Loire pictures, part IV: Chenonceau

The last stop on our Loire weekend was the Chateau de Chenonceau. We started with lunch in the beautiful Orangerie, and then moved on to visit the beautiful castle built on a bridge across the River Cher (near the Loire). This visit felt different from the tour of the nearby Chateau de Chambord in so many ways.

First... it was such a smaller castle comparatively speaking! It was also more crowded with tour groups... but we couldn't tell if that was really true, or if the smaller rooms simply felt more full with their more reasonable sized doorways, hallways, and ceilings.

Also... it was just such a pretty castle. This doesn't mean to imply that Chambord was hideous... but there were beautiful aspects of every corner of this chateau. Beauty seemed to be the main feeling here, while grandeur seemed to be the raison d'etre at Chambord.

Finally, these rooms were decorated with the beddings, window coverings and art that graced the walls when various important women lived there over the years (Henri II's favorite mistress, Diane, and later his wife, Catherine de Medici. Yes, clearly some great drama happened in this house as well.) I loved touring the wonderful kitchens, and you could almost hear the echos of cooks and butchers and courtiers and queens from the centuries.

It didn't surprise us that Katie, who when given the choice of any two things will always pick "both", said she loved both castles. But the rest of us agreed.

So finally -- here are some (yes, just some!) of the photos from Chenonceau. Enjoy!