I’ve always said that French countryside was one of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. There’s so much variety depending on which part of the country you find yourself in. Recently, I had a very good occasion to visit the beautiful Loire valley which is literally strewn with castles all along the length and breadth of the Loire river. Since we were limited to a weekend, we decided to visit just three castles all closely located within the environs of Blois, an ideal base to start your explorations of the Loire castles.
The first castle we visited was Chambord. It was built at the behest of Francois I, who at the end of his long 32 year reign ended up staying at Chambord for a total of only 72 days. It was originally conceived as a hunting castle but viewing its dimensions now, it is hard to imagine Chambord as merely a hunting castle. It measures 156 metres long, 56 meters high with 77 stairways, 282 chimneys and 426 rooms! It is immense. Despite its immensity, it is gracefully built and it is only when looking at pictures taken from high can one really see its grand size. The double stairway built in the middle of the castle is impressive in its size and quite renowned. It was constructed in such a way that two people going up on each side of the stairway could see each other but would not meet each other on their way up or down. It is truly unique. From atop the battlements, there is a magnificent view of the estate as far as the eye can see. Chambord is definitely an impressive start to a visit to the Loire castle region.
After the immensity that was Chambord we took ourselves to pay a visit to the pretty little castle of Cheverny. From the beginning, Cheverny has always belonged to the Hurault family who have always rendered service to the kings of France. Cheverny was constructed in the purest Louis XIII style which would explain its delicate and graceful symmetry. Built at the aegis of Count Henri, the castle’s main architect, builder and master mason was Jacques Boyer who also worked on the Castle of Blois and the Luxembourg Palace in Paris. Unfortunately he died before he could see the work completed. Nonetheless the castle retains the gracefulness and beauty of his original designs. What I loved about Cheverny were its beautiful interiors which looked pretty livable, if you could imagine living in a castle, that is. All too often, castle interiors are hard and cold, and seem all around uncomfortable but Cheverny was a different matter. Perhaps because it was a family castle, and not a royal one, it was full of furniture that looked comfortable, if classically lovely, and decorated with family pictures. I definitely could see myself reclining in one of the living room’s sofas reading my book while occasionally glancing outside at the grounds. For Tintin fans, Cheverny is also recognizable as Mounlinsart. Hergé appropriated Cheverny for his own use and it was funny to discover a little Tintin museum within the castle grounds.
With our weekend drawing close, there was only enough time left to visit just one more. And we decided on Chaumont- sur- Loire. It is situated on a promontory of the Loire river. As such, up within the castle walls, you get a good bird’s eye view of the river as it wends its way through the valley. Given its location, it was originally built as a fortress but was twice razed to the ground. There is hardly any trace of its origins and what we see now is its graceful Renaissance façade. In 1560,it became part of the power struggle between Catherine de Medici and her husband’s mistress Diane de Poitiers. Catherine forced Diane to give up Chenonceau for Chaumont who later left for the castle of Anet. Despite the exchange, Chaumont now retains more traces of Catherine’s presence than Diane. Catherine’s room is connected to that of Ruggieri, the Queen’s astrologer and there is a passage way linking the room to the tower observatory. One can well imagine the Queen and her astrologer asking their questions before the starry heavens above the castle.
With our weekend drawing close, there was only enough time left to visit just one more. And we decided on Chaumont- sur- Loire. It is situated on a promontory of the Loire river. As such, up within the castle walls, you get a good bird’s eye view of the river as it wends its way through the valley. Given its location, it was originally built as a fortress but was twice razed to the ground. There is hardly any trace of its origins and what we see now is its graceful Renaissance façade. In 1560,it became part of the power struggle between Catherine de Medici and her husband’s mistress Diane de Poitiers. Catherine forced Diane to give up Chenonceau for Chaumont who later left for the castle of Anet. Despite the exchange, Chaumont now retains more traces of Catherine’s presence than Diane. Catherine’s room is connected to that of Ruggieri, the Queen’s astrologer and there is a passage way linking the room to the tower observatory. One can well imagine the Queen and her astrologer asking their questions before the starry heavens above the castle.
It is certainly during times like this that history comes alive in a way that it doesn't when simply reading about it in musty tomes of history and lore.
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