Château d'Amboise

Sunday afternoon I went to Château d'Amboise with my host mom, dad, and brother. It was cold, windy, and (barely) snowing, but overall it was a nice afternoon. :) The Château d'Amboise is located in the Loire Valley. It was once a royal residence and home to Charles VII, Charles VIII, and Francis I. Leonardo Da Vinci was a frequent visitor as Francis I was his patron. 

The actual château itself isn't that big (relatively speaking). A lot of the château was destroyed over the years and so this is the remaining structure. 

La Chapelle Saint-Hubert 

This tiny chapel is located on the property of the château

A stain glass window in the Saint Hubert Chapel.

Leonardo Da Vinci's tomb. The tiny chapel is home to his burial site. 

It was super windy! 

Adorable Louis 

The knights

Even the armor was detailed 

Just warming up by the fire. 

Une fleur de lys- the symbol of French royalty could be found everywhere around the château.

This decoration was my favorite. I have no idea if there is any significance as to why this man's ears are holding up the pillar. 

La salle de musique

The music room

The gardens

The gardens of the château are designed with an Italian influence. I love the trees- I think they look like they're on fire!

Even the houses around the château were beautiful!

There are two cats in this picture. Can you find them?

Anne-Cécile and me

Looking down at the river from inside the château

The château is completely fortified

I think that this gargoyle looks like he has a head-ache. 

There used to be a moat!
Just like the in movie Shrek 2 :)

A memorial for Leonardo da Vinci 

Looking down at the streets below

On a Sunday afternoon in the middle of February the streets were pretty empty, however the little city was still charming.

This street was called "Rue Racine" ("racine" = "root" in english) You can see why. 

Photo Credit to Gilles. All of the good or artsy photos were taken by host dad. Thanks for letting me steal them.

C'est tout! 

-Becca