Paris, France Honeymoon – Day 7 – 7.24.11

Our Paris Honeymoon was winding down, but that didn’t mean we were going to led up and not do anything. Since it wasn’t going to rain, we decided to take a day trip to the Loire Valley in central France. It was going to be a chateaus tour where we would visit Chambord, Chenonceau, and Cheverny.

We started the day by getting breakfast again at our usual pastry place. We needed to get something in our bellies since we knew it was going to be a 2 hour bus ride to Chambord. On the bus, we pretty much passed out for a good hour or so while listening to the bus tour people sporadic talking over the speakers in English, French and yes…Japanese. My head was hurting trying to hear all these translations. Thankfully I had my iPod to listen to.

We arrived at Chambord and saw how big the chateau was immediately. Some of it was being renovated and you could only go inside certain place. The inside wasn’t much to see really, just a long spiral staircase and some large rooms with not much inside. The outside was what I wanted to see and get photos of. After shooting some photos, Kristen got some wine to take back to USA, and I got a almond croissant (a favorite of mine in Paris!). Another bus ride and more napping happened and we arrived in Cheverny.

I really wanted to see Chenonceau because of how fairytale it looked. It looks like something out of a Disney cartoon. Unfortunately, that one was also being restored in spots which made it stink to take photos from one side. If you walk around the other site, you could get more of the river and the chateau without all the scaffolding in it. The inside was really cool too; few floors and basements that had kitchens in it. After that, we got some lunch in the small village plus some crepes as well.

The bus ride throughout the trip in Loire Valley was really nice. It was cool seeing other villages and towns, and even seeing some more chateaus along the way. That’s what I like about the bus trips, is seeing more of the country side and other parts you might not see if you drove. The downside is rushing to see everything within a given time. The last stop of the day was the chateau Cheverny which was really nice as well. If you ever get a chance to see these chateaus, you should because the trip was a lot of fun.

The Entire Gallery

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Tags: 24-70mm f2.8, bus tour, castles, central france, Chambord, chateaus, Chenonceau, Cheverny, day trip, europe, france, france photography, French, loire, loire valley, nikon d300, paris, rivers