Amboise

Friday, Sept 21, 2018

On Tuesday we left Bayeux and took three trains to get to the town of Amboise. This medievel town sits along a massive escarpment with a heavily fortified 16th century castle on top. Amboise is a lovely little town with a Main Street that extends up in front of the castle and is lined with sidewalk cafes, restaurants and shops.

Arriving in Amboise, I (Jack) was suffering from a severe toothache. Miraculously, our hotel was able to save the day (the rest of the trip, actually) by getting me a dental appointment on very short notice. We were predpared to pay whatever it took to get the problem taken care of. But an exam with X-rays, was $23!!! With a Rx for an antibiotic, I’m good as new!

We spent Wednesday touring the Amboise Castle and Leonardo Da Vinci’s final home and  resting place. Both were amazing.

The castle is built atop an escarpment overlooking the Loire River... definitely a defensible position. It was lovely inside and out, thanks largely to its simplicity and functionality.

Clos du Luc, located a short walk up that Main Street, is Leonardo’s home, studio, laboratory and burial place. In Leo’s later years, Francoise I, king of France, offered him this home plus a stipend for the rest of his life. Here he lived, worked and died. They have recreated his art studio and laboratory exactly as it was, and also display models of some of his inventions created here. It was moving to stand there and imagine that perhaps the greatest genius in all of history actually lived and worked in this room.

Yesterday we took an all-day tour of three nearby chateaus. Very cool, but by the third one we both felt we’d seen enough. We were also a little weary from our guide Pascal, who absolutely never quit talking. But he was well intentioned and even a little charming, so all was good.

Afterwards, we had drinks and dinner with a very nice couple we met on the tour, Garry and Renee from Folsom, California (near Sacramento). They are leaving today for Paris, but exchanged contact info and are planning to see them again.

So, we’ve arranged a taxi to the train station this afternoon and are headed to Bordeaux. Au Revoir!