The Chateaux and the place de Vosges

Yesterday June first 2011, all of us got up at 5am to get ready to go visit the majestic chateaux! It was an early morning for all of us but we made it to the train station with extra time to spare. Once we got our tickets sorted out and actually made it it on the train, all of us were ready for a short nap on the train ride there. After that we were refreshed enough to go to the first chateau Le Clos Luce. This wonderful chateau was my personal favorite because it was smaller than the rest and it felt homey. This chateau called home by the amazing Leonardo Da Vinci who lived there for three years before he died. A fun fact about this chateau is that it has a secret tunnel that leads from the Clos Luce to another chateau!

After that we went to the chateau called Amboise. This amazing chateau had amazing views of the surrounding area and was right along a river. This is the place where Leonardo Da Vinci is buried in a small separate castle. Amanda was trying to get a picture in the chapel with the right light, and then suddenly the light disappeared! She told us that she was not going to leave until she got the light for the picture so we wanted about a minute for the sun to come back out and she got a great picture. I really enjoyed seeing the chapel where Da Vinci is buried, it was a moving experience to be that close to someone who had done some much in his time.

The third chateau that we saw was Chambord. This chateau had the most amazing roof! It was almost fairy-tale-like designed. This chateau also has this really cool double helix staircase. We talked in our prep class that if one army went up one side and another went down the other side, the two army's would never meet on the stairs. I think that is was really cool to see. There was a lot of room in this chateau and a lot of really cool fireplaces.

The final chateau that we saw yesterday was Chenonceau. This is a beautiful place that is built out over the river! I loved the hallway that was over the river, it made me feel at home like by Lake Superior. It was such a wonderful feeling, this was my second favorite chateau because I felt at home. It had the kitchen in the lower level and windows that had windows that had a decent view of the river as well. Overall I felt that the Chateaux was not over the top like I expected them to be, but more of a place that I would expect that the royal families would enjoy a little rest and relaxation in one of these beautiful places.