A.B. Away: Loire Valley Sights

(John) October 23. It was a grey and rainy day. Travelling from Saint Suliac to our next gîte near Orleans was quite uneventful. No blockades, no protests of any kind. Despite our fears of fuel shortages; we filled up without having to line up just before the autoroute near Laval. Although we’d planned to avoid the toll road, we still managed to get onto it. No matter. We drove along and came off for a total of 4.5€. There was fuel to be had all along the autoroute and on the D road we chose later. Indeed, we arrived at the gîte with a full tank of gas. Conscious of the need to conserve our precious gasoline we drove as economically as possible and the journey as a result seemed to take a long time. It seemed that everybody else had the same idea so our snails pace didn’t upset anyone. I think we got about 80 miles to the gallon.

October 25. The new gîte is lovely and the owner very welcoming. Yesterday we ventured out to see Chateau Chambord. It is a truly stunning place. Built so that Francis I could go hunting it has over 440 rooms, 84 staircases and 365 fireplaces. The hunting theme was evident everywhere and in gory detail; they were obviously a bloodthirsty bunch. It was a lot of fun to look around. The double helix staircase which was perhaps designed by Leonardo De Vinci was loads of fun. It was almost worth the entrance price of 17.50€ for the family.
Photos: The servant's entrance, A view up inside the Double Helix Staircase, Probably about a mornings worth

Photos: The Double Helix Staircase at the second floor, The Rooftop Terrace, Some Gory Detail

Call that a bed?

That's more like it

Now that's a bed

Just a little Cabin in the Woods

Lesley is getting teacher discounts all over the place. Our kids were free at Chambord. You gotta like that. It seems that I am the only one that has to pay full price for anything. I am thinking I might have to go on strike, maybe go on a march. I’m sure I could get some people to join me. While on the subject of protests, I thought I’d share a document we were passed by a French student in Dinan during the protest march we witnessed the day we went to market.

Today we decided to waste even more precious petrol and drove north to Chartres. On the way we passed by many power-generating windmills. We stopped at one to see how noisy they were. Didn’t seem so bad I must admit, but then it might start to get on your nerves after a while. It was a lot like a Toyota Prius driving past your house every second. I suppose if you had to live right underneath one then breakfast on the patio might have to be foregone on particularly windy days.
Photos: Look pretty from a distance, But hard to enjoy your toast and marmalade with that racket going on.

Here is a picture taken the previous day of the local nuclear power station. Aaah! Nice and quiet. No noise at all.

The last time I was in Chartres at the age of 17, with my parents and my sister, I had refused to get out of the car to go and see the Cathedral. I had led the rebellion that my sister joined. There is just something about France that makes a person want to protest. Anyway it was worth the wait. There was a mindboggling amount of detail to take in. Stone and woodcarvings, stained glass windows, tombs, labyrinths, ancient this and that everywhere you look in fact. Lesley, Sam and Mhari were allowed to go up the north tower for free. I was required to pay 7€. In protest, I refused to pay and went outside and sulked. In truth I was happy to not go as my fear of heights is quite real. I would have enjoyed the exercise but not the elevation of climbing the 300 steps.