opps!
four day weeks really pose a get-it-all-done challenge. but better late than never, you need to know about the Château de Chenonceau.
we set out to visit this amazing place over the long weekend (ahem, two weekends ago) completely unawares that we were going to be enchanted to our very cores.
built in the 16th century, it has had a wild history. lived in by King Henri II's favorite mistress, it was given/taken back to the queen upon Henri's death, then occupied by various great families until the first World War when it was converted into a hospital. as the château bridges the Cher River, which was the line between occupied and unoccupied territory, the entrance was in occupied land and the south door in unoccupied land. this made Chenonceau an important place for passing Resistance members into the free zone but also threatened the fate of the château as German artillery was kept at the ready until the end of the war should they need to destroy the building.
despite its active history, the château and its gardens have been kept in incredible condition and are laced with amazing floral arrangements in every room. we arrived on a sunny afternoon that seemed to have thrown a veil of enchantment over the property. i was in love - each new room a ravishing experience that seemed to connect with me as if i had been there before.
here is part one of the photos that tried to capture what was there:
... tomorrow: part 2 ...
