We have just finished our two days in the Loire Valley and though we could only manage four chateau in that time, it did not disappoint.
Our first stop was at Clos Luce which was the home of Leanardo de Vinci the last three years of his life. There we saw duplicates of his most famous paintings and models of
some of his many inventions. I haven’t gotten a photo processed of the house itself but I liked this shot of the bust of the man himself with some flowers.
Next up was Chenonceau, also know as the ladies castle fo
r the women who owned and designed it. It is partially built over the river so the reflections are spectacular. I wasn’t expecting all the boaters but they added a nice touch.
Third
was Chateau d’Azay le Rideau. We had a private guided tour and it wasn’t too crowded so lots more good pictures coming. I am trying to get this finished before breakfast which starts now so there is not much time to go into details.
Finally we stopped to roam the gardens of Villandry which are quite spectacular.
Our first full day of touring started with a bus ride around town with a guide to tell us all about the history and culture of the city. One thing we learned is that the reason they build so much with glass and steel is that it is more flexible during an earthquake than concrete or brick. We also learned that there is a serious housing crisis in the city as real estate prices keep spiraling upward. A tiny condominium in one of those high rises can go for upwards of a million dollars. People are being priced out of their own homes because the appraised value is so high they can’t afford the property taxes. Living in paradise has its price it seems.
the city has the best views. It also features gardens planted in old quarry beds and a geodesic domed conservatory. There is also a plaza with a huge fountain surrounded by spaces for Tai Chi clubs to practice.
sounded like quite a guy, well ahead of his time in thinking globally and creating a culture of peace. Having just been to Japan I was a little underwhelmed with the garden, though I am sure it makes for a wonderful retreat from the hectic city. My photos all came out just looking green so I decided a black and white treatment was the way to go.
I set out today on my next adventure, a garden tour of Vancouver and Victoria. So far, I have only made it to Portland. I fly to Canada tomorrow to meet up with the Road Scholars. But in the meantime I wanted to kick things off right with a visit to the Oregon Garden. It has been on my radar for awhile but it is 12 miles off the interstate to the east of Salem, so this is the first time I took the time to make the trek.
And it was well worth the time and effort. There are 20 specialty gardens packed into 80 acres on the outskirts of Silverton. I’m glad they have good signage to get you there or I would surely have gotten lost. I’m glad I have a good map or I would surely have never found my way back to the Interstate. My first stop was the water garden and one of the employees pointed out a frog pretending to be invisible. I’m always looking for frogs to photograph and rarely find them so this certainly got me off on the right foot.
aw a bunch of flowers in bloom including these Black eyed Susan’s. It was only after I headed into the Home demonstration Gardens that I realized I had just been photographing in the Medicinal Garden.
e Gordon House, which was moved to the Oregon Garden property in order to save it from destruction. When I come again though, it will be in the spring or fall. the Dahlias should be lovely in September. Though I did find a few blooming in July.