Vouvray to Amboise.

Amboise to me sounds very Roman, so expectations were high for this very old town and we were not dissapointed. But it is also the place where Leonardo da Vinci died and was buried, so is a magnet to visitors for that reason also. Our day started with a drive around Vouvray, before we departed the township. Vouvray is a not very extensive area of limestone plateau, raised above the Loire river. The front of the escarpment is a cliff of maybe 50 metres, and it is split by a narrow valley and other weathered indentations along the way. The wines of Vouvray sit up on the limestone plateau, and the housing crowds the narrow strip of land between the base of the cliff and the river, up the narrow valley and anywhere else that a cliff or limestone bank is at hand. We pottered around the few back roads, realizing how much the housing was using the cliff by digging into it, maybe for a garage, but just as likely for a whole house. In the latter case chimneys appear out of the ground further up the slope, making an internal room, or a small window might just appear in the middle of an otherwise clean face of limestone. This feature on the area was further reinforced as we drove up the Loire to its next door neighbor and virtual clone, Montlouis Sur Loire. Here housing pushed further up the valleys and the breaks in the limestone cliff edge, but otherwise there was not a chalk face untouched by excavation and housing. We didn't find it easy to photograph as there are mostly dwelling Aon front and only glimpses up alleys of cave dwelling being, but they were everywhere. I can understand why they look incredible and imagine being able to excavate backwards as far as you like? It was a big day as after the above we drove to Chateau Chenonceau, Shantis most desired historical site. A powerhouse of regal and political activity over many centuries and a glorious moated chateau very much intact on the inside. We hired an audio guide (iPod with headphones) and spent about 2 hours trolling its extensive interior. Less accessible to me than Shanti, I admit, as a bit of knowledge is necessary to understand the periods of time and people involveD. But I can At least report that Catherine de Medici was a central figure in the castles history and we could walk into her bedroom and study, not to mention the many grand rooms of estate. Very intense immersion in soaring ceilings, tapestries, medieval furniture and stories of the past. On to Amboise, yet another candidate for most beautiful rural town and dating back to Celtic tribal days. Amboise is also on the edge of a limestone escarpment, although the town has also spilled across and is extensive on the other side of the river. Along with great use of the limestone edge as the site of the old town, this one has a massive castle - Chateau d'Amboise, build in the 15 th and 16th century. The castle sits up on the edge of the escarpment, but it's front structure is built up from the base of the cliff so it looms like a massive wave at the back of the old town. We checked into our B and B, barely accessible up a driveway cut though limestone and requiring both car mirrors to be retracted. The house itself was on a broad ledge, bu guess what the owners were burrowing into the wall behind, to extend their lodgings. Space is not an issue - you decide how far to go and how high the ceilings will be. Building in reverse, by removing rather than adding. We ate at a restaurant at the foot of the castle wall, then walked for some time in the streets around us, poking noses up private walkways and over walls, fascinated by the place. Here we also saw for the first time the use of wooden beams and limestone in a mixed wall, and increasing use of brick which are a feature of the buildings where we are staying tonight. The streets resonated with our new friend the swifts and their wild cries, plus the reliably and musical blackbirds were in the in town as they have been everywhere.