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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!]

An early morning return to the top of the Arc de Triomphe revealed the mottled sun and fantastic grey and white clouds that would accent scenes throughout the day. After breakfast, caught the Metro down to the Isle de la Cite, the island where Paris began. Toured La Chapelle–a church built in the 12th century. La Chapelle is renowned for its stained glass, which wraps around the church as one nearly seamless window. Afterwards, walked down into a museum that gives you a peek at the early Roman foundations of Paris. Then it was on to the main event on the island: Notre Dame. The cathedral is truly magnificent both inside and out, with medieval eye candy in every direction. Lunched across the street from the cathedral having a yummy croque monsieur and nutella crepe. Afterwards, walked along the Seine to the Musee d’Orsay–a “modern” art museum (by European standards) in a grand old train station. Saw some amazing Art Nouveau decorative arts, impressionistic painting, and a lot of sculpture. Picked a couple great books…one on the building of the Paris Metro. After closing the museum, headed back down the Seine to Notre Dame for some early evening photos. Went around back and saw the Holocaust monument at the eastern end of the island. Walked over to the ajoining island, Isle St. Louis, for a short stroll thru the picturesque streets. As the daylight waned, headed for the Eiffel Tower. Waited out some rain showers on the way and then joined the throngs for this must-see check-list icon. The views from the middle and top levels got better and better as the sunlight faded and the city lights came on. The view was only marred by the bone-chilling winds. Ended the day with a post-midnight dinner at Hippopotomas, near the hotel on the corner of Rue de Wagram and Rue de Faubourg de St. Honore.

A mix of sun and fluffy clouds today with periods of gray and light rain. Perfect day to tackle the Louvre. Wound around and around and up and down through the massive collection of sculptures and paintings and other objects du art. Yes…saw the Mona Lisa among other art icons. Morning and afternoon in the museum were separated by a light lunch. Walked a short while along the Seine before returning to the hotel to rest tired feet. Dinner in La Marais (charming a second time).