Le Jardin de France

Today we left our city center hotel in a drizzle to dauble in royal living. Our first stop was the chateau of Chenonceau, the ladies castle, that sits astride the Cher river. The 16th century builder desroyed the castle-keep and the fortified mill on this land, keeping only the donjon, the Marques tower, which he renovated in Renaissance style. The entrance is built on the piers of the former mill, and moats more decorative than functional trace the original medieval pattern.







The chapel has new (1954) stained glass to replace the originals that were destroyed by bombing in 1944. There are still visible several graffitti carved by the Scottish guards of Mary Stuart, one from 1543, another 1546. The chapel was saved from destruction during the Revolution by the wily owner, Madame Dupin, who piled it high with stored wood, discouraging the revolutionaries looking to forever destroy the power of the church.


Almost as lovely as the wood furniture, the woven tapestries, and the stone carving of this castle are the flower arrangements, sized to fit the monumental architecture. The fireplaces taller than our heads remind us of the terrible cold that must have only been tempered slightly by the tapestries and the fire.

Henri II gave Chenonceau to Diane de Poitiers, his mistress, but after his untimely death, his widow Catherine de Medicis sent Diane packing to Chaumont-sur-Loire and kept Chenonceau for herself, from whence she ruled France as regent. On the bridge of Diane, Catherine built a gallery, used as a magnificent ballroom, except during World War I when it served as a hospital, and World War II when it became a route from occupied to free France, divided by the Cher.

The kitchens are in the lowest level, in the piers sitting on the riverbed. The pantry, the butchery, the larder, the bread oven, the copper pans and hanging herbs make the role of scullery maid pretty attractive.









Five queens ruled from this chateau, Catherine de Medicis, her daughters Queen Margot (wife of Henry IV) and Elisabeth of France (wife of Philip II of Spain), and her daughters-in-law Mary Stuart (wife of François II), Elisabeth of Austria (Charles IX), Louise of Lorraine (Henry III).
Women looking for role models in the halls of power can find them at every turn; it is perhaps the reporting of the historical events that leaves them out rather than the actual events themselves.

From the tree lined avenue and the thousands of yews in a replica maze, we wend our way back to the coach for the jaunt up the river to the city of Amboise. We stop at the home of Leonardo da Vinci, who came in 1516 at the request of Francois I for the last years of his life. The home was built in 1471 on 200 year old foundations. This had been a royal residence, home to a number of royals, including the author and lady of letters, Marguirite de Navarre.


A poster of Chenonceau in winter put a poem in me. I wish I knew how to make a link so you could choose to go it; I don't know how, so I'll just stick it in.

Chenonceau sous la neige

Mes rêves d'amour ont pris de vie
Le long du Cher fluant
Pour moi le chemin des bois
le verger, sauge, et le thym,
la salle des herbes sechantes
jamais la voie des fleurs sculptés

Mon coeur il est au jardinier
qui m'aime et aime ses roses
nous tenant tendrement
cueillies au choucher du soleil.

for Christy 15 June 2008

Chenonceau in Snow

My dreams of love sprang into life
along the flowing Cher
For me, the woodland path,
the orchard, thyme, and sage,
the workroom, drying herbs
instead of paths through sculpted blooms.


My heart's in the care of gardener
who loves me and his roses
gathering us with tender hands
plucked blooming in the setting sun.

Our minds have moved gradually into a different sort of setting, but the reality of touring the home and garden of Leonardo da Vinci still boggles the mind. His genius took so many diverse directions, from study of anatomy to conception of the helicopter, from war machines to the most tender art. His writing is posted in quotes around the house, highlighting yet another of his gifts.

We descend the quarter mile to the chateau at Amboise, which Da Vinci avoided by means of a tunnel, and stop in the square for a leisurely lunch followed by a stroll through the castle and grounds. I learned to my surprise that Tours and Touraine get their name from the Turones tribe of Celtes, living here in 503 when Clovis, King of the Franks, met Alaric, King of the Wisigoths here. This was the castle of Charles VIII and his wife Anne of Brittany, who joined her independent Duchy to France (turning down a proposal from the Holy Roman Emperor Maximillian). Anne was obliged to marry the cousin of Charles, Louis XII, becoming the only woman to be married to two kings of France. It was only on her death and the rule of her son that Brittany agreed to union with France. Her husband's death at 28 of injuries sustained by whacking his head on the door frame on his way to a tennis match made me look at the low doorways with new respect. On the roof, I discovered this Fiddler....

We left Amboise to visit the Plou et Fils winery, where the son of a family who has owned this business for 500 years guided us through the caves and taught us the fine points of wine tasting. We examined legs and smelled, swished, sipped, and spit in a time honored ritual that is taken so seriously in this culture.




























Our final adventure of the day put us in the drivers' seat in a delightful reversal. We donned chef's hats and chopped veggies, sautéd, stirred, strained, and skewered under the supervision of the professors and one student from the cooking school. Our delicious three course meal featured shrimp vegetable soup, Guinea game hen and vegetables, and a pineapple French toast flambé. We will look at each meal with new eyes!