After a trip to Europe, it’s time to post again. While Minnesotans sweltered in the September heat that followed a cool August, the French and the Italians bundled up to face an early autumn after a hot summer. It was hard to pack for a trip in either direction.
I’ll write more about the trip after I catch up with the photo-a-day thing. Here’s a pic from each day of Week #36 of 2017.
(9/3/17) I think our little back yard looks pretty good the day before we leave for 3 weeks.
(9/4/17) 4:30 PM – We taxi onto the runway and take off toward the approaching storm. It was a bouncy and discomforting way to start the trip.
(9/5/17) Bonjour, Pareee! After landing at 7:30 AM, we dropped our bags at the hotel and set off to stumble around and see a few things. In 2015, the city decided to remove all the “love locks” from the Pont des Arts Bridge. Since then, “lovers” (such as those in the middle of an argument in this picture) have found a new home for their romantic trinkets nearby. It’s probably just a matter of time before these locks are also scrapped. I think it’s interesting, but doesn’t strike me as a particularly attractive assemblage. ( I think that might be a French word.)
(9/6/17) Speaking of lovers, these two lovebirds jump in the air in an attempt to take flight in front of the Notre Dame Cathedral. A photographer snaps away in an obvious attempt to get a good photo for their engagement announcement (I hope).
(9/7/17) After a couple of nights in the big city, we pick up a rental car and head south to the Loire Valley for a little Chateau-hoppin’. First stop is Chateau de Chambord, probably the largest and most elaborate of all. Lunch was bread, cheese, and an apple on the bench.
(9/8/17) We visited two Chateaux today. The first was Château d’Amboise (home several Kings of France) situated on a cliff above the city of Amboise, and the second was the Château of Clos Lucé, also in Amboise. This photo at Clos Lucé was shot through an old glass window which warps the light, resulting in an impressionist-like image of the gardens. Clos Lucé is where Leonardo da Vinci spent the last three years of his life. He was persuaded to move here by his friend, King François I, whose city (and this house) made a better place for Leonardo to work than in Italy during it’s turmoil at the time.
- (9/9/17) One more chateau visit today, before heading farther south. This is Chateau de Chenonceau, which is really beautiful because it spans the River Cher. It is nicknamed “The Ladies Castle”, because it was “built in 1513 by Katherine Briçonnet, decorated by Diane de Poitiers, extended by Catherine de Médicis and saved by Louise Dupin during the French Revolution.” (quote is from a blog post about the top ten Chateaux in the Loire Valley)
Trying to pay attention 