The days are so full, and I am getting really tired. But I cannot waste a moment of being in this precious place. I have found it overwhelming to stand in the room from where Catherine de Medici, when she was Regent after the death of Henri II, ruled France. And nearby, to be in the bedroom where five queens slept – Catherine’s two daughters and three daughters-in-law – all of whom were queens; I suppose they slept in this room when they brought the kids home for a summer holiday! That was in Chenonceau. There are not words to describe these places, and the sense of history they evoke. Nor to do justice to the aesthetic satisfaction – both in the buildings and their settings – that one experiences. (I did take lots of pictures however.)
I have seen three Chateaux so far – Amboise of course, being right here, and on Thursday my Swedish friend and I took a bus trip after classes to Chambord and Chenonceau. On the mini-bus there was a single Japanese man who went to sleep, a couple who spoke not at all, so I know nothing of them, a Canadian couple who were friendly, but he spent his time tracking our journey on his GPS, and a Californian, from Palm Springs, a real estate agent, who spent the whole time we had at Chambord sitting out at the front of the chateau, so overwhelmed he wept, he said. (possibly working out what the commission on a sale of the place would be. He did express excitement at the news of the death of Bob Hope’s wife, as their mansion is on his patch, and will now be sold). I on the other hand, scuttled around, greedy to see every room (426 of them) and read everything in the guide and take pictures of everything so I can revisit often at my leisure. Absolutely everything delighted me. And then there are the facts that Francis I who built Chambord, and reigned for 32 years, spent only 72 days in this place. (He started the building in the same year that Leonardo da Vinci died at Amboise) And later, in the nineteenth century, the Comte de Chambord owned the chateau from 1821 until his death in 1883 but spent only three days there. (Though to be fair to him he did spend a bit of time in exile, being the last of the Bourbons during troubled times.)
I am also somewhat overwhelmed by the ego of those who needed places such as these to do justice to their self-concept. Chenonceau was built in the sixteenth century by Thomas Bohier and his wife Katherine Briconnet. They took as their motto “If I get to the end of this construction job, I will be remembered”.
However, how rich is France now to have these places. And they are royally looked after. A great deal of government money must go into the maintenance of all of these chateaux; and when we visited, both Chambord and Chenonceau had sections under renovation. They do bring in tourist renvenue themselves, of course, and the tourism industry is huge in this region. Entrance fees are around 10-15 euros, which is not really expensive for what is seen and exprtienced. The rooms are beautifully kept, every one of them with marvellous (all different) arrangements of fresh flowers (no plastic here!), and the gardens are superb. I was fascinated, at Amboise, to see four gardeners, all clad exactly the same, all with the same hedging shears, all trimming the spherical box plants in unison. It was almost as if they were working to a metronome beat! It is no exaggeration to say these places are greatly loved and are a source of pride to all the French of the region. Certainly, Madame, my hostess, knows everything about every one of them, or so it seems to me.
Chambord was being set up for a major event when we were there. A huge, huge white tent was set up in the grounds, with tables for dining, and lighting etc being installed. At the same time, in the three great halls on one level of the chateau, art works were being hung. So perhaps an art show with a big opening night with dinner and entertainment, for the super-rich, of course. At Chaumont-sur-Loire Chateau, this weekend, there is the International Festival of the Flowers. I think this might be France’s answer to the Chelsea Flower Show; but with an incomparably superior setting.
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