And speaking of Chambord

Here it is, what I like to call the grand-daddy of all the Loire Valley châteaux. I was there a week ago with some friends who were in town from California. We didn't go inside but took a leisurely walk around the exterior.

Chambord castle on a mostly sunny afternoon last week. Notice how tiny the people are off to the right.
Click on the picture to royalize... you really want to.

Before our walk, we ate lunch at one of the little places among the souvenir shops on the grounds. The plat du jour was a chicken tagine which my friends ordered. I had a galette (savory crêpe) stuffed with cheese and ham and a green salad along side. Tasty!

Just before lunch, I took C. and A. to one of our local wine co-ops for some tasting. I needed to buy some wine and I thought they'd enjoy tagging along. We tasted at least four wines: two sauvignon blancs, a gamay, and a côt. Then we bought a bunch.