We enjoyed the breakfast provided by Chateau des Arpentis on their terrace this morning on our wedding anniversary. In this photo you can see the building our apartment is in.
I was sorry to check out, it’s been a lovely break here, however we had to head back closer to Paris for our morning flight tomorrow. On the way we stopped in to visit the huge , spectacular Chateau de Chambord. King François I decided to build his château at Chambord in 1519, on marshy land on the banks of the river Cosson, in the middle of a particularly bounteous hunting forest. He requested a “very large, beautiful and sumptuous building,” that would allow him to satisfy his passion for hunting and high living. The result is spectacular and is particularly renowned for its huge double helix staircase that rises up through all 4 levels in the centre of the chateau. It’s two intertwined staircases that never meet. We used the staircase to work our way up through the levels, each floor having incredibly high ceilings and dozens of massive fireplaces.
At the top levels and the roof terrace we could look down on the artificial lake and the very formal “French garden”
The roof of the chateau has a dozen or so elaborately carved towers and turrets, very beautiful.
I’m one small gallery there was an interesting display about Chambord role in WWII when it played a key role in the French plan to hide away the treasures of the Louve before they could be damaged and plundered by the invading Germans. the Mona Lisa was one of those treasures.
Back on ground level we took a few more shots of the massive edifice before heading on our way.
The drive back to Paris took around three hours , the traffic getting steadily worse as we approached the fringes of the city. I remember from previous trips how bad the traffic was in Paris but it seems to extend for miles beyond the city! We needed to be near Charles De Gaulle airport for our flight tomorrow but I hadn’t been keen on spending our anniversary evening in an airport hotel. After a bit of research I discovered the Manoir de Gressy, a charming hotel in the tiny village of Gressy about 15 minutes drive from CDG. It’s built in an old fortified farmhouse and has a restaurant that gets great reviews. It was very quiet, from reviews I’d read that at times it could be packed , sometimes with conferences, but we lucked onto a quiet day. We spent some time doing the pre-flight repack that is needed at the end of a long trip and then went down to the bar for a drink before dinner. The meal was outstanding , from the amuse bouche of a savory crème broiler made with fois gras , to my desert of “Blueberries served 5 ways” . The lovely meal and a very nice French champagne was a wonderful way to celebrate our anniversary. We rolled back to the room, set our alarm for 6.30 and went to bed.
