Saturday, April 01, 2023

Let's go to Chaumont

You might remember the story of Diane de Poitiers, mistress of King Henri II, being kicked out of the Château de Chenonceau in 1559 after the king's death. His widow, Catherine de Médicis, took over ownership of Chenonceau, but she offered the Château de Chaumont to Diane in exchange.

The Château de Chaumont sits high above the Loire Valley, about a 30 minute drive from our house. March 2006.

This photo of the castle and the few that follow are from March of 2006. Back then, the grounds were open to public for free. Admission was only charged to enter and tour the castle. That has changed since then and now visitors pay to get into the park as well. Since 1992, the castle grounds have hosted what has become a prestigious international garden festival.

6 comments:

  1. I love the gardens at Chateau de Chaumont! Danielle and I visited them in 2009 and really enjoyed the international garden exhibits. Unfortunately the chateau was closed for restoration so we must go again.
    BettyAnn

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  2. I think I see a small palm tree near the outer tower. The castle grounds look lovely.

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    Replies
    1. Yes, Evelyn, I had the same impression that lonely tree was a palm tree. Which means the climate is really mild.

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  3. What a coincidence! I had an email today from Danielle, my friend who lives in a Paris suburb, reminding me of our ten day visit in the Loire Valley. We had such a lovely time and meeting Ken, Walt and Callie was delightful.
    BettyAnn

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  4. mitch, it's a pretty place. Once I saw a hot-air balloon lifting off from the riverbank below. Amazing!

    bettyann, absolutely!

    evelyn, chm, it does look like a palm. I wonder if it's still there.

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