LIZ SAYS: We spent the weekend Chateau hopping. From Saturday morning to Monday evening we visited, at the rate of 3 a day, Chateaus (otherwise known as Castles) in the Loire Valley.
Thanks to our pals Adrian and Frederic, we were able to discover really charming architectural gems, quiet towns that we'd never heard of, that turned out to be a lot of fun. We had a great time. Frederic is a font of historical information. He could tell us about anyone and everything.
The chateaus were remarkable, but the gardens shone. Amazing configurations of sculptures, flowers, shrubbery, iron and wicker. The kings competed to have the most beautiful chateaus and gardens, and an amazingly beautiful competition it was.
We counted at least 10 peacocks in one garden, they weren't afraid or even annoyed at the visitors. They almost seemed to want to pose for photos.
This chateau is famous for its reflection in the water around it. But, in August, nowadays, the algae gets so thick it spoils the photos. So, this is only a portion of the chateau.
The Chenonceau is built over the river so when you are inside the view is up and down the river. You can rent boats and take a ride around, but once again, the algae was a bit unappealing. The idea of trying to fight the green stuff put us off trying to row.
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