The ruins of Chinon Castle, a favorite residence of King Henry II of England
A statue of Joan of Arc in the village of Chinon, where Joan came to join the future King Charles VII
Looking down from the castle into the old part of town
The most intact remaining tower of Chinon Castle
Chris shows the thickness of the castle walls
This room, once Joan of Arc's bedroom, was later made into a pigeon coop
The vineyards around the castle produce dry red wines
Our wonderful hotel in Chinon, the Hotel Diderot
The hotel is famous for its homemade jams (more than 50 flavors)
A house built from the white chalk stone characteristic of the Loire Valley
Chinon's old section is full of 14th- and 15th-century houses
Inside the medieval Church of Saint Maurice in Chinon
A woman arranges flowers in the light of the stained glass windows
Even in early October, markets are full of beautiful produce
Amboise is a quaint little town on the Loire River that makes a great base for exploring the area
Chris in front of a medieval brick and timber house in Amboise
A house built into the cliffs of Amboise
This one is even more up-scale
Amboise Castle with the town at its base
The castle was home to French kings in the 15th and 16th centuries
This fireplace celebrates the marriage of King Charles VIII and Anne of Brittany
The castle's vaulted council chamber
Melissa liked this carving of hungry squirrels
The Loire River seen from the castle walls
The castle's royal chapel . . .
. . . was dedicated to St. Hubert, patron saint of hunting . . .
. . . hence the unusual decorations on the steeple
Behind Amboise Castle is this smaller chateau, where Leonardo da Vinci spent his final years as a guest of the king
The chateau's park is full of replicas of Leonardo's inventions, like this "flying propellor"
The sun sets over the Loire at Amboise
The ultimate royal chateau is Chambord, a hunting lodge with 426 rooms built in the 1500s
The famous double-helix staircase may have been designed by Leonardo da Vinci
The salamander symbol of King Francois I, who built Chambord
Cheverny is a smaller and homier chateau, occupied by the same family since the 1600s
Perhaps the most famous chateau in the Loire region is Chenonceau. It was home to King Henri II's mistress and later his widow
The chateau was built on the foundations of an old mill
The long gallery over the water was used for dances
Chenonceau is the most richly decorated chateau we visited
Its gardens yield interesting flower arrangements for every room
A portrait of Louis the 14th in an amazing frame
The kitchens are located in the stone pillars between the arches
The chateau is full of intricate 16th-century wall tapestries
This archway of trees forms a grand entrance to the chateau
Balloon flights over the Loire Valley are popular. We saw six while at Chenonceau
The Royal Abbey of Fontevraud, built in the 1100s, was the burial place of Plantagenat monarchs
The tomb of King Henry II of England . . .
. . . and of his wife, Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine
The tomb of King Richard the Lionheart, Henry and Eleanor's son
The abbey was unusual in housing both men and women
The abbey's many-chimneyed kitchen. The roof is made of stone carved to look like tiles.
Carved corbels decorate the kitchen building