Day 20 ... highlights outside of Paris [again] & good company

... today was our last sojourn outside Paris - we went 180 miles outside of Paris to visit a number of castles and estates including the estate of Chambord, Chateau Chenonceau [the lady's castle], and Chateau Cheverny.

As always it is wonderful to experience and get a richer understanding for an area's history, influence, culture and architecture. Although they don't mirror Versailles grandeur, in their own right these properties are noteworthy ... some interesting facts and a good story :

Estate of Chambord

• this grand estate was built as a hunting lodge and took 20 years in total [dedicated time of construction outside reformation and wars] to build ... and the King only ended up staying there for 42 days ... in total ...
• the estate is under restoration and was recently designated a UNESCO site and is situated on 5,500 hectares of land ... it is the largest nature reserve in France and is actually the same land size as central Paris ... lotsa of room to move around out here ...
• during the 2nd World War 800 pieces of art were hidden at Chambord, and then the French realized it would probably be better to disburse the works throughout the country rather than housing in one location ... logic is good - just sayin' ...

Chateau Chenonceau

• nicknamed The Lady's Castle, this castle and its furnishings, grounds and gardens are beautifully maintained
• cool thing about this one is there is a river that runs underneath it, the castle was constructed on top of an old fortified mill
• to bring in provisions as an example boats moor beneath the kitchens and supplies are brought in using a pulley system
• along with the beautiful gardens and estates, the grounds also boast a labyrinth maze ... very cool!!!

Chateau Cheverny

• this chateau is currently inhabited by a Marquis and his family ... they live in a wing of the castle ...
• boy this is a good way to maintain an estate 10Euro per head x 500 - 1,000 people per day ... from April to December ... I'd probably do the same thing ...
• I would say the coolest thing about this castle is the Kennels that house about a hundred French hounds ... we spent time watching the dogkeeper working with the dogs it was some great comic relief ... we got there around feeding time and there was a lot of howling going on ...
• the dogkeep had to move the dogs to an upper area while he cleaned the main area before feeding time so some hounds went up to a balconied area and others went into a very large doghouse ... some of the male dogs that went up came right over to the railing and lifted their legs for us onlookers ... Sabine had a front row seat standing atop a platform used for the ground fencing and had to be careful of the "splashing" ... even the royal dogs piss on the peasants ... haha!

So putting the "tourist-y" stuff aside ... although leading into this next bit is how we encounter the "Pombano's" ...

The Hines-Pombano's

... so on Day 19's bus tour I high-tailed to the back of the bus so the three of us could sit together and there was a couple from New York (Staten Island) in front of us ... Susan Hines and Dominick Pombano ... LUV'd their thick New York accents ...

... through the course of being on the bus, exchanging stories and appreciation for the sights I developed a really comfortable rapport with both Susan and Dominick. As we entered Paris we drove along the left bank of the River Seine and I was able to point out our boat abode to them - and extend an invitation for them to pop by to check out Bateau Simpatico and have a drink "on deck" ...

... now fast forward ... we returned from our bus trip today to find Susan and Dom looking for us with a bottle of wine in hand ... ... we sat up on deck finishing off the bottle of wine and the beer we had in the fridge - again some lively conversation ensued and we just enjoyed each other's company. We gave them a tour of the boat and then decided to go and see the lit up Eiffel Tower at night ... and to check out the "sparkling" Eiffel Tower ... it was a great time in great company with some pretty great people ...

... the Pombano's are heading back to England today where they are staying with a friend of theirs ... they had just taken the Eurostar to Paris to spend a few days here ... I would say this was one of the better string theory intersections I've enjoyed in quite some time - wishing the Pombano's safe travels and lots of special time with their beloved granddaughter Alexa ...

Today's Photo: totally tourist-y ... me & Bean in front of the lit-up Eiffel Tower ...

P.S. Susan was so sweet, at the base of the Eiffel Tower she bought Sabine a tiny, sparkly Eiffel Tower

P.P.S. could not get this day's Blog in by end of day yesterday due to the factors of: vino, beer, 12-hour bus trip ... but here you go for an early morning read ... off now to check-out the sights of gay Paris