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Awoke from a dream around 5:30 just long enough to hear the train whistle blow as we paused at Milano Centrale for passengers to disembark. Alseep by the time train pulled out again. A couple of hours later, a light (very very light) breakfast arrived courtesy of the coachman. Arrived in Venice a short while later at the Santa Lucia station. Bought 3-day vaparetto passes. Discovered that the Grand Canal vaparetto routes were not running this morning. No explanation at the time, but learned later that a colorful regatta was being run today–large and small rowing craft crowded the Grand Canal. (These regatta seem to be good luck…we happened upon one last year as well.) Took a packed #51 vaparetto counterclockwise from the train station. Spotted not one, but SIX cruise ships berthed alongside the northwest tip of Venice…note to avoid San Marco during the day! Disembarked at the Zattere stop in the Dosudoro section and checked into our hotel: the Ca’ Pisani…a fun, hip “high design” hotel with a rooftop terrace that feels like it is sitting on top of the city. Had a much needed lunch in Campo S. Stefano. Walked our butts off criss-crossing the city. Stopped for gelato at our favorite gelateria in Campo S. Margherita. More walking. Bright sun and the need for a restroom brought us back to the hotel for a shower and some relaxing on the terrace. Watched a cruise ship drift by taller than the city itself…taking people away hopefully 🙂 Venturing out for dinner after 7pm revealed a much quieter city. Ate at a pizzaria that we found last visit: Rosa Rossa. Caprese. Two pizzas. Chianti. And an amazing tirimisu for dessert. Took the long way home after dinner. Wandering lost among the canals at night is a favorite activity. Took a nighttime ride up the peaceful Grand Canal on the #1 vaparetto. Really need to sleep well tonight.

Awoke to an honest-to-goodness sunny day. Checked out, packed the Citroen, and headed out of Amboise. Drove down the Loire River to the first of two chateaux–Villandry. The Renaissance-style chateau was built around 1535. The true highlights of this stop are the stunning terraced gardens, including a tranquil water garden with large pools and fountains, ornamental knot gardens of boxwood borders with flowering interiors, and the expansive ‘kitchen garden’ that uses flowers and herbs and vegetables to create colorful, intricate patterns. There are two plantings and harvests each year…so the colors change with the seasons. Leaving Villandry was hard. Next stop was sleepy Langeais. In spite of all the trappings of a fun stop, this one just disappointed. Just tired perhaps and ready for the train ride to Paris and our connection to Venice. Took one last leisurely drive down the Loire. Grabbed a quick bite to eat. Topped off the gas tank (a winding adventure on its own). Reuturned the car in St. Pierre-des-Corps and boarded the TGV for Paris. Voit 13, Place 62/63. Arrived in Paris at Gare Montparnasse. Took our old friend the Metro #6 line to Gare de Bercy, our departure train station for Venice. (There are seven train stations in Paris, which can be a bit confusing.) boarded the Artesia de Nuit overnight train to Venice. Treated ouselves to a private sleeping coach. Coach 92, compartment 21/25. Sat reading and writing in peace and quiet with the sun setting and the French countryside out the window. Saw broad rivers and quiet riverside towns; trainyards and factories and trees catching the setting sun; weekend campers with their campfires; small private vegetable gardens and expansive tree-boardered fields; distant churches on hilltops: the huge orange sun on the horizon; sheep. At 9:45, the coachman came and turned down our beds. Two bunks in a private room…this is sweet. The sun set shortly after 10 signaling the time to head for the dining car. Dinner was served near the town of Dijon. Pasta with tomato and basil…pork cutlets with baby potatoes…some sort of tort…fresh fruit…and chianti (of course). Finishing this entry as the sway of the train lulls us to sleep.

After an early breakfast of croissants and jus d’orange, hopped in our tiny Citröen Picasso for a day visiting chateaux along the Loire and Cher rivers. First stop was the Chateau de Chenonceau, which shines brilliantly in the early morning light. This chateau actually straddles the Cher River and has beautiful formal gardens. Left Chenonceau and took a winding 30-minute drive through the Loire countryside skirting Blois. Arrived at the Chateau de Chambord, an enormous 426-room “hunting lodge” built for Francois I. Ate croque monsieurs and frites before hitting the road for Chateau de Cheverny with its well furnished rooms and manicured lawns. Visited with the 70+ hunting dogs at Cheverny and then drove along the Loire River to our final destination…Chaumont-sur-Loire, built in the 15th and 16th centuries. This chateau is perched high above its town, and has classic pointed towers and a working draw bridge. This chateau also has an amazing stable built in the 19th century. The horses were better housed than most people at that time. Headed back to Amboise with tired feet for a relaxing dinner of pastas, Chinon wine, cappucinos, and crepes. Four chateaux in one day is fun, but exhausting!

