Say "Blwaaahhh"

Today's trip was to the small town of Blois (see title for pronunciation, no kidding!), which is located roughly 100 miles from Paris. There are no high speed trains to this small town; I had to take a slower local one that took about an hour and a half. Blois is situated as one of the gateways into the Loire Valley region, which is filled with many beautiful châteaus. My aim was to go see Chambord, one of the largest châteaus in the area.

Unfortunately though, my plan for the day didn't really come off correctly. I couldn't find the bus from Blois to Chambord, and by the time I walked over to the Office of Tourism, it had started to rain. My feet were chilly and wet, and there was conveniently another smaller chateau nearby. So here's a picture of what I was going to see:

Chambord

Instead, I visited the Château de Blois, which has a very long history of its own. The one-time abode of several French kings, the château is separated into several distinct buildings that span several architecture styles. While not as gaudy and huge as Chambord, Blois had a charm of its own.

Dramatic open spiral staircase, part of the
Francois I wing in the Renaissance style

The Gaston d'Orleans wing, in the French
Classical style

Chapel in the Louis XII wing, in the
Flamboyant style

All of these buildings are connected to the same courtyard, so it was like seeing a property that had self-identification issues. There was also a wing that featured predominately Medieval structures, so it was most interesting to wander around and get a very different feeling from each part of the château.

The State Room, from the Medieval Wing

My favorite room ended up being the Queen's Gallery; while it is completely not my personal style, I thought that it was completely over-the-top and fun.

Different patterns! Everywhereeee!!

I always thought that gargoyles were supposed to look menacing while perched on a building. These definitely were not.

He's saying "Blwaaaaaah"

"It's a TOUCHDOWN!!!"

"Whoa, duuuuuuuuude."

I don't think cello lessons are going well for this little stained-glass cherub. Maybe he wants to learn the harp instead?

"This is NOT going well."

There was impressive furniture everywhere; I always wonder how many man hours are needed to create these things back then.

A harpsichord

Fancy dresser... walnut, I think

It was fun to take my time and see this château. Best of all, I was able to take an earlier train back to Paris! Frankly, this week has left me really tired... definitely going to sleep in tomorrow!