Today the plan was for a leisurely day out with only one 'must-see' which was Chateau Chenonceau - about 45 mins drive away. It was quite fine, a cool 6 degrees, but the countryside was lovely. Interestingly, since we left the Dordognes, whenever we have been lucky enough to have a clear day, it has been very hazy. I asked one of our hosts if it was pollution, but apparently not.
Anyway, we were enjoying the peaceful drive and commenting how little traffic there was, until we arrived and saw the car park! Huge and packed! They must have come from another direction. The castle and grounds were the best I have seen, vast but beautiful. This chateau was once the home of Catherine de Medici, who was a bit of a baddie I think.
Spent a pleasant three hours wandering around and eating lunch, then you know who (!) thought we could cruise by another couple of chateaus - just for fun. One was inaccessible due to road closures for a marathon, but we ended up at Chateau Chambord which was truly ugly. Worth seeing for its 'over the topness' but no architectural merit in my eyes - simply an ostentatious display of wealth.
[Allan: did have a brilliant double-helix stairway though]
By the end of the outing, it was 6.30 pm and I had walked 17,000 steps according to my pedometer. That's about 12 km and worthy of a nice dinner out, I reckon.
We hadn't realised that a lot of the restaurants weren't open because it was Sunday, so we struggled to find something, but what we did find was a rustic looking little bistro. The food was stunning - we have only had one dud meal in France. Even the Pizza Hut we had on Saturday night was better than we expected.
Have been debating whether the exercise and the small to non-existent breakfasts and lunches will offset the three course dinners on the scales. Guess I'll find out when we get home!
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