Last night after dinner, Tim and I took a short night walk around the Old Town to check out the scene and see if how the place looks under lights. Our ambitions exceeded our energy levels, so it was cut back, trimmed, and we were back home in 40 minutes. Theres a few pictures up but its worth noting that on Wednesday night, the Plaza was buzzing. Tonight is our last in Tours so well join the crowds for a few drinks and a meal. I better get this thing squared away early.
Well, its the last day here, right. So breakfast of things that are never normally mentioned together, let alone eaten together, but we have a fridge to empty. I certainly covered all the food groups and thats enough said about that.
Getting dressed didnt go much better; I put a sock on one foot and a shoe on the other, ready for the day.
The car was only a short walk away, in a free spot Tim found last night. The plan today is to visit two castles, one medieval, and the
other considered to be the ultimate fairy tale castle. Im not pointing out which is which to you. Youll work it out.
Chateau now identified as because I dont want to type the name ever again, was the first, as its a busy tourist spot and we needed to be there early. In France, thats about 10am.
In France 9.30am is the new 7am, Australian time. All the cafe owners are unenthusiasticly dragging out their chairs, kicking tables into the right spot, only stopping to look up the laneways and draw on another cigarette. A guy in full black denim , hunched over looking at the ground, his hands so deep in his front pockets , he could scratch his knee, appears to be looking for a doorway to curl up into. Teenagers, laughing, smoking, and playfully knocking into each other, are either looking for an early opener, or might be headed home so mum can cook them breakfast . Through all this, busy, well groomed old ladies with shopping trolleys and floral scarves, split the pack and walk straight through everyone.
Anyway, back to This 16th century Castle is said to be one of the most beautiful Renaissance architectural marvels along the Loire Valley. Theres plenty of pics so Im not going too much. I just love looking at these extraordinary building feats. Its the how that I dont get. Its built on a natural island, Im not seeing a quarry anywhere nearby, so thats my conundrum; how. I do know the timber beamed roof was milled by hand in one go at a forest approved by the King, but some of this timber must be 600mm x800mm in size. Thats a tree in itself. And they are 11 metres long.
The only other thing I will make you aware of, is that certain exhibition rooms, unknown to the visitors, are fitted with those laser beam security systems. If it is breached, an announcement goes through the castle, identifying the room, and could people not breach the roped areas, by body or some other apparatus. Well, how dare they. It was only the ridiculously long stick that I use with my 360 Camera.
I dont care; its all French to me. Ha. Tim passed on the good news though. Check out the picture over the dining room table. Its unique. Im only doing it for you so support my Go Fund Me bail appeal if I ever get caught .
By the time we had seen everything at and after I snuck out through the back door, it was lunch time. Tim and Sue made the wise choice of Quiche Lorraine, well I stayed with the cheese and jamn baguette. I eyed them jealousy, but I had a trump card up my sleeve, a caramel and pecan tart. I wish someone would stop me.
The last Castle of the day was only 20 min away, and it was the Chateau Langeais, rebuilt in 1465 by Lois XI. The original fortress was built around 1000ad but was raised to the ground in 1428 by Charles VII during the Hundred Years War. I wont go into too much history, because frankly, I really dont know much about it, and Im lifting it from the Web. Unlike others we have visited, it was a fortified castle and overlooks the medieval village of Langeais.
