Chateau-a-go-go 13/8

On thursday LC and I went to see some of the Chateau of the Loire Valley. We had already checked out the one in Blois, so we caught the bus over to Chambord. The day before we had this romantic plan to get up early and hire bikes to ride to the chateau (and maybe some wineries). when we got up in the morning it was overcast, with threateningly dark clouds and that chilly feeling you get when its just about to rain. We aborted the bikes idea, there is nothing worse than a 30km bike ride through the rain. As it turned out, the clouds had disappeared by midday when we got to the chateau and it was another breathtakingly perfect day. The same thing happened the next day so it must be some kind of loire morning fog.

Anyway, we got to the Chambord and it was so pretty, I have been before, but it still amazed me with how huge it is. We walked around and looked at all of the rooms "this is where Francis slept" and "this is where Luis XIV added some walls" and "this guy fled during the revolution".

All of the architecture and furniture was very extravagant, my favourite were the Salamanders of Francis 1st, which were supposed to be capable of putting out fire.

 "Further, we are by Pliny told

 This serpent is extremely cold;

 So cold that, put it in the fire,

 ’Twill make the very flames expire"

The other really exciting this were the rooms  full of deers antlers> totally grotesque but somehow engrossing (I am going to do a post about this on Emerald Eyes). It was like walking in to a shrine for some strange deer God. The Chapel at Chambord was interesting too, mostly because it was used to house important paintings from the Louvre during WWII, including the Mona Lisa. Chambord also has an amazing double helix staircase, with a set of two intertwined staircases winding up through the centre of the chateau. I can just imagine the young mademoiselles getting chased down the staircase by dandies who would be on the other set of stairs peeking through the windows and making lewd jokes.