Chateau Amboise

The second chateau we visited was Amboise. It has a nice, dramatic entrance.

Here is the lovely St. Hubert Chapel. I absolutely adore the strangely architectural trees that flank the chapel door. 

This little chapel was packed with detail. 

But the chapel's claim to fame is it now serves as the burial place for Leonardo da Vinci. I had no idea this Italian painter lived and died in France until my chateau tour. Francois the I brought him to France in 1516, he died three years later in 1519. He brought three of his works of art with him from Italy, the Mona Lisa, Saint Anne and the Virgin, and Saint John the Baptist.

Not much remains of this chateau which was the scene of much political power starting from the Celts and Romans.

The chateau sits at a strategic location on the Loire River.

The town built up against the chateau walls.

Sadly, only one building remains of the living quarters.

The interior as it was for Charles the VIII. Here is the state room of the royal apartments.

I was surprised at how well the fireplace was heating one side of hall. The basket holding the wood was so large...not something a person could pick up and carry when full of wood. I would love to have that basket of wood by my Alaska fireplace.

What is left of this chateau has been restored...you can see the pieces of new stone added to the facade with the old. 

Inside a few rooms are set up with furniture. Here a bedroom in Renaissance decor. 

Another Renaissance motif, the cupbearer's room. This chateau had much more intimate spaces than the hunting lodge at Chambord.

Dramatic chinaware.

Royalty lived at the chateau throughout the centuries. Here is a room more in the style of Louis Philippe, France's king 1830 to 1848.

We had such dramatic clouds for our visit. Here is a sprawling Lebanese Cedar

At one time this chateau boasted a garden of Italian design at the direction of Catherine de Medicis.

This chateau is available for weddings and honeymoons.

Chateau de Chambord

Chateau de Chambord 

Just supposed to be a hunting lodge for Francois the I. He began the construction process in 1515 with the main center keep and royal wing completed by the time of his death in 1547.  In this photo there is an outer wall which came later. But the two main tourets are the back side of the main section of the chateau and you can just see the royal wing chimneys on the far right side of the photo.

Aside from the chateau's formidable size is the convergence of an Italian Renaissance stye that Francois introduced...perhaps influenced by his conquest of the Italian province of Milan. It is believed Leonardo da Vinci, who moved to France in 1516 at the French king's request, had a hand in the design of the chateau. 

I cannot even begin to explain the incredible double staircase in the center of the keep.  I will quote the tourist brochure. "The staircase comprises two concentric spiral flights of stairs that wind independently around a hallow column, so if two people each take one flight they can see each other through the openings in the central column but will never meet." 

Sounds like the setting for a Shakespearean tragedy.

The second floor ceiling hallways are carved with a combination of Francois' monogram and his emblem, the chameleon which is a mythical animal able to live in fire.

The king's household, to include all his furnishing and decorations such as tapestries, traveled with him. When he left the chateau so did all of the interior pieces.

This is one of two "simple" staircases with outside access.

It was wonderful to get on the terraces for spectacular views. The chateau sits on 5440 hectares or 13,442 acres. It's the largest enclosed park in Europe and is roughly the size of Inner Paris. I think by Inner Paris they mean the 20 sections that make up the "escargot" layout of Paris...huge area!

In one of my readings it said the roofline was inspired by the city of Constaninople. I can definitely see  that vision.

But all of it was truly constructed to serve primary as a hunting lodge. Makes me feel better about my husband calling our house in Alaska a "cabin." Compared to this we might call our house a shed!

There was one huge wood stove with decorative tiles on the exterior. It was sitting in one of the many monstrous fireplaces. This type of fireplace is commonly found in Eastern France...but a bit smaller for the average home use.

There were several fires going in many of the fireplaces the day we were visiting but it really didn't seem to help. And the fireplaces were so large they were burning sections of whole tree trunks. All those big rooms and wonderfully large staircases were really best for warmer climates...like Italy...where the design inspiration came from. Sometimes you don't get it right the first time! Good thing Francios the I had other chateaux.

Louis the XIV and Louis the V spent some time here and partitioned off the large rooms to make smaller rooms, with smaller fireplaces, that were a bit easier to heat. I grabbed this photo from Wikipedia. I yawned through this part...once you have been to Versailles...well...this part is not so impressive.

The chateau had a fabulous gift shop. I bought this wonderful book.

Great sketches of this chateau with little descriptions and interesting facts.

And I got hubby's father's day present...good thing he rarely reads my blog. Pillow covers...they will look great at our hunting "cabin" in Alaska.

After all this wondrous effort, Francois the I, only spent a total of 72 days here, though he ruled for 32 years. He must have been too busy working to enjoy his little vacation home.

A few more facts...the brochure says there are 77 staircases, 282 fireplaces and 426 rooms. It is so amazingly light and airy inside. There are two guest cabins on the grounds available for rental. Sorry...no rooms available for your stay in the chateau.

