I vinterferien 2003 dro vi til Loire-dalen, hvor vi besøkte diverse slott og andre severdigheter.

During the winter holidays 2003 we went to the Loire valley, where we visited a number of palaces and other interesting sites.

We started at the Chambord castle, which king François I built in the early 1500s, inter alia with help from Leonardo da Vinci, who designed the beautiful stairway.

We stayed at this little palace -- Château de la Bourdaisière -- buildt for Maire Gaudin, one of François I's mistresses, later owned by Gabrielle d'Estrée, a favourite of Henri IV

In Amboise we went to see Clos-Lucé, a small palace where Leonado da Vinci spent his last years, invited by François I. To the left his bedroom, in the middle the kitchen, and on the right, a copy made of one of his many inventions.

In Amboise we also visited the main castle, where St. Hubert's Chapel is situated. Leonardo da Vinci is buried in the Chapel. The mantelpiece from the castel symbolises the marrige between Charles VIII and Anne de Bretagne. One result of their marrige contract is still relevant: Thare are no road tolls in Bretagne!

We ended the journey at Fontevraud, a beutiful monastery where the tombstones of Eleanor d'Aquitaine and Henry II plantagenet (left) and Richard Lionhearth 5right) can be found. In the middle, the kitchen of the monastery.