Chateau Chambord

On Sunday, I went to visit a real country chateau with my host family. I don't know if you ever watched documentaries on the Chateaux of the Loire Valley (what do you mean I'm the only one? It's a perfectly normal choice of TV programing!), but this Chateau, Chateau Chambord, is one of the many palaces that were build as displays of wealth and power along the Loire River in the Renaissance. The idea behind it's construction was along the lines of: "I am Francois I, and because I am the King of France, this is my humble hunting lodge ( so take that, Charles V!)"

  



 Of course, the picture doesn't even beging to show the vast grounds surrounding the chateau itself. I could have spent all day exploring the inside and the parks surrounding, but since it was an hour-long drive to and from, we left after only a few hours of admiring the rooms. It was such a pleasure to go an outing with my host family like this- especially considering that seeing a palace like this for them is a lot like Californians being kind enoungh to revisiting the Golden Gate bridge. Sure it's iconic, but it's also right next door.

So that was my weekend... I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did, and for your patience with this history nerd, I'll give you a few more photos from Sunday:

With Laurie on the ride there:

The bed I want to have, but can't, since really only Louis XIV can pull something like this off:

And nearly as spectacular and bizarre was this woman's coat. In the context of the 16th century chapelle we were in, it made for a strange meating past and future:



And that makes for the end of my series on Chateaux visits! (Though hopefully not the end of my visits altogether.) I hope in my next post to talk more about my school day, and the differences in the education systems, but if there's anything you'd like you to hear more about, feel free to facebook or email me since I'd love to hear from you too!