The Vacation Begins in Blois

Hello all my friendly viewers, as I promised, of course a little late, my vacation pictures. Below is the gang: Left to Right: Arlette (Céline's mom), Marcel (Céline's dad), Me, Céline, Matéo (her son--2.5 years old). [Yes, I do realize my eyes are a bit droopy, must have been the wine ;) ]

We began our excursion around France in Blois (pron. Blwah). The château of Blois was constructed in the 13th Century and many kings and relatives lived here: Louis d'Orléans, Charles d'Orléans, Louis XII, François I, Louis XIII, Gaston d'Orléans. And during the French Revolution it was used as barracks, and later renovated by the French Government.

The interior: a Grand Piano, however, very small from the 13th Century. You can see its age by looking at those nice, white ivory piano keys. Céline and I in a small doorway, just my size! A beautiful ornament adorned in gold overhanging a fireplace. The ceiling is delicately painted with the French flag colors and the symbols of each king. The salamander on the right is the symbol of François I (which was all over Chambord because he lived there too) and on the left, the dog, is for is wife, Claude. A little arrogant with these symbols everywhere, ceilings, doors, staircases, statues, the walls, etc.

A view of the cathedral from the gardens of the château; me and Céline; Matéo agrees that the vacation has started off right with a thumbs up and some cool shades.








And of course, he can walk just fine, no he doesn't want his bicycle right now. So, Marcel is left with it packing it over his shoulder. And, don't you ever try to push the bike using its handle, Matéo can do it by himself.