Alright folks, I'm finally getting around to posting my first set of photos from Paris. (It's a miracle, I know) A million apologies for taking so long to get around to this. Some of these pics are of the events i mentioned in my earlier posts. Enjoy!
Shanta and Me on the train!
The oldest building in Angers. It looked like it was about to fall apart, but it was still neat to look at!
One of the castles in Angers
View of the river from the top of the castle
One of the best things about France are all the TEA SHOPS! We found this little tea shop and had tea time. We ordered yummy macaroons. They also served our teas in individual teapots. It was divine! :)
One of the cathedrals in Angers
Later that night we had dinner at a traditional French restaurant. I've learned that the French really LOVE meat! Unfortunately for Shanta and Marc, it was Lent so the options were limited. Here's Marc for starring down the "goose that supposedly was mocking him". ;)
Note: This was also the same restaurant where I was confused by the bathroom signs, mentioned in my earlier post. :P
Shanta trying to be a spy (as usual)
Marc, Me, and Shanta in front of the restaurant.
Now we've all heard that everything is smaller in Europe. This is me in the elevator of the inn we stayed at. It's a miracle that the three of us were all able to fit in there with all our luggage!
Our last sight to see was one of the gardens in the city. It was described to have "promiscuous sculptures" which got our attention. However, most of the statues looked liked they were just lying in agony. :P
Mushrooms....
mushrooms...
and more mushrooms! :)
Sour cream with coffee, anyone?
The next day we rented a car and started our journey through the valley. We made our way to Anjou, Saumur, and Chinon, Blois, and Tours. The château on the left is in Saumur. As you can see, it was cold and gloomy, but the château still looked magnificent.
Here is a shot of the garden in the Royal Abbey of Fontevraud. It's the largest abbey in France.
Shanta and Me on the train!
The oldest building in Angers. It looked like it was about to fall apart, but it was still neat to look at!
One of the castles in Angers
View of the river from the top of the castle
One of the best things about France are all the TEA SHOPS! We found this little tea shop and had tea time. We ordered yummy macaroons. They also served our teas in individual teapots. It was divine! :)
One of the cathedrals in Angers
Later that night we had dinner at a traditional French restaurant. I've learned that the French really LOVE meat! Unfortunately for Shanta and Marc, it was Lent so the options were limited. Here's Marc for starring down the "goose that supposedly was mocking him". ;)
Note: This was also the same restaurant where I was confused by the bathroom signs, mentioned in my earlier post. :P
Shanta trying to be a spy (as usual)
Marc, Me, and Shanta in front of the restaurant.
Now we've all heard that everything is smaller in Europe. This is me in the elevator of the inn we stayed at. It's a miracle that the three of us were all able to fit in there with all our luggage!
Our last sight to see was one of the gardens in the city. It was described to have "promiscuous sculptures" which got our attention. However, most of the statues looked liked they were just lying in agony. :P
This is the mushroom museum I mentioned earlier. :)
Mushrooms....
mushrooms...
and more mushrooms! :)
Sour cream with coffee, anyone?
The next day we rented a car and started our journey through the valley. We made our way to Anjou, Saumur, and Chinon, Blois, and Tours. The château on the left is in Saumur. As you can see, it was cold and gloomy, but the château still looked magnificent.
Here is a shot of the garden in the Royal Abbey of Fontevraud. It's the largest abbey in France.
Our next stop was at Château de Chenonceau. This was by far one of my favorite castles. They built it over a river!
This castle was used as inspiration for the castle in Disney's Sleeping Beauty.
Our last castle we visited was Château de Chambord. It's probably the grandest castle I've ever seen.
We stopped in Tours and stayed there for a day before we headed back to Paris. That night we dined at an awesome fondue place. Oddly enough (not maybe not that odd) the restaurant had an obsession with cows. Literally every inch of wall space was covered in photos and artwork of our moo moo friends :) We returned our rental car and hopped onto the train for Paris.
It's hard to imagine that these grand castles were once occupied by royalty. It definitely makes where I live seem like a shoebox in comparison. Sadly, this ends my adventure in Loire Valley. Coming up will be my adventures in Paris!
