Post by mez on May 14, 2011 16:25:02 GMT -5
Well, here I am about to spend my second night in France already!
I took the Eurostar from London (8am departure - what was I thinking??) and arrived in Paris quick smart. I was one of the last off the train which is fine by me as I am sure I reached my destination well before they did. I was headed to the car rental agencies on the level below. ;D
After hiring a car in the UK and relying on maps and my iPhone, I realised it's not the best way to travel because I was regularly occupied in looking at my phone. so before leaving London I upgraded my car here to ensure it would have a GPS system.
Not only does the car have a built-in GPS, it is brand spanking new! There were only 8kms on it when I drove out of the garage. While I love the car - gadgets galore including heated seats - I was even more nervous given it's a new car.
The first hurdle is driving it out of the blasted parking garage. Not only am I now driving on the other side of the road, I am sitting on the other side and driving a car that's bigger than mine at home.
The car also has sensors that beep when you get too close to something. Unfortunately, there are times when that's the only option - like the garage. I actually got out to see how close I was - lol.
So I finally make it out of the garage only to be confronted by Parisian streets. Dear God! Lanes seem to appear and disappear. The road markings in places are faint, if they exist at all, the road signs do not correspond to what the GPS lady is telling me and I am dealing with other drivers who drive wherever they can find a space!
So after taking the scenic route around Paris I am finally on the peripherique - a road sign I was more than happy to see.
Loire Valley, here I come! The drive is good. A smooth ride, a new car, open roads and not a lot of traffic. I've not driven in France before so was somewhat surprised that I had to pay a road toll. It wasn't cheap at €18.30. I also discovered that these machines do not like foreign cards. Both my cards were not accepted so I had to use my stash of cash.
And here's something I will do often - I can't judge the distance to the machines well, so I typically end up too far away to reach out and grab a ticket. I end up having to open the door and step out of the car so I grab the ticket. The drivers behind me must be constantly cursing.
I was planning to head to Chambord but I was really tired. If any of you read my London trip report on TA you will know that I rarely stopped. So, instead, I decided to head straight to the hotel. I am staying at the Chateau des Arpentis (http://www.chateaudesarpentis.com) which is not too far out of Amboise.
The entire place is lovely. A wonderful mixture of the modern and traditional. I was disappointed to realise I forgot my swimming costume at home, so no swimming for me. I spent the rest of the day just relaxing.
For dinner I headed into Amboise and was surprised at how dead it was. There were few people about anywhere.
I found a couple of restaurants that had customers in them so ate at one of those. My choices were Italian and something else. I didn't know what the something else was because I didn't cross the street to see. What I did see was that the tables and chairs were all sloping due to the hill they were on. Knowing my luck, I would be seated at a wonky table and all my dishes would fall off! I chose the Italian. The food was so-so but the coffee and wine were great. ;D I love those pichets of wine. I feel like I am indulging but within a limit.
A short drive home saw me in bed and fast asleep in minutes.
***
I wake up this morning feeling somewhat rested but knowing I could have slept longer. I get ready and head down to breakfast where I am greeted with some wonderful coffee, fresh OJ, plain yoghurt and some rolls and pastries.
I was excited about the yoghurt. I know many of you have a fondness for the fruit varieties but I don't like them. I like the plain yoghurt only. And the ones normally sold in Europe are not as tart as those sold at home, so getting to eat this in the morning was a great way to start the day.
As I was walking to breakfast I realised that I was already running late. I forgot to change my phone clock last night and so was still on London time - oops! So much for getting to the chateaus early!
For the most part it was a cloudy and grey day today. This may have kept the crowds away because it was not really busy at all. When I get the opportunity to post some photos, you will see there are few people in them at all.
First stop was Chambord. Before you get to the ticket booth, you have shops along one side and toilets on the other. 40euro cents to use them. This put a smile on my face as I was back in a country of pay toilets.
Chambord is the chateau with the double helix staircase. It's really interesting to see and was a source of amusement for many. The interior spaces are cavernous. Such amazingly big rooms that all I could think of was how did people stay warm?
There are several furnished rooms but many aren't. I knew this from my earlier reading so I was not surprised. The exterior is marvellous. You could sit there for ages trying to take it all in.
Alas, who has ages to do this? I saw what I wanted to see and stopped off for some lunch before heading to Cheverny.
Now this chateau is furnished. The difference between the exterior and interior is like night and day. The outside is attractive in as understated way as a massive chateau can be but the interior has plenty of unique features - tapestries, furniture, wallpaper.
If you are familiar with the Tintin comics, the Moulinsart Castle is base on Cheverny and they have an exhibition you can take a look at. It's interesting but given much of it is in French, I would not consider it a must see for non-French speakers.
Cheverny also has a pack of hounds. I heard them barking like crazy as I was making my way to the Tintin exhibition, so I went to take a look. Loads of people were plastered up against the fence to watch their afternoon feeding session.
If you want to check it out, search Youtube for 'cheverny hounds' where you will find several videos. While interesting, I was also somewhat appalled right at the beginning when the dogs were pushing up against the gate trying to get to the food. They were all on top of each other and the ones at the bottom were definitely squashed with nowhere to go.
Another thing I am enjoying is the long days. While I had them in London, I was out at theatre most nights, so rarely got to experience them. Here, I've either been sitting outside or driving slowly along the roads (like tonight) and enjoying the sunshine.
Tomorrow I hope to get an earlier start so I can fit in 2 more chateaus before heading for my overnight stay on Mont St Michel.
