Chateaux

Yesterday was the first day we were able to escape from our online research and visit one of the nearby chateaux, which are such a large tourist draw in this region of France. (Although we are not suffering for lack of fun! We watched The Dark Knight on a projection screen in a room supported by flying buttresses that has been converted into a hangout for the students.) Chenonceau is known for being the residence of royalty and is characterized by its unique structure, which spans the river Cher. It is basically impossible to take pictures as gorgeous as the aerial ones on their webpage, but we attempted to capture our visit with photos of the beautiful home and gardens. There was a beautiful copper kitchen display in the basement of the structure, but the arches over the river was really the most striking part of the visit. There were two very well-kept gardens on each side of the chateau itself, and a restaurant that we heard serves hamburgers and Budweiser in high tourist season!

Tonight we also went to the debut of an art exhibit at another chateau, Chaumont, which has several buildings that were very interesting to explore and a beautiful view of the surrounding countryside and river. They also have a very large park that is open to the public - this is definitely my favorite chateau so far! The art debut had some hors'd'ouevres and wine, and afterward we went to Le Commerce to meet up with the local students and townspeople and have a great time!