Greg was disappointed when I forgot add this photo from our road trip to the blog.

I haven’t posted pictures of our apartment since we’ve moved-in. Greg’s godfather, Louis Marie came over for dinner the other night and we cleaned a bit. It seemed like a good time to take some new photos for the blog. Here is our living room, study, kitchen, and bedroom.

Here are a few pictures of gargoyles and statues we saw over the weekend. The salamander Francois I and it appears everywhere, over 800 times in the Chateau de Chambord.

We spent Sunday at the Chateau de Chambord. This place was crazy huge and freezing cold. King, shm-ing, it must have been really miserable to live in the castle during the winter. Constructions on the Chateau probably started in 1519 or so. It’s the biggest Chateau in the Loire and it’s particularly famous for its double-helix staircase (supposedly designed by Leonardo de Vinci). The staircase is designed so that two people going up or down it at the same time can see each other but will not meet.

We spent the night at a bed and breakfast in a charming farmhouse.

After Beaugency, we went to Blois to see the Chateau de Blois. According to the guide book Blois was principal royal residence until Henri IV moved everyone to Paris in 1598. In one of the photos, Greg is standing in Catherine de Medici's study. The room has 237 wooden wall panels; four of which hide secret cabinets where Catherine de Medici supposedly stored her poisons. (The guide doesn't mention what she used the poisons for. Maybe the Chateau had a rat problem?)

We first stopped in the small town, Beaugency. There wasn't much to see there, but we did visit the 11th century bridge that connects the town to Orleans. According to local legend, the bridge was built in one night by the devil. (No, we didn't believe the story either.) The bridge was also captured 4 times during the Hundred Years' War before it was retaken by Joan of Arc. Greg is standing in teh same spot where Joan of Arc stood 577 years ago. (Okay, I made that up, but he might be.) While our guide book doesn't mention if parts of the bridge was destroyed during other wars, it did look like it had been repaired a few times.

Greg and I needed a mini-break from Paris last weekend. We rented a car and visited the Loire Valley.