I took the Eurostar from London (8am departure - what was I thinking??) and arrived in Paris quick smart. I was one of the last off the train which is fine by me as I am sure I reached my destination well before they did. I was headed to the car rental agencies on the level below. ;D
After hiring a car in the UK and relying on maps and my iPhone, I realised it's not the best way to travel because I was regularly occupied in looking at my phone. so before leaving London I upgraded my car here to ensure it would have a GPS system.
Not only does the car have a built-in GPS, it is brand spanking new! There were only 8kms on it when I drove out of the garage. While I love the car - gadgets galore including heated seats - I was even more nervous given it's a new car.
The first hurdle is driving it out of the blasted parking garage. Not only am I now driving on the other side of the road, I am sitting on the other side and driving a car that's bigger than mine at home.
The car also has sensors that beep when you get too close to something. Unfortunately, there are times when that's the only option - like the garage. I actually got out to see how close I was - lol.
So I finally make it out of the garage only to be confronted by Parisian streets. Dear God! Lanes seem to appear and disappear. The road markings in places are faint, if they exist at all, the road signs do not correspond to what the GPS lady is telling me and I am dealing with other drivers who drive wherever they can find a space!
So after taking the scenic route around Paris I am finally on the peripherique - a road sign I was more than happy to see.
Loire Valley, here I come! The drive is good. A smooth ride, a new car, open roads and not a lot of traffic. I've not driven in France before so was somewhat surprised that I had to pay a road toll. It wasn't cheap at €18.30. I also discovered that these machines do not like foreign cards. Both my cards were not accepted so I had to use my stash of cash.
And here's something I will do often - I can't judge the distance to the machines well, so I typically end up too far away to reach out and grab a ticket. I end up having to open the door and step out of the car so I grab the ticket. The drivers behind me must be constantly cursing.
I was planning to head to Chambord but I was really tired. If any of you read my London trip report on TA you will know that I rarely stopped. So, instead, I decided to head straight to the hotel. I am staying at the Chateau des Arpentis (http://www.chateaudesarpentis.com) which is not too far out of Amboise.
The entire place is lovely. A wonderful mixture of the modern and traditional. I was disappointed to realise I forgot my swimming costume at home, so no swimming for me. I spent the rest of the day just relaxing.
For dinner I headed into Amboise and was surprised at how dead it was. There were few people about anywhere.
I found a couple of restaurants that had customers in them so ate at one of those. My choices were Italian and something else. I didn't know what the something else was because I didn't cross the street to see. What I did see was that the tables and chairs were all sloping due to the hill they were on. Knowing my luck, I would be seated at a wonky table and all my dishes would fall off! I chose the Italian. The food was so-so but the coffee and wine were great. ;D I love those pichets of wine. I feel like I am indulging but within a limit.
A short drive home saw me in bed and fast asleep in minutes.
***
I wake up this morning feeling somewhat rested but knowing I could have slept longer. I get ready and head down to breakfast where I am greeted with some wonderful coffee, fresh OJ, plain yoghurt and some rolls and pastries.
I was excited about the yoghurt. I know many of you have a fondness for the fruit varieties but I don't like them. I like the plain yoghurt only. And the ones normally sold in Europe are not as tart as those sold at home, so getting to eat this in the morning was a great way to start the day.
As I was walking to breakfast I realised that I was already running late. I forgot to change my phone clock last night and so was still on London time - oops! So much for getting to the chateaus early!
For the most part it was a cloudy and grey day today. This may have kept the crowds away because it was not really busy at all. When I get the opportunity to post some photos, you will see there are few people in them at all.
First stop was Chambord. Before you get to the ticket booth, you have shops along one side and toilets on the other. 40euro cents to use them. This put a smile on my face as I was back in a country of pay toilets.
Chambord is the chateau with the double helix staircase. It's really interesting to see and was a source of amusement for many. The interior spaces are cavernous. Such amazingly big rooms that all I could think of was how did people stay warm?
There are several furnished rooms but many aren't. I knew this from my earlier reading so I was not surprised. The exterior is marvellous. You could sit there for ages trying to take it all in.
Alas, who has ages to do this? I saw what I wanted to see and stopped off for some lunch before heading to Cheverny.
Now this chateau is furnished. The difference between the exterior and interior is like night and day. The outside is attractive in as understated way as a massive chateau can be but the interior has plenty of unique features - tapestries, furniture, wallpaper.
If you are familiar with the Tintin comics, the Moulinsart Castle is base on Cheverny and they have an exhibition you can take a look at. It's interesting but given much of it is in French, I would not consider it a must see for non-French speakers.
Cheverny also has a pack of hounds. I heard them barking like crazy as I was making my way to the Tintin exhibition, so I went to take a look. Loads of people were plastered up against the fence to watch their afternoon feeding session.
If you want to check it out, search Youtube for 'cheverny hounds' where you will find several videos. While interesting, I was also somewhat appalled right at the beginning when the dogs were pushing up against the gate trying to get to the food. They were all on top of each other and the ones at the bottom were definitely squashed with nowhere to go.
Another thing I am enjoying is the long days. While I had them in London, I was out at theatre most nights, so rarely got to experience them. Here, I've either been sitting outside or driving slowly along the roads (like tonight) and enjoying the sunshine.
Tomorrow I hope to get an earlier start so I can fit in 2 more chateaus before heading for my overnight stay on Mont St Michel.