knew what he was talkin' about :)
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