Today was a long one, because I had a 6:30 flight from Palma to Paris, where my cousins were waiting for me. I saw the sunrise on the flight to Paris, and that was the last sun I saw in the morning … It rained hard when we landed. We picked up the rental car and headed for the Loire valley, towards Amboise, in the rain (and it was pretty cool after he was in Mallorca!).
Along the way we saw that Chambord was not far from the road and visited that beautiful castle with its double staircase, remarkable gardens, and walked many of the rooms of the castle inside and to the balconies overlooking the gardens and fields in the distance. It is the largest castle in the Loire valley. The castle is great when they approach it … seems like something from a movie.
The idea of Chambord was that of King Francois I of France. It was not designed to be a permanent stay, but rather a hunting lodge. The king was proud to show to sovereigns and ambassadors as a symbol of his power engraved in stone. The plan of the castle and its decors stems from a central axis, the renowned double helix staircase, inspired by Leonardo da Vinci, a rising spiral that leads to an abundance of chimneys and sculpted capitals on the terraces. The castle was not ready at the death of Francois 1, but was completed by Louis XIV.
There are initials F for Francois I and Salamanders, his emblem on doors and ceilings in the castle. Below are some rooms in the castle (and an interesting rain pit).
The double helix central staircase is great below. Just like the gardens.
The castle is surrounded by a park of 13,000 hectares and is now owned by the French government, although it was abandoned for several time over the centuries after it was first thought.
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