Day 31 – October 9
Remember my scaffolding dilemma? Well, it happened again today – another to cross off the list is the chateau at Chambord! It seems that once the main tourist season is over the scaffolders are really put under the cosh and have to supply scaffolding to every major chateau and public building in the country! Seriously, this seems to be the time when all the renovation work is scheduled for.
Chambord is a very strange place. From a distance the chateau is truly fantastic – the rooftops in particular are very ornate. It is absolutely huge and was built in stages over a number of centuries, being left unoccupied for long periods in between, and this has resulted in a very disjointed end product. The best features are the aforesaid rooftops and a central double spiral staircase inspired, if not designed, by da Vinci. The chateau has no formal gardens like the others we have seen, but stands in a huge wooded park, the walls of the estate covering a staggering 34 kilometres, and this was all hunting grounds in days gone by. Didn’t see anything interesting though!
We have both been a bit tetchy today. We have had such a great time and don’t want this experience to end, but we know it has to. There are obviously things and people we miss very much, but we both feel we could just turn around and do it all again, right now! Which is how it should be.
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