Judy's Journal - Day 8
Thursday, September 20th
Day Trip Number 8

Very cool morning – cold in Gina’s red coat. We got up & got organized as usual. Walked to the store and bought the International Herald Tribune before breakfast.

            We decide not to eat in our hotel – too expensive for what we got (7.50€). Instead, we walk to a Patisserie up the street from us – toward the river. 10€ for an American breakfast. – café au lait or tea, corn flakes, bread & butter & scramble eggs w/ a small piece of lettuce for a French touch. Served by an adorable young French girl w/ black clothes, black lovely coiffed hair & red lips. Very good food. When we asked the girl how the eggs are cooked, her French was not good enough to understand /answer our question. The lady across the room said, “Scrambled.”

            Afterwards, we return to the Hotel to brush our teeth & ask directions & we then walk up to Leonardo’s last home (1516-1519) – Chateau du Clos Luce. (It is a world Heritage Site.) It’s a bit expensive for the admission – 13.50€ each. But wonderful to be where Leonardo lived. He traveled over the Alps from Italy (Rome) to be here w/ Francois I, who supported him. Leonardo was his engineer, architect & painter, & Francis & his queen delighted in talking to Leonardo every day. There are several furnished rooms, including his bed chamber, the bed chamber of Francis’ sister (he & his sister had grown up here) & a chapel, where Anne de Bretagne grieved the death of her 2 children. Also a kitchen & IBM’s constructions from Leo’s notebooks of several of his machines such as a flying machine, tank, drawbridge, machine gun, cannon, etc. Interesting large replicas outside in the gardens too. Develops into a warmer, sunny day, maybe 68-70°.

Hotel de Blason - Amboise

Clos du Luce - da Vinci site

patisserie

helicopter constructed from da Vinci drawing

          We walk back the same way again (this time down hill) past many troglodyte homes in the cliffs.

            At the hotel, we pack up the food we have, get in the car, and drive to Rochecorbon next to Vouvray. We find a picnic table near the Loire & dine on water, cheese, bread, apples & cookies. Perfect temp & food amt. after our big breakfast. Many jets flying over.

            On to the Marc Brédif winery, where we pay 5.50€ each for a tour of the caves where they store their wine. They are well known for sparkling & chenin blanc white wine. They still turn their sparkling bottles by hand – no machine, so they can label their sparkling, methode champagnoix. Afterwards, our cute French girl, who has only been here 2 weeks working, gives us a wine tasting. Sparkling, white & red. We buy a bottle of white. Very good.

            Afterwards we drive to the top of the hill to look at the vineyards, which will be harvested in Oct. Not a good year, with a hard freeze in the winter & a very wet July.

            Back to our hotel via Montlouis, Bourdaisiere (w/chateau).

            Tim, Don & I walk to the ATM Bank & Tim uses the credit card instead of the ATM to get $ -- high finance fees because it’s like a cash advance! (Tim slapped his head!)

            Don goes back after some window shopping & Tim & I walk to the glass blowing store to check things out.

            Afterwards to Don & Deb’s room for wine, conversation & relaxation. Email from Kriss.

            We decide to go to dinner down by the supermarket (Carrefour) & the newspaper store. The restaurant is La Scala. It is Italian, but we have a Bulgarian water who looks English. Meal OK, not great. D& D – pizza & salad; Me – salad & spaghetti w/shrimp, mussels & scallops (2 each); Tim – veal w/ham & crème sauce (was supp. to be mozzarella!)

            Afterwards we walk to Amorino for gelato & then back to the hotel for the nite.