Da Vinci and Chenonceaux
Trip Start
May 21, 1988
1
55
90
Trip End
Aug 22, 1988
Blois, France
Tuesday, July 19, 1988
Breakfast at fast food establishment. Actually quite good. Hit the road.
First stop: Amboise. Did not visit chateau but instead home of Da Vinci. Most interesting aspect was in the basement which displayed IBM-built models of his drawings (armored tank, parachute, airplane, car).
Second stop: Chenonceaux. Most lovely of châteaux. One wing built over Cher River. Lovely grounds, too. Rooms well-restored and furnished 16th century. Had picnic by moat outside walls. Fed ducks; were attacked by swans.
Third stop: Azay-le-Rideau. Lovely town. Once again, did not visit chateau. Watched game of boule.
Fourth stop: Chinon. Walled city. Gaped at chateau from exterior. Still retains mediaeval shape.
Fifth stop: Usse. One tower devoted to random scenes from Sleeping Beauty (performed by mannequins) interspersed with mannequins depicting 19th Century life in the castle. Tour went through about eight rooms, a few with very strangely costumed mannequins. Not period at all. Strange. Haphazard.
Return to Azay-le-Rideau for delicious crepe dinner. Toll road back to Blois.
