Château Chambord

The Loire river is a freak of geology. It starts in the mountains fairly close to the
Mediterranean and then dog-legs back for 600 miles over most of France to drain into the Atlantic. The stretch from the city of Orléans to the city of Tours is the most notable part of the Loire valley. This section, just southwest of Paris, is home to the "châteaux of the Loire".

"Château" is translated by my dictionary to mean "castle" in English. In fact, though, it seems like any castle, palace, or big house can be called a château. In the Loire valley, they are thick as lice on a hobo. Evidently, this was the ultimate posh suburb back in the 1600s for those with title and riches. Like the real estate guys say...location, location, location.

From Orleans, we drove to see the château at Chambord. This one rates high on the tourist list because a.) it is the largest of the Loire's châteaux and b.) Leonardo Da Vinci was the first architect. It also served as a quaint little country getaway for Louis XIV. (Which, of course, made it a mandatory visit for our Louis XIV tour of France.)

Chambord also gave its name to a liqueur.

Enough of writing. Here are some more pictures.