Castles Part 1: Blois

Sorry it's taken me so long to get this entry up. There were some space issues with photo storage but they seem to be resolved now. Stay tuned the next few days for more entries!

We left on Monday October 29th for our holiday in the north of France. We decided to take the journey in steps since we've never gone so far in the car with Aimy before. Since Tours is about halfway between home and our friends in the north, we decided we would stop there, and use it as an excuse to go visit some castles. Carlos and I had already visited some of the Loire Valley castles two years ago (Chenonceaux, Chambord, Amboise and Villandry) so this time we decided to see some of the ones we hadn't visited before.

We drove from mid-morning to mid-afternoon on Monday and spent the night in a hotel, and on Tuesday morning we headed out to see some castles!

Our first stop was the château royal de Blois, which is located in the city of Blois. The first fortress constructed there was built in the 9th century, but none of it remains. The oldest part of the castle is from the 13th century and contains one of the oldest seignoral rooms in France.

First glimpse of the castle. The 13th century part is on the left with the slanting roof.

La salle des Etats. Gorgeous.

Big fireplace!

The castle is made up of three wings: the first, in brick and in the Classical style, the Louis XII-era wing; the second; a 16th century Renaissance wing with a spiral staircase built by François I; and a final 17th century gothic-style wing that was never finished. When you stand in the central courtyard, it almost feels like three castles in one.

The Louis XII wing, built between 1498 and 1501

The Francois I wing, built between 1515 and 1520. The Middle Ages castle with the audience chamber can be seen on the right here and on the left above. 

The Classical wing, built between 1635 and 1638. Never finished.

Inside, the king's and queen's apartments are stunning. I was especially impressed by the woodwork, as seen on the ceilings and in the royal office. We were also able to visit the room where Catherine de Medicis died in 1589.

Henri IV and me. He was born in Pau, near where Carlos grew up.

So many patterns!

Where Catherine de Medicis died. Amazing ceiling.

Man in tights. Can't escape them.

Fireplace in the Francois I wing of the castle. The salamander was his royal animal.

Aimy was very well-behaved in the castle and didn't complain once, not even when she was hungry. This castle had great facilities - storage lockers and a baby change room - thanks to it being a state-owned castle. Not all private ones are like this.

Hanging out in the carrier with Daddy.

Next entry: Cheverny.