Were now driving from Chateau Chenonceau through the beautiful French forest on our way to Chateau Chambord. Today is our Chateau day through the heart of the Loire, and we just left the Chenonceau, the home of lady Catherine de Medici. It sits right on top of the Cher river in the heart of the forest countryside. It was just gorgeous. I wandered the surrounding gardens for quite a while, and found that I was more interested in the forest paths than the perfectly manicured shrubs in the gardens. I was overjoyed to find a little set of paths into the trees that led to a little secluded area where I watched a deer munching for a little bit. Garrett had gone to the bathroom so I was alone. An owl hooted continuously hidden somewhere I couldn't see. I can now understand why forests were enchanted in old French stories. It also made me realize how most classic Disney princess stories were written and took place in this very Loire valley in these forests. Beauty and the Beast, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, and even The Little Mermaid all take place here (the Little Mermaid to the south though) and I'm not sure where Cinderella originates although I'm pretty sure it's here too. The castles are full of stories, mostly about the princesses that lived in them, which helps me to imagine the princesses in the forests and gardens.
Before Chenonceau we started the day at Chateau Villandry, which is known for its extensive gardens. The Chateau in comparison to the other Chateaus is only moderately impressive but in any other place is an incredible castle to see. The gardens were beautiful, and went on forever, my favorite part being the paths lined with lime trees and of course all of the climbing roses that I made Garrett take a million pictures of. There was also a neat little bush maze which was a little less reminiscent of the Harry Potter shrub maze than the one at Versailles.
Chambord was huge. I feel like it's bigger and more ornate than Versailles but Garrett says it isn't. It was used as a hunting lodge by the king, and had very little furniture. Both Garrett and I seemed to have the same opinion of it. Although it's the biggest and the most royal of the Chateaus on the Loire... meh. It's aight. Something about it is just not quaint, or lacks that special chateau glow. I don't know I can't put my finger on it but I enjoyed the other chateaus more. It was worth the visit though. I'm sad to be leaving the Loire tonight. It really is a mystically beautiful place and so far I think if I lived in France I would like to own a country estate here, or maybe a little house on the river in Chartres. It's fun to dream.
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