Chenonceau

On July 12th we made our way over to Chateau de Chenonceau which is a bit south of Amboise in the Loire Valley.  For reference sake, this is one of the three must see chateaus in the Loire Valley.  It was designed by women and reflects that in that the rooms are spacious, the kitchen is awesome and the layout is unbelievable.  The chateau is built on the river Cher, where the unique beauty of its architecture reflects in the water, the Château de Chenonceau is the Val de Loire’s finial.  An interesting point is that the River Cher was the line of demarcation between free France and occupied France in World War II.  The French resistance (all 4 of them) would go in the north door of the chateau, thru the chateau and out the south door into free France.  Quite the Hogan's Hero's operation.  

Château des Dames as recorded in the French history books, Chenonceau owes a large part of its charm to women: it was built in 1513 by Katherine Briçonnet, then made even more attractive by Diane de Poitiers and Catherine de Médicis, and saved from the rigours of the French Revolution by Mrs Dupin.

The lovely surroundings, the formal garden and the park surrounding it add to the impression of delicate grace emanating from the castle.

We had a great time and ended up having lunch at the L'Orangerie on the grounds and then touring the vegetable and flower garden with a final stop at the Garden Maze.  Maddux quickly conquered the maze.

From a "must see" or not point of view I would say maybe.  The chateau grounds are unbelievable but the structure is not much more than a stretched out Preston Hollow McMansion.

The Walk into the Chateau

London hitting the puddles with her boots

In the Main Passageway between North and South

How Cool...a Chateau straddling a River

Note the size of the doors.  Little people during the years gone by

The Maze successfully conquered

Which way do I go???