Château Royal d’Amboise in Amboise, France is one of the most delightful places. The history, beauty and charm overwhelmed me and kept me there for an entire day.
Amidst all of the revelations brought about by my trip to the Loire Valley, there were some lovely scenes that simply stole my breath.
From views to intricate stone work, I did a whole lot of oooing and awwwwing. But, in many ways, the grounds of Château Royal d’Amboise near the hunting lodge proved simple for the most part.
Ramparts, Oh My
It was, however, the majestic ramparts that really stole my breath. What any visitor is looking at there is less than one-fifth of the original castle. Neglect, power struggles, and war destroyed much of it. I even learned that the allies bombed the castle in World War II to get the Nazis out. That is why the stained glass in the chapel is not original.
My Sense of Yesterday at Château Royal d’Amboise
Imagine what it must have been like, its towering presence over Amboise and the Loire River, five-hundred years ago. Oh, the treason, the trysts.
I like to imagine that da Vinci and Melzi sat in a tower long the victim of time and treachery painting elegant women with the Loire in the background.
Amboise In All Its Charm
Meanwhile, the tiny town of Amboise bustles below with all kinds of wonderfulness spanning more than one-thousand years. The tiny commune still contains much of its very old construction and charm. The residents take great pride in sense of place. I loved looking out and picking out all of the wonderful pieces of history.
While there is so much to see walking the grounds and gazing out over the ramparts, the interior is even more wonderful. Once it started to rain, I headed inside to warm by the fire. More on that to come.
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