|
Larger Pictures of Chateaux and
Regional Highlights
Here are additional images of tour highlights and regional scenes in
higher resolution than regular website pictures.
These gallery pictures are displayed as 800 x 600
pixels. Click on the thumbnails to view the larger images.
Use your browser's BACK button to return to the Gallery.
|
|
|
Paris
|
 |
| |
The Eiffel Tower is 1063 feet
(324m) tall and 410 feet
(125m) wide at the base. |
The tower's second level
is great for photographing
its Paris surroundings. |
Looking south-west: the
Grenelle and other bridges
over the Seine |
The Sacré-Coeur Basilica
dominates the Montmartre
district in the north-east. |
| |
L-R: Notre Dame, the gilded
dome of Les Invalides, and
the dome of the Parthenon |
A Seine River cruise is a
great way to see the sights
of central Paris. |
The Notre Dame de Paris
cathedral, begun in 1163
and completed in1345 |
Notre Dame was one of the
first buildings in the world
to use flying buttresses. |
|
|
Versailles and Fontainebleau
|
|
| |
The Palace of
Versailles,
transformed by Louis XIV
beginning in 1669 |
Versailles, with its famous
Orangerie garden in the
foreground |
Hall of Mirrors in Versailles,
copied into
lavish palaces
all around the world |
The
Chapel of Versailles,
consecrated to Saint Louis
(Louis IX of France) |
| |
The court of Versailles was
the centre of political power
in France from 1682 to 1789. |
The Latona fountain, with the
goddess Latona and her
children, Apollo and Diana |
The Palace of
Fontainebleau
was
begun by King Francis I
in the 16th century. |
Fontainebleau introduced
Italian Mannerist interior
decoration style to France. |
|
|
Chenonceau, Amboise, and Clos-Lucé
|
|
| |
Château de Chenonceau
elegantly spans
the River
Cher, a tributary of
the Loire. |
Diane de Poitiers, mistress
of King Henry II, had the
bridge built across the river. |
Chenonceau's extensive
flower gardens were also
begun by Diane. |
Catherine de' Medici's later
gardens, not meant to be
competitive at all |
| |
Bedchamber of Diane de
Poitiers, the first First
Lady of the chateau |
The Five Queens' Bedroom,
named for Catherine de'
Medici's next generation |
The Tour des Marques is
all that remains of the
original fortified castle. |
Amboise, on the banks of
the Loire, was once home
of the French royal court. |
| |
The majestic Château
d'Amboise towers above
the surrounding
town. |
The Château was begun
in the 11th century and
rebuilt late in the 15th. |
Its position gives it control
over a strategic part of the
Loire River. |
For over a century Château
d'Amboise was a favourite
residence of French kings. |
| |
Leonardo da Vinci is believed
to be buried in the St. Hubert
Chapel in Amboise Castle. |
Leonardo lived and worked
at nearby Manor Clos-Lucé
the last three years of his life. |
The manor and grounds
display models of da Vinci's
machines and concepts. |
The Clos-Lucé chateau is
surrounded by a 20-acre
cultural and nature park. |
|
|
Cheverny, Chambord, and Blois
|
|
| |
The Château de Cheverny,
built between 1624 and 1630,
is now back in family hands. |
Cheverny's Bridal Chamber,
furnished with a Louis XVI
dressing table |
The Nursery, with rocking
horses from the period of
Napoleon III |
Cheverny's Dining Hall,
reflecting a major interior
renovation begun in 1768 |
| |
Château de Chambord, built
1519-1547, is the largest
castle in the Loire Valley. |
Chambord is recognizable
for its distinctive French
Renaissance architecture |
Chambord was originally
built by King Francis I to
serve as a hunting lodge. |
The roofscape of Chambord,
with
eleven kinds of towers
and three types of chimneys |
| |
The Château de Blois was
built in the middle of the town
that it effectively controlled. |
Blois Château consists of
several
c13-c17 buildings
around
a central courtyard. |
A mounted statue of the
king adorns the façade of
the Louis XII wing. |
The Chambre du Roi at
Blois, residence of several
French kings |
|
|
Villandry
|
|
| |
Château de
Villandry is a
castle-palace located where
an ancient fortress once stood. |
Villandry was one of the last
Renaissance palaces built
on the Loire. |
Villandry's fame is based
not on the château but on
its exquisite gardens. |
Joachim Carvallo used
historical sources to restore
the gardens in 20th century. |
| |
The inside rooms of the
Château de Villandry were
refitted in the 18th century. |
Ornate kitchen gardens
(cabbages here) date back
to abbeys of the Middle Ages. |
Each year 250,000 flowers
and vegetables are planted
in the gardens. |
Rotational planting keeps
colours vibrant, even as
here on October 9th. |
|
|
Towns: Orléans and Tours
|
|
|
Orléans is situated where
the Loire turns south-west
into the Valley. |
Orléans features a striking
blend of traditional and
modern architecture. |
Joan of Arc, “The Maid of
Orléans”, liberated the town
from the English in 1429. |
Place Plumereau in Tours,
on the Loire between
Orléans and the Atlantic |
