France: Day 13

We left Vannes to drive to the Loire Valley and tour some chateaux.  It was beautiful outside and one of the warmest days of our trip.  We saw statues similar to these all over the countryside.  The farmers place them at the edge of their fields and believe that it will help their crops prosper.  This was one of many we saw.

The first castle we visited was Chateau d'Usse, also called the Sleeping Beauty castle.  It's called that because the author of the fairy tale, Charles Perrault, lived here for a while and was inspired to write the story.  Doesn't it look straight out of Disney? :)

view of gardens from the castle wall

In one of the towers they had wax figures of the Sleeping Beauty story set up and the Disney music playing.  It was fun to peek through the windows and see the characters.

It's hard to see it in this picture, but this was a "vending machine" selling fruit.  Maybe America should take a hint and sell fruit in vending machines instead of junk food!  (Don't know how well that would go over though!)

We were so lucky to be there in spring when all the trees were blossoming.

The next castle we went to was Chateau de Villandry.  There was a huge crowd of people there compared to the first place we went.  I think it was largely due to the gardens though since the castle wasn't that impressive.  But I liked this tile. :)

The gardens were spectacular.  I loved all the intricate designs.

How'd you like to take care of this vegetable garden?!

We took a little ice cream break, mmm.

We weren't going to go here at first, but we squeezed it in at the last minute.  This is Chateau d'Amboise where Leonardo Da Vinci lived out his last years and was buried here.

I loved the music room, of course. :)

flags of Brittany

Da Vinci's grave

Our last stop was Chateau de Chenonceau, which ended up being my favorite.

It is stunning.

This is the entry hall/ballroom set over the water.

I loved all the copper pots in the kitchen.

Doesn't this tower look like it's home to Rapunzel?

So gorgeous!

We explored the grounds and beautiful gardens too.  

I don't know what kind of trees these are, but I thought they looked cool.

We ended with a walk through the little hedge maze.

We arrived very late that night to stay at Chateau de Champvallins, a bed and breakfast in the middle of nowhere.  It was awesome!

I'll finish telling about our stay on the next post since this one already has too many pictures!

France: Day 12

Do you like Jacob's breakfast? :)  We couldn't find any bakeries all morning, so by the time we finally found one we were ready for sandwiches.  This was probably the biggest one he ate the whole trip.  We were on our way to the Paimpont Forest to see Merlin's Tomb. 

It was such a gorgeous drive.

French cows :)

entering Paimpont Forest

Merlin's Tomb

Yes, it's a legend, but in France people believe it's true.

"gifts" left for Merlin

There were little notes shoved in the crevices too.

Fountain of Youth

Jacob dipped his fingers in, but I didn't touch it.  The water looked pretty nasty.  Maybe his fingers will live forever. Only time will tell, ha. :)

Later, we drove down to the coastal town of Carnac.  We took a tour on a little train to see the city. 

I loved seeing this beautiful view of the ocean.

These standing stones are the main reason people visit Carnac.  They've been there for thousands of years and no one knows exactly what they were for.  It was crazy to see all these huges stones in the fields in different formations.

Ok, I won't bore you with any more pictures of stones.

Even though I have plenty more. :)

We ended the night in the city of Vannes.  

Here's another of Jacob's apartments he lived in on his mission.

This statue has an interesting legend.  

Apparently, when its raised hand points/falls down it will signify the end of the world.

We found Vannes and his wife (founder of the city).

They are displayed on this building, which is an Italian restaurant.

After almost two weeks of French food, we were craving something a little different, so we decided to eat here.  It was so delicious.  I ate the best lasagna I've probably ever had in my life.  Maybe because it was loaded with cream, mmm.  So I guess our Italian food wasn't that different from French cuisine after all. :)

A few more shots from the streets of Vannes:

Stained glass depiction of Joan of Arc in the cathedral

Um...Tex Mex?!

  Who would've thought you'd find this in a tiny town in France?

It would have been fun to compare this place to home, but we were stuffed full of pasta by the time we spotted this.

Our hotel room in Vannes.  We loved the big bed!