Checked out of the hotel in Paris and waved ‘au revoir’ to Chris, who heads to Zurich, Switzerland and then into Italy to meet his friend Sherrie. (Chris and Sherrie are scheduled for a reunion with us in Venice). Metro line 6 to the Montparnasse train station. Slight confusion as the ticket agent tried to send us to Toulouse in southwestern France instead of Tours in the Val de Loire (!!!). Confusion resolved, but leaving barely 5 minutes to locate the correct train. Departed Paris aboard the high-speed TGV bound for Tours. Voite 13, Place 33/36…first class…the only way to travel and for just a six euro supplement to our Eurail Pass. Arrived in Tours, picked up a rental car from Avis (luckily a stones throw from the station), and scooted quickly out of town. Short scenic drive up the Loire River to Amboise with its imposing Chateau sitting above the town. Checked into our beautiful hotel: Le Manoir Les Minimes (big kudos to Jeff for this gem). The hotel is an 18th century manor house. Wide open windows with views of the Chateau and the river. Walked into town for a late lunch at the Bigot Patisserie. Had scrumtuous Feuilletes Jambon Gruyere, which are warm, flakey pastries filled with ham and gruyere cheese. Climbed up to the Chateau Royal d’Amboise, which dates back to the mid-15th and 16th century. The ramparts and towers offer sweeping views of the town below and the Loire Valley. Within thecomplex, the tiny, magnificent St. Hubert Chapel is built in the “Flamboyant Gothic” style…read lots of carved stone tracery. The entire castle was ‘restored’ by Louis Phillipe…the last Bourbon king…in the mid 19th century. Took a long afternoon walk through the town, including a hidden church–Eglise Saint Denis–dating to the early 12th century. Walked along the Loire and crossed the river to walk along the grassy bank finding a quirky statue looking like Leonardo de Vinci…naked. Definitely bug season on the river banks…the swallows are in heaven. Dinner a short walk away beneath the walls of the Chateau. L’Amboiserie, where crepes are the house specialty–both the main course and for dessert. A local wine (a red from Chinon) with dinner. Jeff’s crepe with chocolate, whipped cream, and mint ice cream was amazing. Topped off dinner with capaccinos to die for. Ended the evening relaxing with the sound of a gurgling fountain in the courtyard.

In spite of the periodic rain showers, today was the day to travel to Versailles. Taking the regional train (the RER) wasn’t as simple as it should be. After a couple of false starts, we arrived in Versailles and headed for the enormous Chateau. We headed straight for the State Appartments seeing half of the newly restored Galerie de Glase (Hall of Mirrors). The rooms and grounds were equally impressive. In addition to the main Chateau, walked through the Grand Trianon, the Petit Trianon, and the Hameau de la Reine. Rain showers drove us undercover a few times, and we finally gave up and took the park tram back to the Chateau. The temperature was bitterly cold for late May. Yahoo weather predicted sun and 70 degrees…how more off could they be 24 hours previous? It centainly didn’t get out of the mid-50s. A late train back to Paris on the RER to St. Michael (Notre Dame). Walked thru Isle de la Cite to the Marais for one last dinner with wine (nice pinot noir from l’Alsace). After dinner drinks topped off our last evening in Paris.

[Note: Technology Update. These blog updates are written on my Treo phone and then emailed to my Blogger account for automatic posting. I can review (but not change) the postings via the Treo’s web browser.

For my relentless photography, I am trying (and trusting) Apple, and their simple iPod connector for cameras. This tiny device automatically transfers all photos from my camera card onto the iPod, where I can view and store them. Then I can clear and re-use the camera card. Apple swears that the files are a straight transfer and are not altered. I did a test at home and it seems to be true. So far I have transferred about 600 photos from this trip!]