Day 21 - Day trip to Amboise

23.09.2024

Showery rain was forecast again for today, so still no bike riding. Instead we decided to take the train to Amboise to see a couple of chateaux. The trip only took 20 mind. Amboise, like Tours, is on the Loire River and is home to the Château Royal d'Amboise, Château du Clos Lucé (the residence where Leonardo Da Vinci spent the last 3 yrs of his life) and Château Gaillard.

Straight off the train it was time for a pastry, and we just had to have a Religuese au Chocolat for Roddy. They are profiteroles filled with choc custard. We ate it beside the Loire, looking at the Château Royal d'Amboise with Leonardo Da Vinci!

We then crossed the river and toured the Royal Château, I think we spent about 2 hrs in there. Sorry about all the photos, but it was pretty spectacular, and what remains today is a fraction of what has been built over the hundreds of years. It has served as a royal residence for several kings of France including Charles VIII , Louis XII and Francis I. The grounds are beautiful and very well maintained.

The grounds contain the Chapel St Hubert, which is where the remains of Leonardo are buried (it wasn't his original burial site). .

The elevated views were great, especially as the rain clouds blew over.

The showers meant the gargoyles were spilling over!

This is a bit of a snapshot of some of the interiors - which as you can imagine have changed greatly over the past 600+ years.

We walked to see the other 2 chateaux, but didn't pay to go into them, so we only got a snippet of a look.
Leonardo's chateau and his lovely garden wall.

Chateau Gaillard

Amboise also has a 15th century clock tower.

We had a drink and then jumped back onto the train home. We called into the Museum of Fine Arts, in the former archbishop's palace, next door to our house, to check out their garden before going home for a few hours rest prior to dinner. They have a magnificent 200+ year old cedar tree.

Dinner was at Les Canailles and it was delicious. Ade had beef chuck confit with potato espuma and parsley oil (the white dish) and I had hot cow cheese (St Marcellin) with walnuts and maple syrup.