Since I last wrote, a lot has happened. I’ve experienced a gay club, visited three châteaux, and explored the city of Tours.
I spent the weekend in Dijon for a bit of a break from traveling, and we decided to try out the nightlife there, thus my experience at a gay club called Wooz. A couple others in our group had been there before, so we decided why not. Pourquoi pas, eh? (another favorite French phrase) It was definitely an experience, and my host siblings found it hilarious that we went there. My host brother’s girlfriend said to me, you knew it was a gay club right? If the rainbow flag was any indication, then yes.
Sunday was a chill day hanging out at my house. I ate lunch (which is the main meal on Sundays) with my host sister and brother, did some homework, and wrote some postcards by the pool while my siblings did some med school homework.
Monday (Sept. 20), we left Dijon for the Loire Valley. We’re staying in Tours, but we stopped at the château Chambord on the way. François I ordered Chambord to be built (hence the numerous F’s and salamanders [his sign] everywhere), and the architect was Leonardo da Vinci, but he didn’t live to see the beginning of construction. Some things were changed, but the famous double helix staircase inside was da Vinci’s design. It was my second time there, and I was impressed again by the grandeur of the place. It’s no Versailles, but it’s still pretty cool.
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| Chambord |
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| Francois I |
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Double-rotation staircase
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| Chambord |
We continued on to Tours, where we checked into our hotel and walked to dinner. Tuesday morning, we had a walking tour of Tours. It’s a beautiful city right on the Loire River, and its history dates back to the Gauls and the Gallo-Roman Empire.
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| Vitrail in the Cathedral Saint Gatien in Tours |
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| Hotel de Ville in Tours |
Tuesday afternoon was totally free, which was awesome. I went back to the hotel after the walking tour for a quick nap and to refresh after walking a lot and taking notes from the guide. I headed out to walk and shop with a few other girls, and after a little while, we found the indoor market where I bought the most delicious apple for a snack. We also went to the riverbank to walk along the water and just hang out. Brittany and I were craving some physical activity, so we ran to the next bridge and back (not really that far). My exercise regimen has basically fallen to pieces in France (not that I really had one before), but I live with a family of runners, so I’m hoping to get into more of a routine when I’m actually in Dijon.
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| Loire River |
We went out to dinner as a group that night, and afterwards, Stephanie and I walked around some more. I was in search of an ice cream cone, but apparently the French don’t believe in glace à porter (ice cream to go) after dark. We did end up Place Plumereau, which was really lively at night, and there were tons of university students since Tours is also a university town. I settled for Oreos from a candy/convenience store, and we walked back to the hotel.
Wednesday, we toured the châteaux de Blois and Chenonceau. Blois is well known for the number of kings that lived there and for its four distinct types of architecture. It started out as a château fort (a medieval castle) then Louis XII added the gothic part, François I added the Renaissance part, and Gaston d’Orléans added the Classic part.
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| Renaissance portion of Blois |
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| View of the Loire from Blois |
After Blois, we stopped in the town of Amboise for lunch. There’s a château in Amboise too, but it’s not as well known and we didn’t have time to walk around there. We spent the afternoon at Chenonceau and were free to look through at our own pace and explore the grounds. I’d been to Chenonceau before and loved it, so I was excited to go back. It’s known as the château des femmes because Henri II gave it to his mistress Diane de Poitiers, and his wife Catherine de Medicis also lived there at one point (not at the same time). I was a little disappointed in this visit just because there were so many people there (including a lot of obnoxious American tourists). The gardens were beautiful though, and we walked through the 16th century farm and flower/vegetable garden and walked through the labyrinth on the grounds. Chenonceau is still one of my favorites because it’s so manageable and seems so much more livable.
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| Chenonceau |
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| View from the Gallery in Chenonceau |
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| Chenonceau |
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| Jardin de Diane de Poitiers at Chenonceau |
After the castle, we headed back to Tours for dinner. We went to a restaurant that specialized in tartines, which is basically a piece of toast with toppings. I had a tartine basquaise that had chorizo and cheese on top, and they gave us a little salad to go with it. For dessert, I had maybe the best apple tart I’ve ever eaten, so all in all it was a great meal. Some of us walked back to Place Plumereau, and the ice cream place was open, so I felt compelled to get an ice cream cone, and I had Nutella ice cream, which isn’t quite as good as actual Nutella but still delicious. There were more people out than last night, and it would’ve been fun to hang out for awhile at a table outside if we didn’t have to get up early for more touring tomorrow.
That being said, I’m going to bed! À demain!
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