October 13 — chateau country –A room with a view

We drove from the Basque country to chateau country for a brief stay before we venture on to Greece and Turkey.

As a brief preface, let me assure you that we have stayed in all sorts of different kinds of places during our travels. Some have been delightful. Some have been awful. We have stayed in hotels, B&Bs, motels, apartments, resorts and a Bedouin tent. We have truly seen it all–from the chic modern business hotel that opened its doors less than a month before (in Madrid), to a roach infested pit that should have been closed decades ago (the less said the better). So as far as it goes, we are becoming lay experts on travel accommodations, and have learned a little thing or two about the subjects.

With that background, witness the extraordinary view from our lovely apartment in Amboise (which straddles the Loire river a couple hours south of Paris):

I took this picture myself, from the window of our apartment, honest. Note the window frames, which I kept in the picture so nobody would accuse me of stealing pictures off the internet...

Wow. The famous Chateau d’Amboise, where Leonardo da Vinci lived for a time, died, and was (and still is) buried. Looks like a postcard, n’est-ce pas? Note the reflection off the glassy Loire.

This is a lovely place to stay, and I cannot recommend it highly enough to anyone who wishes to enjoy a charming week (or month or two?) in an absolutely gorgeous part of the world. On top of the fantastic two-bedroom apartment with a well-appointed kitchen and ideal location for exploring the chateaux all around, this place comes with the warm and gracious Chantal, our absolutely charming hostess, who greeted us with warmth and humor like we were old friends instead of renters. (Here are some details on the apartment, for those of you who might be inclined to pay Chantal a visit.)

On the river bank outside our front door overlooking the beautiful and photogenic Chateau of Amboise. C'est la vie!

Look how happy we were to arrive in such a welcoming place!