Lifestyles

Perhaps you remember a show from many years ago called "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous?" I did a two day tour of four French chateaus in the Loire valley so I saw the equivalent for the  Renaissance era.  I am going to do a separate posting for each chateau so stay tuned...up first will be a little hunting lodge.

My internet has been slow lately so it might take me a few days to get it done...but I am working on it!

International Quilt Trip

I'm sew excited...I am going to the AQS Quilt Week in Paducah with my friends from France...which I have dubbed the French Contingent of Quilters (FCQ).  They have been planning this trip for some time and initially I thought I needed to stay in France until the end of April...but really...I don't need to stay. (It's amazing what a little sulking around the apartment did to spur my husband's initiative to send me on a trip...because as far as he knows...it was all his idea!)

We all meet in Atlanta where we will converge on our international hostess, my best friend, Sandy. It is a tight schedule of shopping, shopping....and more shopping. I absolutely cannot wait to go! I hope I also run into some of my U.S. quilting friends while I'm in Kentucky. The show is April 22-25.

Sew...in the meantime...I've started my shopping list.

I haven't sewn much in the last two days but here is where I ended up in my scrappy block project.

I have kept working away on my evening project, the princess stocking.

There are new stocking designs being released....this is why I never stop making these kits...sew adorable. I love the new line of Nordic designs...just look at this one!!!

Love it!

Back to "working" on my shopping list.

A Pretty Day in Paris

Yesterday was spectacular. I couldn't cram enough into the day. There is something about brilliant sunlight that acts like an energy booster. I tried to spend as much of the day outside as possible.

I was waiting for the traffic light to change on my morning fitness walk when it dawned on me how pretty my view was at that moment.  This is one of four massive statue structures on the four corners of the Pont Alexandre III bridge which crosses the Seine. Construction of the bridge began in 1896 and ended in 1900. The bridge was constructed with the intent to strengthen France's ties with Russia which is why the French built a bridge in Paris honoring the Russian Tsar, Alexander the III.

A great view of Musée d'Orsay. The structure started out as a train station.

Then I had to wander to the Luxembourg Palace which always has beautiful flowers. 

These large flower beds flank the palace. The borders on the beds are the tiniest strips of boxwood shrubbery. I don't think I can replicate that in Alaska. I could smell the grape-like scent of the hyacinth bulbs...love the combination of the two purple tones.

Always... a doorway feature that catches my eyes...

Beautiful entry doors to apartments.

Since the weather forecast is so crummy for the rest of the week, I started a simple project I picked up in Atlanta. I bought a set of 48, 10-inch batik squares that were meant to be cut up for a stack-n-wackish look. I went with a very regimented two-inch strip cut as I went counter clock-wise around each block.

Here are my first eight blocks. The pattern I bought calls for setting them on point alternated with a navy mottled batik. I might have something in my stash in Alaska but it gives me something to do without resorting to a UFO!

Inside Activities

It has been "inside" weather lately...chilly, cloudy and windy.

 I finished up a cross stitch ornament, " Von Klaus."

He was the last one in this set of Antique Santas.

The Princess stocking is getting to the fun part...her dress. I love her tiara.

I had one of those pesky birthdays so treated myself to a little online quilt store shopping. I had it all sent to Alaska for my arrival in May. I'm getting anxious to get home. I found a cute dark pink batik with Eiffel towers...definitely got some of that!

I've also been going through a quilt design workbook with EQ7. I'm learning some pretty nifty stuff. Yesterday I learned how to add appliqués to a quilt design. This could be a whole new avenue for me to travel...appliqué.

Musée de Cluny

Spring disappeared yesterday but I had already planned an outing to the medieval museum, Musée de Cluny. I'm glad I finally made it there. 

It was right in the Latin Quarter area of Paris but this big structure seems almost hidden away.  Here is the very unassuming entrance.

The museum is known best for its collection of tapestries, specifically a series of six that feature a lady with a unicorn. The tapestry photos are from Wikipedia. They are much  better than my attempts to get a photo in these dimly lit rooms.

There are five on one side of the room displaying five senses: taste, smell, sound, touch and site.

The sixth one is a bit more obscure in its meaning but one popular thought is it represents the moral and spiritual heart. All the tapestries have been dated between 1480 and 1508. 

I thought they were all beautiful...the next best thing to having beautiful quilts to hang on your chateau walls. Many of the rooms throughout the museum were painted in this brick red color...an excellent choice for displaying other tapestries and medieval artifacts.

The Cluny is a small, intimate museum that sometimes feels like you are walking through someone's home. I sometimes wondered if I was going the right way with a few little twisting hallways. There were two display areas with stained glass windows where they were at eye level and back lit so you could really see the details in the work. It was unique to see the windows at eye level instead of craning back your neck in a cathedral setting.

I wanted to visit the cathedral Sainte Chapelle but the line to enter was long and my coat wasn't warm enough to wait so it will be an outing for another day. The stained glass windows are supposed to be stunning. Maybe I need to pick a sunny day for that visit?