Tag Archives: Château Royal de Blois

Water, Water Everywhere….The Loire River, France

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….thanks Jez for hosting Water, Water Everywhere….https://jezbraithwaite.blog/2022/05/09/canal-reflections-water-water-everywhere-125/

“The longest river in France is the Loire. It is 634 miles (1,020 kilometers) long. The Loire Valley is a popular tourist area known for its châteaus (French for “castles”). The scenic valley is sometimes called the Garden of France.

The Loire River begins about 4,500 feet (1,370 meters) above sea level in the Cévennes mountain range of southern France. It is fed by melting snow from mountain peaks. The Loire flows north through central France before swinging in a great curve past the city of Orléans and turning westward. It empties into the Atlantic Ocean near the city of Nantes.” Sourced from kids.britannica.com

We saw the Loire in Tours and then again on our castle visits in Amboise and Blois.

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In Tours, France

On our visit to the Royal Chateau Amboise, we saw the river from the top of the castle, overlooking the Loire Valley.

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View from the top of the castle

On our last castle tour in Blois we saw the Loire River again from the lookout on the castle grounds and then again at street level.

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Castles in France – Part 3

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….a visit to Blois to see Chateau Royal de Blois

The interesting part of this castle is that it has four wings from four different eras and in four different styles, arranged around the same courtyard.

From the Outside

On the right side is the original medieval château built by the Counts of Blois beginning in the 9th century

Inside the Courtyard

This is the Louis XII wing built the Flamboyant Gothic style between 1498 and 1508
The Francois 1 wing was built in 1515 to 1519 inspired by the Italian Renaissance
The Gaston of Orléans wing was constructed between 1635 and 1638. This wing was one of the first masterpieces of Classic French architecture

Inside the Château

Decorations over one of the two fireplaces in the King’s room
A throne with a fleur-de-lis canopy is where audiences were ranted by the king
The music room
The Queen’s Chamber dedicated to Queen Catherine de Medici, wife of King Henri II
The Oratory, a private space for prayer
The Estates General Room built in 1214 and used as a courtroom
One of many fireplaces found in almost every room
The vestibule of Gaston of Orléans giant construction project which was brought to a sudden stop

The wing remained an empty shell covered by an impressive oval dome…..the wing now houses temporary exhibition rooms

In the next post I will share the gardens and the views from the château.