Marie-Mathilde et Francois

In my last post, I was wrapping up our week with Charles and Babeth. A whole new set of adventures has since occurred, but due to my obsessive-compulsive behavior, I feel the need to be chronological.

Our last full day with Charles and Babeth, Charles took Sam and I out to the ocean where we got to see Fort Bloqué.

Then we went to a perfect storybook town called Pont Aven, a small village where Gaughin the artist lived and drew a lot of inspiration from. I wanted to hang out more in Pont Aven; we stayed at a biscuiterie for a bit and tried some delicious cookies and they had some pretty postcards that I wanted to purchase. 

But we had to go see Concarneau; Concarneau had a village within a city. The village is walled up and in the center of the bay (harbor?) and older than the rest of the city.

We walked along the walls and had un cafe in one of the shops. Everything was closing up though, so we didn't dilly-dally in the shopping/tourism area.

That evening, Charles and Babeth took us to a Creperié that was amazing. I don't even remember what I ate, but there was some cider of Bretagne (Brittany) that we tried and it was the best cider I have ever had. IN MY LIFE.

The next day was a travel day.

Marie-Mathilde and Francois picked us up from the train station and immediately took us to see a chateau. It was the city of Amboise and the Chateau Amboise. It was, as far as I could remember, the first castle I've really seen and walked about in. The grounds were expansive, but I was disappointed at the at the amount of interior that was blocked off. Later I found out that more than two-thirds of the chateau was actually missing. While I think of it, the part that we DID see was already large on its own, so it must have been quite an impressive thing in its day.

Leonardo da Vinci was everywhere. I saw his grave and a large bust in the oudoor court of the Amboise castle. I found out that he helped create the chateau—was one of the main architects—and he also resided in Amboise. I wanted to see his house, but it was closing for the day. I was able to run around in his front yard for a short period and knock on his very large front doors, however, which I found quite thrilling. I wonder if this is how crazy people react when they see their favorite celebrities? I did very much want to trespass, but I refrained. So I guess I'm not as bad as those crazy people.

Speaking of crazy people, we met a troglodyte! There were many old old houses built into rock in Amboise, and there was one guy who let us in and walked us around his house. He explained how houses in rock worked, how they were able to naturally heat and cool and etc.

I thought he was going to take us all upstairs and kill us and then eat us. But no, he was just a very strange and eccentric man. He had all sorts of models in his house, and he collected business cards from people who visited him (like how we visited, not like how family comes over and stays for a certain period of time). He also collected “people,” and by that I mean he had an entire journal of individuals who had written who they were and where they were from, thanking him for showing them his house. When he found out I was from Georgia USA, he got very excited and wanted me to sign his book. I was a little wary at first. But when I found out he wasn't going to kill all of us and eat us I decided to thank him for allowing us to visit his nifty home and said I was from Atlanta, GA (because out of the country, that's the only city folks know from Georgia, if they even know that Georgia is a state of the US).

We went to our new temporary home, which I have always had fond memories of. Marie-Mathilde and Francois live out in the country in a commune, Chambon sur Cisse (Cisse is the river that the town is on). They had a lodging that Sam and I got to stay in separate from the main house. The lodge had its own bathroom and mini kitchen area. We didn't use the mini-kitchen area, but we were very grateful for our own bathroom and our own bedroom. We had just been telling each other on the train ride over that, even though one is grateful for everything our hosts do, sometimes it is hard to constantly be “on guest mode.” So when Sam and I retired for the night, we weren't tidy with our items and didn't fold up our clothes nicely and spread out all of our things like we were at home. It was very nice.

The next day, we visited the Chateau Blois. This castle is very interesting and his three different eras of architecture standing as a whole. It's too much to explain here, so you should go do your own research, but I liked the castle a lot.

Over the years, different sorts of people and kings stayed there, so there were a many different crests present: the salamander (Francois I), the porcupine (Louis XII), and the ermine (duchess of... something or other).

Naturally, I was quite excited, seeing my favorite type of animal on the walls of Blois. Sam and I excitedly pointed out the white mustelid where ever we saw it. When we got to the Boutique (gift shop) at the end of our tour, Sam found an ermine pendent and a porcupine pendent and bought them for me. I've been wearing my ermine pendent every day since.

Other things happened that day, I'm sure. But I can't remember very much.

After that, we spent an entire day at the Zoo. It was so awesome and is in a separate post because so much happened in it.

The next day was very easy going. Sam and I went grocery shopping with Marie-Mathilde, then visited the Chateau de Chambard, a castle built specifically as an enormous hunting lodge. It was very large and very beautiful.

Also, apparently, 21 June is Music Day in France, and so there were tons of musicians and wires wrung up everywhere on the castle grounds. Also, there was an art show going on in the second floor of the castle. It was all modern art and we were a little upset to see it hanging out with the entire collection of antlers that had been caught by kings past.

Plus modern art is weird.

SO THERE.

After that, we retired early and I slept a lot. I was feeling pretty homesick by then and not ready to pick up my suitcase and move on to the next house. Sam and I drank some interesting tea that gave us vivid dreams. I think the sleeping was very helpful, the dreams were just weird.