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Loire Valley - 5 Great Venues East of Tours


Article by: Walt Ballenberger

The Loire Valley goto, 2002 News Releases , Greek travel travelling in Athens Greece free travel tips, electric outlets in rooms and apartments of France is famous for its many romantic chateaux and its wines. Here are five excellent venues to be found east of the city view, Cancun Vacations: Isla Mujeres "Island Of Women" , Greek travel travelling in Athens Greece free travel tips, electric outlets in rooms and apartments of Tours. goto, Stag Weekends in Cardiff - Powerturn Buggies , Hawaii's Top Ten Sun-In-The-Fun Beaches They are in relatively close proximity and can be visited in a quick two days or a leisurely three by car. You may also consider, Educational Travel Planning , Disney World Is More Than Theme Parks One can visit also related, The Price Wise Cruiser , Bunbury Western Australia - A Holiday Destination For All these sites in the order listed going in a generally easterly direction. These are all top-notch attractions, view, Cancun Vacations: Isla Mujeres "Island Of Women" , The COSTA Las Vegas Manhattan - Does Not COST A Lot and a visit also related, Travel Europe by Rail and Europe Becomes Your Undiscovered Oyster , Alabama Beaches to the Loire Valley view, Vacations - Nova Scotia , Strange Aircraft Charter Terms- Air Charter Glossary Help for first time Jet Travelers is not complete without seeing them all. Each of these chateaux have regularly scheduled guided tours. Try also, Eastern Russia - Vladivostok, Khabarovsk and Magadan , Mountain biking in Bali's Mount Batur

Amboise
The impressive chateau which overlooks the Loire river Try also, Holiday Travel, What You Must Know - It's Never Too Early , What You Need to Know About Paris Travel from the top of a cliff was a royal residence in the 15th and 16th centuries. Famous French kings and royalty were raised here, including Francois I, who later as king invited Leonardo da Vinci to live in Amboise. Leonardo spent the last few years of his life living and working close by at Clos Luce. He is buried in the small chapel of Saint-Hubert, just outside the chateau walls. At Clos Luce an interesting museum has been built. Using plans drawn by Leonardo da Vinci, a number of his machines and inventions have been constructed in modern times and are displayed. They attest to the genius of this man who was hundreds of years ahead of his time. In the 17th and 18th century the chateau fell upon hard times and was a prison at one point. Numerous restoration projects took place Try also, How To Live Well With Relatively Little Money , 2002 News Releases over time, and these continue today under the direction of a foundation managed by descendants of the former king Louis-Philippe, who also spent time in Amboise during his reign.

Chenonceau
Perhaps the most famous of the Loire chateaux, Chenonceau spans the Cher river. check out, The Price Wise Cruiser , Caribbean Travel - Choosing the Perfect Vacation Spot It is an amazing sensation to be touring the chateau and see the rushing waters Try also, How To Live Well With Relatively Little Money , Costa Rica - Your Place in the Sun of the river See, Vacations - Nova Scotia , Fantastic Theme Park Packages For All The Family From Superbreak pass underneath. The grounds boast two magnificent gardens, You may also consider, Spanish Investigators Have Discovered Atlantis's Archaeol , The Hidden History of Stafford County, Virginia each one built by a famous lady in French history. One was Diane de Poitiers who was a mistress of king Henri II and was given the chateau by her admirer. The king's wife, Catherine de Medici, was not happy about this and took back the chateau after Henri II died accidentally in a tournament. Not to be outdone, Catherine had the de Medici gardens Try also, Surf spots guide , Cardiff-Capital of Wales Travel Guide constructed, and these were of course larger than the garden check out, Make Prince Edward Island Your Next Vacation Halt! , Aliso Viejo: The Caffeine Capitol of Orange County of Diane de Poitiers. The property has a winery as well, and one can do some wine tasting as part of a visit. See, What will I do when I grow up - says the 45 year old woman! , Strange Aircraft Charter Terms- Air Charter Glossary Help for first time Jet Travelers

Chateau de Chaumont
This was Catherine de Medici's residence during the time that Diane de Poitiers lived at Chenonceau. After Catherine used her power to claim Chenonceau upon the death of her husband, Henri II, Diane de Poitiers did live at Chaumont for a brief period. This chateau is smaller than some of the other famous Loire chateaux, but its architectural design makes it look as if it emetged from a fairy tale. This chateau is now the property of the French government.

Chateau de Cheverny
A personal favorite of this author, the Chateau de Cheverny is unique in many ways. It is newer than some of the other famous properties, having been built in the early 17th century. Amazingly, the same family that built the chateau lives in it today. One sees many beautiful pieces of furniture, tapestries, and works of art in the magnificent rooms on the chateau tour. check out, Travel Europe by Rail and Europe Becomes Your Undiscovered Oyster , Bunbury Western Australia - A Holiday Destination For All The property, unlike many others in the region, was not ransacked during the French revolution. According to our tour guide You may also consider, Hawaii's Top Ten Sun-In-The-Fun Beaches , Caribbean Travel - Choosing the Perfect Vacation Spot there, the nearby townspeople actually helped to protect the building from destruction since the family was always kind to the local also related, Spanish Investigators Have Discovered Atlantis's Archaeol , The COSTA Las Vegas Manhattan - Does Not COST A Lot inhabitants. Of course visitors view, Ten Essential Tips For Bali Vacation , The COSTA Las Vegas Manhattan - Does Not COST A Lot are not allowed into the residential section of the chateau, but the grounds can be visited as well. There one will find the kennel which houses about 90 hunting dogs, and they are taken out on hunts twice per week in order to keep up the old deer hunting tradition in the region.

Chateau de Chinon
The Chateau de Chinon is the largest of the chateaux in the Loire region, and it contains more than 400 rooms. In contrast to the warmth of Cheverny, however, there is little furniture and most of the rooms are empty, as the building was ransacked during the French revolution. One does get a sense of the opulence that was here, however, since both king Louis XIII and his son, king Louis IV (the "Sun King") stayed here on many occasions. Prior to that the chateau was the residence of Charles VII, the dauphin of France in the early 15th century. The legendary Joan of Arc came here to pledge her allegiance to him and urged him to declare himself king and fight to liberate France from the English. Try also, Aliso Viejo: The Caffeine Capitol of Orange County , Group travel benefits In recent years Chinon has become well known for its cabernet franc based wines and there are numerous opportunities nearby to sample some of these wines.

The Chateaux of the Loire are among the most popular destinations See, Grand Canyon National Park , Amsterdam And Its Museums in France. Don't miss any of these great venues if you go there. If you have additional time to spend in the area, Try also, Go Discount Shopping Before You Pack , What You Need to Know About Paris Travel there are other smaller and less famous chateaux nearby which can be visited, and these are impressive as well.

Walt Ballenberger is founder of Beaux Voyages, which provides active tours view, Hawaii's Top Ten Sun-In-The-Fun Beaches , Group travel benefits in France including Tour also related, How To Live Well With Relatively Little Money , Alabama Beaches de France bike tours. check out, Aliso Viejo: The Caffeine Capitol of Orange County , Vacations - France, Annecy He has lived and worked in France and speaks the language See, 2002 News Releases , Tips on Finding Paris Accommodations fluently.




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