Day 10: L E O N A R D O

Happy 38th Anniversary, Tony & Ann!

We are met with another BEAUTIFUL day. Sun sun and more sun. We have not had any rain so far...Though it is a constant threat in the news....Or so I think they say. Who knows.

We are now in Tours a lovely village that is clearly one of the larger centres along the Loire. We have a great buffet but very French breakfast with croissant, fresh bread and amazing cheeses!

Fortified, we head back to Amboise so we can visit the famous, Clos-Luce, where Leonard lived his final years. What a treat! First the day is just fabulous and second, the house is like a smaller chateau with amazing grounds. They've turned the grounds into a park where you can walk and enjoy the trees and paths AND Leonardo's inventions which have been made in "real" scale! First we go through the house. It is interesting to read the famous Master's quotes but it's all in French...a struggle for some of us! Downstairs are scale models of his inventions.

We then go out to the gift store and discover beautiful roses outside and a video about Leonardo inside. Finally, we walk through the park and enjoy the "life-size" models of his inventions. There are also large panels of his art work in the park hanging from trees. Beautiful.

We decided to lunch near the entrance of the chateau which we saw yesterday. It's really getting hot now! After lunch, there is ice-cream...there is always ice cream...and a walk around the area, which are FILLED with tourists shops. After spending quite a bit of time in Amboise, we move on.

Next stop is Azay le Rideau. As lovely as it is, with its really rich interior, it cannot compare to the other chateaux we have visited. By the time we leave, it's 4.30 PM.

We decided to make one more stop...at Chinon. This is famous for its connection to Joan of Arc. It's more ruins than a chateau but its historical reference is quite interesting. By the end of the visit, we are all very tired from another BIG walking day.

Driving back to Tours, we are getting hungry! After some debate, we end up going into Tours to a little restaurant. We have to wait for our table so we managed to also find an Internet Cafe! Back to civilization! After hammering away for a few minutes we rushed back to the restaurant finding the rest of the group just sitting down. Perfect!

Dinner was fabulous and as you can imagine, we slept VERY well.

We are moving ever closer to our big target: Mont St Michel!