Chateau de Chenonceau 05/13/2024

So many Chateaux and so little time. Our journey has taken us into the Loire Valley. Amanda and Harry found us a beautiful apartment in Amboise, adjacent to the Chateau Royal d'Amboise, overlooking the Loire River. This region is home to more than a thousand castles and palaces of all shapes and sizes. Having a "valley address" became a must-have among the 16th century royalty. These palaces were not normally their principal residences, they were used as hunting lodges, weekend retreats, and retirement homes. The chateau we visited today was Chenonceau. This chateau is located on the Cher River.It is known as le "Chateaux des Dames". (the Ladies Castle). While the history of Chenonceau spans the late 1300's to present day, there is a great deal of interest in the 15th century. King Francis I lived in the Royal Castle in Paris with his wife, Catherine. King Francis used Chenonceau as a home for his "favorite", Diane de Poitiers and other favorites. This arrangement was not looked on favorably by Catherine. When Francis passed away in 1559, the first thing Catherine did was to evict Diane, and then she moved into Chenonceau.

There was a medieval fortress built on this location during the Hundred Years War (1337 - 1453). It was destroyed in 1412. In 1432 royal permission was granted to build a new castle at this location. Through the years it changed hands many times and the original structure under went many renovations to what we see today, It was used a a military hospital in World War I and during World War II it was situated on the demarcation line between occupied and free France.

In closing out this post, I wish to point out the prices for food are less here than in the United States. You can order an appetizer, a main course and a dessert for about the same price as a main course at home.

Today, Chenonceau is the most visited private chateau in France.