Chenonceau

Friday morning we ventured to the Chateau of Chenonceau. To get to the castle it is necessary to walk along a beautiful path with trees on each side of it. We got there right around 10 so we were on the leading edge of people entering the castle. It looked like it might rain, so we decided to look at the gardens first. This castle has an interesting history as it is the place where Henry II let his mistress live for many years. Diane de Poitiers was the ruler of the house until Henry II died and the ownership went back to Henry II's wife Catherine de Medici. Ah, the intertwined lives that were lived back in the day. Both women had their own gardens at the house, or at least there were two gardens named after the women. The castle also has a farm and a vegetable garden along with extensive flower gardens. One of the best parts about this castle is that in each room there were fresh flower displays. They flowers smelled good and made the rooms brighter. Another tid-bit about the castle is that during WWII each bank of the river that the castle spans was on a different side of the German occupation. One bank was free and the other occupied by the Germans, so they used the bridge in the castle to transport people into freedom.
The castle only took a few hours to go through, and we got to see the kitchens of the castle which were huge and consisted of many rooms such as the butcher area, the dining quarters for the servants, and then the areas where the boats delivered supplies under the castle. I absolutely loved Chenonceau and definitely think you should visit it if you travel to France. It is in the Loire Valley which is full of castles. I am going to try and return to the Loire Valley to see the many other castles that the region of the country has to offer. Word on the street is that the other castles are amazing as well.