Villandry

As we toured the charming interiors of the chateau at Villandry we kept getting distracted by the glimpses through the windows. This is a chateau still owned by the family and there were pictures of them scattered through out the home. I really loved that touch. This is a chateau with an American connection. The Duke (or whatever I can't really remember) married a steel heiress, together they used her money to restore the gardens and home to its glory days. They were especially passionate about the gardens and this showed. Their grandchildren own the home today.

And then we got outside to the breathtaking gardens. Mostly these are vegetables and herbs surrounded by hedges. It was interesting to me to read about their crop rotation and wishing I could see the pumpkins in the fall. (This was mostly only interesting to me and no one else in the gardens.) The vistas just went on and on. Also notice how few people are walking around.

Ignore the butt and the sensible but hideous walking shoes. This was not my best moment fashion wise- but I am being a good girl and including myself in some of these family memories- despite the big rear and ugly shoes.

Vegetables

Beckett is in heaven with a gravel walk way. He loves to wander- he thinks on his own- and stop every few steps to pick up some pebbles. And I love to see my little man in these majestic settings. I just think it is the most charming thing I have ever seen.

This is the face you make when your parents don't let you through a pocketful of pebbles in the fountain. And then they don't let you climb into the fountain. Life is hard. This is less charming than the previous picture.

Just when you think you have seen the garden you walk through a hedge and there is another garden and then another. And then around the corner there is a playground- oh and then a tennis court. There were whole sections we missed- and we were in the gardens for hours.

The Sun Garden

The Butterfly Garden

This was by far one of our favorite spots on the trip. These were the finest gardens by far. It was one of those magical places that the boys and the parents loved. It filled you with this bubble sense of awe and joy. You just felt so lucky to be in this amazing spot. Wandering around with no one getting in your way just soaking it in. Oh and of course there was a chocolate and pistachio ice cream in the park afterwards.

Just Because I Like a Laugh- and I Love the New HBL Library

Sleeping Beauty's Castle

This was The Ussey Chateau- or the Sleeping Beauty Castle. Not the one the castle in the Disney movie is based on (that one is on the Rhine I think). The man who wrote Sleeping Beauty stayed in this castle around the time he wrote the story- so it is said this is what he was thinking of when he wrote it. And since Sleeping Beauty is my favorite princess we had to go.

It was on of the most charming of the places we visited. And it had a moat! I also loved the courtyard- the roses and I was a little sad that we were a little too early for the hydrengeas.

The best part was how much this place reveled in the cheeseyness of Sleeping Beauty. Music from the Disney movie was piped through out the half of the castle that was for SB. You were allowed to just wander around peering in rooms with scenes from the movies set up with mannequins. It was WONDERFUL. One of the rooms had lots of glitter- tons of it. And just to make it a little crazier apparently every year the castle hosts a historical weekend where people wear a different decade's clothing. And so some random rooms just had people wearing clothes from the twenties or the 1830s just scattered among the Sleeping Beauty panoramas. Very strange and enjoyable. You also toured a more traditional wing and the family still leaves in the third wing.

These wheat fields were on the way to this castle. I loved how the wild flowers were mixed into the fields. Just lovely and magical.

The road to the Ussey Chateau.

I found these guys in the crazy wing- very funny.

There was also a charming little chapel. I really loved this Madonna made of Florentine Ceramic. I love Florentine ceramic a great deal and this was a charming little find in the French countryside. I wondered about the woman who commissioned this piece. Did she travel to Italy? What other things did she collect? Or did she just get this because she saw one like it at her sister's home? Note- I assume it was ordered by a woman.

Our French Farmhouse

This was a working farm- so the boys of course got to spend many many minutes watching tractors. This is pretty much all you need to ensure a successful vacation for Coen.

All day we would tour these amazing chateau- but this was what made the vacation for me. I was very happy just wondering around the farm with the boys after dinner.

These are the sights that feed a country girls soul.

Most nights we would take a walk to watch one of these:

A little cowboy would join us for the walk- but then he would demand someone carry his rifle and then he would demand that someone carry the cowboy.

We loved the cows- and as usual for goats these two were crazy. They would race coen up and down the length of the fence.

Oh did I mention there were bike rides too?

Heaven on Earth.

Chambord

This was the first of the castles we visited. There was a little group of cafes that served huge portions. I think if we had come here later in the week we would have been a little disappointed. But since it was the first we loved it. There were very few furnished rooms- but I actually really liked the big open room flooded with light and there was some of the best modern art pieces- very modern but with a obvious inspiration in history.

This was the little stream- traveling with kids means that you take lots of breaks to just sit and watch the river go by and trying to find frogs or fish (we got both!).

It also means when there is a big field you take time to run around like a monkey.

While we played in this field they were setting up a stage for a series of opera performances to be preformed here over the summer. I really want to go back to do this. Also the chateau is in the center of a big park and there were bike trails everywhere. I want to come back with older kids and do the bike ride and the chateau and the opera (I may have to do that alone).

Notice Coen checking out the double stairway designed by DeVinci- he thought they were spy holes. We were very into spies for much of this trip. Also the boys loved the dragon drain spouts and running around on the roof. We liked the roof the best as a group (the art was my personal favorite). This also may be the only picture of our entire family taken on the trip.

This is some of the art I liked so much.

I keep feeling the need to post. And I have tons of pictures and lots of stories. But when I first got home I was not in the mood. The last couple days of the trip stunk and the flight home was awful. Just more reason for me to hate Germans. (not any I actually know- just evil Germans on planes and in lines).

But today I thought I have to at least write a little something. And then I thought about the best part of the trip. Ice Cream. We were in France only a few days when Alma looked over at me and said I know why you like France- they have pistachio flavored Ice Cream everywhere (I hadn't taken him in a patisserie yet so he didn't know about all the pistachio flavored pastry!)

And he was right. I love pistachio Ice Cream (with a scoop of chocolate- the darker the better) And while the little ice cream shops are charming and I visited a great many of them- the Nestle Extreme Chocolat Pistache was really my favorite. Now in the US I don't really like pre-made cones like this- but this little confection is why we are on earth. God did say men are that they might have joy. And this is joy in a box. It is alternating layers of pistachio and chocolate ice cream in a cone dipped in dark chocolate with a little nut/nugatty sprinkle. DIVINE. There was a box in our freezer most of the first week (they were half off at the Grocery store! if they weren't a frozen food I would have shipped an entire case home). And I found an excuse to regularly indulge. Oh sweet Chocolat Pistache Extreme how I miss you. If only I wasn't the only interested consumer in the US you might be sold here too.