Highlights, Lovely people and 2 chateaux

I was first up and went to buy croissants. I then realised we had no milk so went further and bought juice, milk and finally strawberries at a market.

Back home we had breakfast and made some phone calls. So it was an hour later that I realised I no longer had my wallet. Somewhere either at the market or in the 5 minutes after, it had gone. We checked the apartment and then Katherine and I walked back to the stall. The man clearly had no idea what I was talking about, but there was a girl who both Katherine and I thought acted very strangely. I strongly suspect it fell from my bag as I sorted out the strawberries and she took it, but we had no proof.

SO….we went to the Information Centre to ask advice. We dealt with a woman who was so nice to me. She clearly wanted to help over and above her job. She ended up ringing the lost property people and giving me a plan of action. 1 Notify the bank (she seemed to want us to go to a French bank but we just notified our NZ banks). 2. Go to the National Police and report it and she gave me a note in French for them to explain. And 3 ring the Lost property people or visit them later in the day.

We headed back, and found the restaurant that was closed yesterday had someone outside, and we could book for tonight. That was at least a ‘positive’. John in the meantime had contacted the credit card company in NZ and got my card blocked. Back at the apartment we contacted Fabienne to see if we could use her phone number in case the police required a French one. She offered to come in and translate for us, which later would have been very useful, but over and above what I felt I could ask of her. We walked to the National Police and filled in a form that also had English on it. That raised our hopes but when I finally did see a policeman his English was as limited as my French. Poor man. We did get a police report done though. After that, we asked Fabienne if she would ring the Lost Property, who are the regional police, which she did, but nothing had been handed in.

We could do nothing else at this stage, so we went to Chambord. We had already decided not to go to the birds of prey and equestrian show, so our later arrival did not have a major effect. We had read the advice to get audio guides to avoid getting lost – we didn’t and we did get lost but it didn’t really matter.

The sight of the chateau as we approached was another out of the picture books. From John’s point of view, it was perfect as we arrived into the parking area, and it was the one closest to the chateau as well. We all needed food, and there was a selection of cafes near the chateau with reasonable prices.

Chambord was first built by King Francois 1. He was the King at the start of the Renaissance and it has that strong influence. It was completed by Louis XIV, but in the spirit of the original design. The Republic acquired it in 1930.

We first visited the outside chapel and then thought we might go around the gardens as it was not too hot. We found the gardens we wanted to visit could only be accessed from the chateau (which made sense as that was where our tickets were checked). We could have walked around the canal but that was a bit far for us today (2.5km from memory). We also had a couple of horses, and a horse and carriage go past, which were promoting the equestrian show.

We went into the ground floor of the chateau and had a very token bag check on the way. The rooms were more furnished than I was expecting. We managed to sort of work out where we were by looking at the photos in the guide and matching them. We walked past the AV room with an historical overview and then looked mainly at the kitchens which were full of copper items that gleamed. They were lovely, but I am pleased I don’t clean them! We also visited the Room of the Illustrious (most of whom I had never heard of), the Room of the Bourbons (I knew more about them) and admired the early heating system. The Hunting Room did seem to smell of meat and we moved through it quickly.

We moved to the first floor by going up the double helix staircase. This was my favourite thing, so more to follow.

There was the Francois 1 suite, the oratory (which was lovely), the Queens Bedroom, the ceremonial bedchambers, the Governor’s room and the guest apartments. The chapel in the chateau itself was closed because of some production. We just wandered and admired as the history was too confusing for us. There were a lot of people wandering with hired Ipads that were telling them a lot more.

The staircase was both fascinating and disorientating. It has 2 separate flights of stairs circling up around a central hollow space. It meant you might think you had exited a floor at a certain point and find it was actually on the other side. We had rather childish fun on the way down. There are a number of holes in the sides where you can see someone on the other flight but never actually meet them. Katherine took one and we the other – and she pulled faces at us at every opening on the way down.

She and I went out to the formal gardens that our entrance also paid for. It gave us the chance to get some more good views of the chateau. There were people in boats in the canal also taking photos but don’t think their photos of the area would have been any better.

We headed back to the apartment where John had a snooze and Katherine and I went to the chateau at Blois itself. Built in the middle of the town that it effectively controlled, the château of Blois comprises several buildings constructed from the 13th to the 17th century around the main courtyard. It has 564 rooms and 75 staircases although only 23 were used frequently. There is a fireplace in each room. There are 100 bedrooms. We were surprised at its size as it was not as obvious from the outside as it is in the middle of the town.

Fabienne had given us a quick overview of it on the first day. She said to note that it has 4 distinct styles as each person who built kept what was left and built in their own style. I was surprised to find that as long ago as 1841 the Château de Blois was classified as a historic monument. It was restored, and the château was turned into a museum. It is now owned by the town of Blois.

Instead, Katherine and I just followed the suggested tour route and looked at things of interest to us. It was an enjoyable visit as we felt we could see all we wanted in an hour without being rushed. If we had known more French history it would have taken longer, we think.

We started in the State room which is part of the original Fortress, used as a courtroom by the Counts of Blois and also for some major Court meetings. A number of the rooms near here housed original sculptures and mouldings from the different wings that have later been restored.

The apartments of various Kings and Catherine de Medici followed. They were not well furnished in the standard style but had lovely (replica) terracotta tiled floors. The oratory had a triptych of Catherine de Medici in mourning. On view for visitors are the supposed poison cabinets of Catherine de Medici. Most likely this room, the "chamber of secrets", had a much more banal purpose: exhibiting precious objects for guests.

One room housed some special looking porcelain and I spotted a person who I thought was there to watch over it, however he was just another visitor.

We finished our visit by going out to the chapel which was consecrated in 1508. Then we walked around the edge of the castle area to see the views of the town.

At 8pm we walked the 1 minute from our apartment to the recommended restaurant. The meal was a huge improvement on the previous day. The owner went through the entrees with us, then handed us an English menu for the mains with a big smile on his face. He had a really nice sense of humour and treated us very well.  His waiter also had very good English. It was one of the nicest meals we have had on the trip.

Just before 10.30pm we went back to the chateau with John for the ‘Son et Luminere’ (sound and light show) that the chateau is well known for. I had read to arrive early, but the people who sold us the tickets said 5 minutes early was enough and they were correct. We all stood in the middle of the courtyard and the lights  and images were projected on all 4 sides, but mainly 3 so we didn’t have to turn right around too often. Katherine and I had audio but John didn’t (his choice) so parts were a mystery to him. The information below is a translation of the website, but does give a coverage of what we saw.

A true festival of special sound effects and monumental projections, "Si Blois was told me" was inaugurated in 2018 and is a show of striking realism. There is 3D modeling of grandiose architecture, spatialised and remixed musical tracks, video mapping: the technologies of this unique scenography allow all the eccentricities ever seen in Blois. A collapsing castle, which trembles in front of Catherine de Medici, a Duc de Guise, more alive than ever: loves, dramas and secrets flutter on the four facades, alternately sublimated or simultaneously revealed in a unique 360° show.

It was heaps of fun, although the part about the Duc de Guise did go on for a bit long for us. It also included Joan of Arc who was blessed in the town before going off to war. John was more than a little confused about the story but could admire the lighting and other special effects. The projecting tower staircase was often showcased in the lighting and looked great.

Back at the apartment we sadly spent time on Skype cancelling my licence, getting a new credit card sorted to be sent to Copenhagen, emailing the insurance company, then ringing Kelly Bowater (our travel agent) to ensure we had covered everything. Skype is so useful as our phones have no extra credit on them for calls out of the UK and Europe. We went to bed at midnight with all the issues related to the wallet loss sorted.