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Day 8: March 30, 2024
A super early start this morning, as we headed south, into the Loire region, to visit one of the most visited castles in France, in Chernonceau, second only to the one we have already visited, in Versailles. What a stunning, ‘fairytale’ castle which has an ‘a-maze-ing’(!) labyrinth that we had great fun following! We were really lucky to have sunshine here, too, which made walking in the beautifully-kept flower gardens even more inviting! Inside the castle itself, we saw many of Louis XIV’s possessions, and how he lived. There were giant wall tapestries, and all sorts of artwork, as well as intricate stonemasonry. The view from an upstairs balcony was amazing, with the swollen river coursing past, and through the arch of the bridge that you could no longer make out, such was the force of the water! There were exquisitely delicate, oversized flower, chicken and egg floral displays in many rooms of the Château, as it’s Easter weekend. What a stunning place to visit!
We then visited the grounds of a second castle, in Azay-le-Rideau, admiring the abundant tulip flower beds, and a wealth of other things, emerging in the spring weather. Both castles were truly the stuff of fairytales!
Finally, we made our way to our final destination for today which would see us both fed and in bed, as it is a really cosy hotel/restaurant, with a games cupboard and a social area where we could hang out after a dinner of ‘haché parmentier’ (a bit like cottage pie), and a very tasty chocolate slice! Now, off to bed, before we head back to Paris, for the final whole day of our trip! Bonne nuit!