The wind is back

It's been a-howlin' and a-gustin' all night and will probably continue through the morning before dying down again. I suppose this weather is typical of the famed giboulées de mars. I would call giboulées a combination of March winds and April showers in English. As in: If March winds bring April showers, and April showers bring May flowers, what do May flowers bring (you may need to be an American to know the answer)?

Château de Chenonceau, May 2007.

This is the little bridge that visitors to the Château de Chenonceau must cross to get into the castle.

Let's change seasons

Still at Chenonceau, but now it's May of 2007. Friends from California were visiting and we spent a little time at the château. There were certainly a lot more visitors there than there were in March the year before, but it wasn't as crowded as it gets in high summer.

Le jardin de Diane de Poitiers is a lot greener in spring than in winter. May 2007.

This is the garden of Diane de Poitiers, the bigger of the two main formal gardens on the grounds. The other was created by Catherine de Médicis in the second half of the 16th century. When Catherine's husband, King Henry II, died, she became regent, kicked Diane (the king's mistress) out of Chenonceau, and took over management. Thus the château reverted to royal hands. In exchange, Catherine gave Diane the Château de Chaumont up on the Loire.

Chapelle

As many châteaux do, especially royal châteaux, Chenonceau has a chapel. On this rainy day back in 2006, there were so few people visiting the castle that I was able to lie on my back on the floor to take this picture. I wouldn't recommend trying that on a normal day.

The chapel at the Château de Chenonceau. March 2006.

My trip to the market yesterday was successful. I got a nice dos de cabillaud (boned cod) for our Saturday lunch. I didn't take any photos, but I think Ken did. He made a beurre blanc sauce with shallots and capers to serve it with. We also had some small steamed potatoes and steamed broccoli along side. A very tasty lunch!

C'mon in

I think this might be the front door of the Château de Chenonceau, but I don't remember exactly what it looks like from inside. Once again, it's one of those shots I got with no people in it. The castle is known for its elaborate cut flower arrangements.

If anyone recognizes this as not Chenonceau's front door, please let me know. March 2006.

Today is market day in Saint-Aignan. I hope to find some cabillaud (cod) at the fish monger's stand. I saw some last weekend that looked amazingly good. We don't eat a lot of fish these days, mostly because it's become very expensive. But once in a while it's worth a splurge. I remember when cod was considered a common fish and it was cheap. Those days are gone.

Seldom seen

Here's something that we tourists don't often get to see. The main gallery that stretches over the Cher River in the Château de Chenonceau devoid of people. I was able to get this shot on that rainy March day in 2006 when there were very few visitors wandering through the castle's rooms. As soon as I snapped a few shots, other people appeared and the "pristine" view was gone.

I'm sure the castle staff get to see this all the time, but it's a rarity for the average tourist. March 2006.

We're having a windstorm now that's lasted a few days. It's not horrible, but the wind is just howling out there. Every now and again there's a gust that shakes the house de fond en comble (from the foundation to the rafters). It's predicted to die down for a couple of days after today.

Back to Chenonceau

Like I said, I didn't take too many photos on my day in Paris. So now I'll dip back into the archives for some more shots from the Château de Chenonceau. This is a view of Diane de Poitiers' garden from a window inside the castle.

Le jardin de Diane de Poitiers vue du château de Chenonceau, March 2006.

Rain came yesterday afternoon an lasted, off and on, through the night last night. At around 22h30, I was awakened by thunder and lightning. It lasted for about fifteen minutes and then was gone.

Heading home from Paris

The first thing I did when I arrived in the train hall at Montparnasse was to check the departures board. My train was listed as on time. I had about fifteen minutes before it left. There was also a bulletin that all trains in and out of the station were delayed due to some deer on the tracks. Indeed, all the trains scheduled to depart before mine were posting between five and ten minutes late. Lovely. Still, about five minutes later my train posted its track number and it was still on time. I walked, briskly, to the track and boarded the train. It pulled out of the station on time.

The train hall at the Gare Montparnasse. My train left from track 19.

As I was getting settled in, I noticed that we were moving very slowly. Then, after we were well out of the station, the train stopped altogether. The conductor announced that the deer were gone, but now the trains ahead of us had to re-space themselves before getting up to speed. We expected to be under way again soon and we'd be about fifteen minutes late to our station. As promised, the train started moving again and before long we were up to high speed.

Now, fifteen minutes is not too bad for a late arrival. Except when you only have 23 minutes to make your connection. If all went well, I would have about eight minutes to off-board and get to the other platform for my train to Saint-Aignan. I stressed for a while, but there was nothing I could do, so I sat back and enjoyed the ride. There was no view because it was dark outside.

Again, as promised by the conductor (who kept us informed of what was happening at regular intervals), we arrived at St.-Pierre-des-Corps (the high-speed station just outside of Tours) exactly when he said we would and I (and many others) made the connection with a couple of minutes to spare. I called Ken to let him know that I'd be arriving at our station at 21h40 as scheduled. He and Tasha picked me up and we were home in less than ten minutes.