Too old for a drone at Chenonceau

We awoke to another nice day and had a great breakfast at the hotel in Bourges.

Coffee at the Hotel d'Angleterre

After breakfast Marco, Giuliana and I walked over to the cathedral, which was built in the Middle Ages. The Cathedral of St. Etienne is a great example of Gothic architecture, with its flying buttresses, stained glass, and mammoth size. Though there had been a Christian church on this site since the third century, the current cathedral was started in 1195, and completed 55 years later. The design was inspired by Paris' Notre-Dame Cathedral.

The Cathedral of St. Etienne in Bourges

A reminder of the wages of sin, on the outside of the cathedral

The front of the cathedral. Some of the statues have lost their heads and others are completely gone.

We could have spent much more time at the cathedral. The view from the tower is supposed to be terrific, and there's an astronomical clock, made in 1424, still working, in the nave.

We left town about 11:30, headed to Chateau Chenonceau. We were still in the countryside, and it was lush and colorful.

A field of mustard, or maybe canola

Chenonceau is one of the most photographed chateaus in the Loire. It was built in the 16th century, during the Renaissance. Its colorful history includes King Henry II, who gave the chateau to his mistress Diane de Poitiers in 1547. When he died in a jousting match, his wife Catherine de' Medici kicked Diane out and moved in. 

The beautiful tree-lined drive heading toward the chateau

There's a little security hut before you walk down the drive, attended by two guards, and a garden gate to pass through. At the gate, one of the guards looked in my purse and asked me if I had a blah-blah-blah. I said, what? He repeated. A blah-blah-blah. I repeated, what? He finally showed me a picture on the security poster. A drone! I laughed, pointed at myself, and said, trop vieux! Too old! I'm too old to have a drone in my purse! I decided maybe I should get one to keep in my purse for the future. I don't really want to be too old to have a drone.

Me and Marchesa crossing the bridge to the chateau. The tower behind us predates the chateau.

A famous view of the chateau. The kitchens are in the arches.

The chateau is enormous, and quite a lot to see. There were huge portraits of notable people all through the main rooms and bed chambers. We didn't recognize them, but maybe students of French history would!

Flowers being arranged to decorate the chateau

Flowers everywhere!

At least we recognized this painting. I don't remember when it was done, but the boat indicates it's a few centuries old.

We had lunch at the cafeteria at the chateau, and sat outside in the sunshine to eat.

One of the gardens at Chenonceau

Another view of the gardens

After spending some hours touring the chateau and the beautiful gardens, we were on the road again. This time we were headed to our B&B in Ligre, which is not far from Chinon. We arrived at La Closerie Saint Martin about 5:45.

The entrance to La Closerie doesn't hint at the charming courtyard inside

A pigeon enjoying the statue and roses in the courtyard

Ricardo and I stayed in this B&B six years ago, and enjoyed the house, the proprietors, and the food. We thought this group would enjoy it too.

Drinks were served before dinner, deep in a cave under the house. 

Going down the candlelit path to the underground cave.

You'd think it would just be down a few steps, like a cellar, but it's actually down a rather long path under the house. We heard from our host, Marcel, later, that there are lots of caves in the area, and they weren't dug just to store wine, although that turned out to be a great use for them. Initially, that's where the stone came from to build the houses and shops in the area. 

It was chilly down in the cave, but such a fun atmosphere for our before-dinner drinks.

A fun place for our first glass of local wine

There was an old well in the cave, and when dinner was ready the little water cups on a chain going into the well started moving. That was the signal for us to come up to the courtyard.

It was a lovely evening, so we were able to eat outside

Dinner was quiche with white asparagus and salad, then spaetzle with beef stew, a cheese course and chocolate mousse, all served with nice Chinon wines. Our hosts, Marcel and Katharina Hirt, are from Switzerland, and have a wide repertoire of dinner ideas, both French and Swiss. They serve dinner at the B&B on select evenings. It's not to be missed, and they're happy to work with your preferences for the food. We enjoyed spaetzle on our last visit, and requested it again this time.

Our first course was quiche with asparagus and salad.

We'd had a long day, and all fell into our beds after the great dinner. The quiet of the countryside lulled us to sleep.