When you sit at the end of a day, and the first thing that comes to mind is "I did all that?" That was my day.
We took the first train from Paris Austerlitz to Blois. It left at like 8. So we woke up at 6. And left home at 7. So fun. We got to Blois at 10:15. Once we arrived, we really had no plans. We had ideas, but no direction really. We wanted to go to Chambord, but we weren't sure how to get there. We started looking at bus pings and a nice French man came up to help us. He even called his friend for direction and confirmed the time for us to leave. He was so sweet. When you are in a new place, you really appreciate when people go above and beyond. We had an hour to kill before the bus left, so we went to explore Blois. Kelly and I are good at directions, and we can move fast. In 45 minutes, we wandered into a huge garden, went to the Blous chateau, and even had time to buy a postcard. Blois is such a cute town. It is definitely a must if ever in the Loire Valley. Everything is quaint and full of character. It has an artsy feel and is very walk able. Which is always nice.
We took the bus at 11:30, like our friend said. For 6 euros, we got a round trip ticket that stopped at 3 chateaux. That's a steal. It was the bus in the left when you leave the gate, btw. It took about 45 minutes to get to Chambord. We waited in line to buy a ticket for another 45 minutes. Then we found out you could buy them inside the chateau. I would recommend that. On our way there, we ,et a nice couple from Washington state. They had a daughter who teaches ELL also, so that was neat to Italy about. The lady had actually just fractured her wrist while biking up Mont Blanc. I mean, they are super adventurous. When we finally entered the chateau, it was overwhelmingly huge. My school took an excursion last summer, but I scalped my ticket to someone because I went to Belgium instead. Anyway, it is amazing and it is a must-see. I cannot express how huge it is. Wiki the history of the place and you'll understand. We walked around taking pictures and being in awe for a while. We had to literally run to our bus, and I sady did not get a good picture of the front of the chateau. But it is on the brochure, so I'll make do :-)
We took the bus all the way to Blois. The bus makes a round trip to Blois, Chambord, Cheverny, and Beauregard. Cheverny is another big chateau, and we almost stopped. But we decided to go to Tours instead...
We took a train from Blois to Tours from 4:15-5. It was a pretty view, full of sunflower fields and a pretty day. There also the cutest little French children next to us that made the ride even sweeter. The girl beside us was practicing "j'ai trois ans" and would hold up her 3 fingers. Melt my heart.
When we got to Tours, I think we had the most interesting part of our trip. I would to preface by saying that I am so thankful Kelly does not cause scenes and is far more calm than me. You should look for that in a friend. Anyway, we walked out of the train station. And crossed the street by the gare, walked around a bus, and someone runs by and breaks a bottle on the window of the bus 5 feet from us. Everyone just froze and stared. We jumped and looked around. I was convinced we had walked into a gang fight or something. I am from the Dirty South, clearly. The boy ran off, and we caught our breathe. Then Kelly realized she was bleeding. Some of the bottle had shattered on her leg. But, super cool doctor Kelly style, she pulled out the germ-X, cleaned it, and was good to go. We looked for neosporin and band aids. Anyway, it was scary and an abrupt welcome home to Tours. The boy nor the bus driver offered an apology, not that we would have understood it. It was all just very confusing and bizarre.
After that event, we visited some of my favorite sites in Tours. I could list them, but you can read my blog from last summer for some ideas. We did get to walk into the big cathedral when they were holding mass. The nuns were singing, candles were lit. It was beautiful. I had never been in, so it was enlightening to see the inside of something I had walked by everyday last summer. No, I did see Madame, nor did I go knocking. I'm sure she's fine.
We had dinner at Place de Plume. It is the big square by the Loire river. We ate at a pub/cafe. The owner was from London, and his wife from Tours. He was very outgoing. He actually played football for Chelsea many years ago, or so he says... But I'll take it.
The peopl we sat by are another post in itself and I think I have reached my maximum for this one. I'll update more later.
PS- I am beginning to realize how much I want to be a travel writer. Practical, right? Got any ideas?
If you ever plan a trip to France, comment me your email and let me help you plan....
