Boulangerie Marlau

Just down the street from our hotel was a boulangerie with amazing pastries.

Boulangerie Marlau is located at 10 Avenue du Jean Laigret.

Kouingn Amann--€1.40. Perfectly caramelized exterior and soft interior and oh so inexpensive.

Pain aux Raisins--€1.40

Pain au Chocolat--€1.15

2017 06 02

Les Banquettes Rouges

Just a short 8-minute walk from our hotel was Les Banquettes Rouges. It's rated #11 on TripAdvisor. They offer a 2-course menu for €28.50, a 3-course for €33.50 and 4-course for €36. At lunch, they have a menu for €17.50.

Les Banquettes Rouges is located at 16 Rue des 3 Marchands. We asked our hotel to make reservations for us. Otherwise, show up when they open at 7 pm.

Olives and sunflower & pumpkin seeds were brought to the table when we sat down.

Amuse Bouche of Shellfish Soup--so flavorful and delicious.

Starter of House Brioche with Goat Cheese & Chive Sour Cream.

Another starter option--Terrine of Pan-Fried Duck Foie Gras, Marbled with Honey and Spiced Bread and Granny Smith--this was an additional €3.50.

Main course of Crispy King Prawns with Avocado and Blood Orange Vinaigrette.

Pan Fried Veal Liver Escalope with Morello Cherries in Bigarade-style Bitter Orange Gravy.

Cheese course of Camembert, Muenster and 2 Goats.

There were 6 dessert options. I chose Moist Chocolate Sponge Cake with Amarena Cherries, Condensed Milk Ice Cream.

2017 06 01

Hotel Louie de Savoie

In Blois, we stayed at the Hotel Louie de Savoie.

It's located at 6-8 Rue Ducoux, a 2-minute walk from the train station. If you drive, you'll find paid parking on the streets.

It's not fancy and the rooms are small but it's clean.

2017 06 01

Bloise

Bloise makes another good base to explore the chateaux. It has easy train connections to Paris and to Amboise.

Blois has its own chateau that sits in the middle of town. The Chateau Royal is above the TI. It's a short walk from the train station and if you come by car, there is plenty of underground parking.

The historic center of Blois was bombed during WWII but they did a good job of rebuilding. There are many pedestrian streets.

Eglise Saint Nicolas is a 10 minute walk from the chateau. It dates from the 1100s. Pop inside to see the blend of Gothic and Romanesque style.

Walk through the historic center to reach the St. Louis Cathedral on the northern edge of town. It was established in 1697.

Escalier Denis Papin. This is a beautiful set of stairs near the Cathedral. They were painted blue when we were there and gave a nice optical illusion of water.

2017 06 02

Biking to Chambord

Early the next morning, we left Amboise and drove 40 minutes to Blois. In Blois, we rented bicycles--€16 for the day. Our plan was to bike to Chambord, 20 km away. We figured it would take an hour each way.

We found the bike path along the river.

Great view of Blois' Cathedral.

Then, we wound our way inland. I must admit the paths were not well marked and despite Google Maps Offline, we did get lost a few times.

We found smaller chateaus along the way--this was Chateau de Grotteaux

and beautiful fields dotted with poppies.

We arrived in Chambord 2 hours later, just in time for lunch. There is a cafeteria, a small gift shop selling baguettes and pates and even covered picnic tables. We ordered a Croque Monsieur--€4.60 and got a jar of pate de canard au ceps (duck pate with mushrooms)--€5.45 and a baguette. Next time, we'll bring our own picnic lunch. We shared a picnic table with a French family. The son lives in Berkeley 1/2 the year and in the Loire the other half. What a great life!

There are also sit-down restaurants on site. 

Chambord is a huge chateau with 440 rooms. It was begun in 1519 by Francois I. Rick Steves calls it the "granddaddy of the Loire chateaux." Admission is €13.

The double-helix staircase (inspired by Leonardo da Vinci) dominates the interior of the chateaux. I remember visiting when I was in college and I took a picture at the same spot I took back then.

The ground level has reception rooms. It's a self-guided tour and it's not directional. You can wander wherever, which also makes it difficult to follow. Alternatively, take an English guided 1-hour for €5 or use a HistoPad for 1 1/2 hours of commentary for €6.50.

The first floor houses the royal apartments. 

There is a chapel across from Francois I's apartment. It's stark and not impressive. The Mona Lisa was temporarily stored here during WWII.

You can see the royal monograms on the columns marking the stages of construction--"F" and the Salamander for Francois I, "H" and crescent moon of Henry II, "L" and sunburst of Louis XIV.

Chambre de la Reine (Queen's chamber) belonging to Maria Theresa of Spain, the first queen of Louis XIV.

Chambre de Francois I

The Throne Room

Wander outside when you reach the top level.

You'll get a wonderful view of the grounds. Beyond the formal gardens, Chambord is surrounded by Europe's largest enclosed forest park, a game preserve defined by a 20-mile long wall. You can see how Chambord began as a hunting lodge.

If you have a bicycle, you can explore the grounds more easily.

2017 06 01

Chez Bruno

Dinner was at Chez Bruno, located at 40 Place Michel Debre. We had a pleasant table outside. They didn't have menus--everything was a la carte.

We had a nice bottle of Touraine-Amboise--€23.

Terrine Maison (pork & chicken liver)--€7.50

Yummy, garlicky escargots--€7.50

Magret de Canard with Figs--€17.

Plat du Jour--Veal with Mushroom Sauce--€19. The sauce was delicious.

2017 05 31

Le Clos Luce

I learned on this trip that Leonardo da Vinci lived in Amboise. He was brought here by France's Renaissance King, Francois I, in 1516.

Le Clos Luce (House of Light) is Leonardo da Vinci's last residence. He died here in 1519.

Admission to the home & grounds is €15.50 during high season (3/1-11/15) and €13.50 the rest of the year. Plan on spending 2-4 hours here.

It's a large home and supposedly there is an underground tunnel connecting the home with the castle so the king could go back and forth without anyone knowing.

The home is furnished but they're not original.

It's a self-guided tour.

You'll find displays of his work stations

and even a 3D hologram animation.

Exit the house through the garden and enter the next building. Here, you'll find models of his inventions.

Don't touch the models.

The grounds are expansive and filled with life-sized models of his inventions.

The models are kid (and adult)-friendly and you can play with them.

Operate the swing bridge.

There are also displays of some of Leonardo's famous paintings.

2017 05 31