Day two - exploration of the Loire Valley begins.................

Last night at dinner we discovered that, not only is our chateau old, they serve very old Armangac at the bar, for a mere 150€ per shot.   They have everything from current production, back to 1901.  The bar is a veritable museum of the very best of regional wines and spirits  however, at this museum they let you taste.  We avoided the old stuff for about 150 different reasons!

Today, we slept in later,than I think I ever have (maybe getting old and jet lag are a bad combo??) but we finally got our butts in gear and set out to see the Loire Valley chateaus.  The French nobility can, and in fact did, teach the world a thing or two about demonstrating power and wealth.  Some of the chateaux took decades to construct, were often never experienced by the noble who commenced their construction, and were often only inhabited for a few days at a time.  But.......they sure looked good and made for wonderful venues for power meetings, celebrations, and demonstrations of power. Each chateau is unique, some having been fully restored, and others now nothing but empty shells.  But, along the winding back roads, which I love to drive, we encountered wonderful local "caves", where ma and pa's local wine is sold for somewhat less than the Aramangac is being sold at our hotel!

All in all a great day capped of by a wine pairing dinner generously ordered from Canada by Jonathan and Meghann as a wonderful birthday present, recognizing Brenda's June birthday.  Anytime I get to participate in somebody else's birthday present.........that is one GREAT present!

The pics are: Brenda heading into her birthday dinner last night; Leonardo Da Vinci's bed chamber at Chateau du Clos Luce (who knew he spent the last years of his life in France and, in fact is buried in the chapel of this chateau?); the famous Chateau Chambord; Brenda stocking up on Vouvray in a wine cave that was.........guess what.........a cave;  several of the "newer" Armagnacs in the bar at our chateau; and last but not least......the bar itself.