And live vicariously through you.
We took the first train from Paris Austerlitz to Blois. It left at like 8. So we woke up at 6. And left home at 7. So fun. We got to Blois at 10:15. Once we arrived, we really had no plans. We had ideas, but no direction really. We wanted to go to Chambord, but we weren't sure how to get there. We started looking at bus pings and a nice French man came up to help us. He even called his friend for direction and confirmed the time for us to leave. He was so sweet. When you are in a new place, you really appreciate when people go above and beyond. We had an hour to kill before the bus left, so we went to explore Blois. Kelly and I are good at directions, and we can move fast. In 45 minutes, we wandered into a huge garden, went to the Blous chateau, and even had time to buy a postcard. Blois is such a cute town. It is definitely a must if ever in the Loire Valley. Everything is quaint and full of character. It has an artsy feel and is very walk able. Which is always nice.
We took the bus at 11:30, like our friend said. For 6 euros, we got a round trip ticket that stopped at 3 chateaux. That's a steal. It was the bus in the left when you leave the gate, btw. It took about 45 minutes to get to Chambord. We waited in line to buy a ticket for another 45 minutes. Then we found out you could buy them inside the chateau. I would recommend that. On our way there, we ,et a nice couple from Washington state. They had a daughter who teaches ELL also, so that was neat to Italy about. The lady had actually just fractured her wrist while biking up Mont Blanc. I mean, they are super adventurous. When we finally entered the chateau, it was overwhelmingly huge. My school took an excursion last summer, but I scalped my ticket to someone because I went to Belgium instead. Anyway, it is amazing and it is a must-see. I cannot express how huge it is. Wiki the history of the place and you'll understand. We walked around taking pictures and being in awe for a while. We had to literally run to our bus, and I sady did not get a good picture of the front of the chateau. But it is on the brochure, so I'll make do :-)
We took the bus all the way to Blois. The bus makes a round trip to Blois, Chambord, Cheverny, and Beauregard. Cheverny is another big chateau, and we almost stopped. But we decided to go to Tours instead...
We took a train from Blois to Tours from 4:15-5. It was a pretty view, full of sunflower fields and a pretty day. There also the cutest little French children next to us that made the ride even sweeter. The girl beside us was practicing "j'ai trois ans" and would hold up her 3 fingers. Melt my heart.
When we got to Tours, I think we had the most interesting part of our trip. I would to preface by saying that I am so thankful Kelly does not cause scenes and is far more calm than me. You should look for that in a friend. Anyway, we walked out of the train station. And crossed the street by the gare, walked around a bus, and someone runs by and breaks a bottle on the window of the bus 5 feet from us. Everyone just froze and stared. We jumped and looked around. I was convinced we had walked into a gang fight or something. I am from the Dirty South, clearly. The boy ran off, and we caught our breathe. Then Kelly realized she was bleeding. Some of the bottle had shattered on her leg. But, super cool doctor Kelly style, she pulled out the germ-X, cleaned it, and was good to go. We looked for neosporin and band aids. Anyway, it was scary and an abrupt welcome home to Tours. The boy nor the bus driver offered an apology, not that we would have understood it. It was all just very confusing and bizarre.
After that event, we visited some of my favorite sites in Tours. I could list them, but you can read my blog from last summer for some ideas. We did get to walk into the big cathedral when they were holding mass. The nuns were singing, candles were lit. It was beautiful. I had never been in, so it was enlightening to see the inside of something I had walked by everyday last summer. No, I did see Madame, nor did I go knocking. I'm sure she's fine.
We had dinner at Place de Plume. It is the big square by the Loire river. We ate at a pub/cafe. The owner was from London, and his wife from Tours. He was very outgoing. He actually played football for Chelsea many years ago, or so he says... But I'll take it.
The peopl we sat by are another post in itself and I think I have reached my maximum for this one. I'll update more later.
PS- I am beginning to realize how much I want to be a travel writer. Practical, right? Got any ideas?
If you ever plan a trip to France, comment me your email and let me help you plan....
And live vicariously through you.
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