Curiosities of Chambord !!!

Posted in Europe, Food and Wine, France

And we came back to mighty beautiful Chambord ! It has been said that the stretch of land on both sides of the Loire river passing by several famous towns for its castles was referred to as the valley of the kings. Well Chambord is the king of the valley! Chambord is a small village with a huge castle and even bigger forest in dept Loir-et- Cher,no 41 of the Centre-Val de Loire region of my belle France. As usual , I have written plenty but never enough when you consider the magnificent of Chambord. Therefore, here is my take on curiosities of Chambord !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.

The village of Chambord is famous for its castle and its fully enclosed park, a national hunting reserve where presidential hunts once took place. The village and the entire territory are the property of the French State, administered in the form of a public industrial and commercial establishment called the Domaine national de Chambord. The latest was 35 min 31 km from our hotel in Meung sur Loire to Chambord follow D2 and D2152 towards Av. de Chambord/D925 to Beaugency, At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto Av. d’Orléans/D2152, Follow D925 towards D951 to Saint-Laurent-Nouan turn left onto Av. de Chambord/D925 (signs towards Lailly en Val/La Ferté St A./St Laurent des Eaux) Continue to follow D925 turn left onto Pont de Beaugency/D925 turn right onto D925 (signs towards La Ferté St Cyr/Chambord) at the roundabout, take the 1st exit onto D951 , Follow D112B and D112 towards Place Saint-Louis to Chambord.

Bureau d’information touristique de Chambord Halle d’accueil .Here starts all ticketing and passes as well as good information for all the domain,essential to ask,

The Parking is 6€ per day the closest to the castle As part of my friends of many castles and museum in France I get a discount entrance and free parking. Once in it plenty to eat and shop, The food inside at the Café d’Orléans is very nice for simple sandwiches snacks etc and soft drinks. The Café des écuries outside is very nice and can see the castle with good views. On the Village square approaching the castle you have several eateries as well and shops.  There is a nice boutique inside by the entrance with all the trimmings including food and local products, and there is the La maison des vins de Cheverny, very good for tasting and buying the local wines that are good and good prices. We loaded up as usual !

At the Relais de Chambord, (not stayed for info only) ; the only hotel in the Domaine national de Chambord, This hunting lodge included 5,440 hectares of forest, as well as an outbuilding used as a coaching inn, the building where the Relais de Chambord is located today. In 2018, the former hotel was reborn as the Relais de Chambord, a contemporary boutique hotel that retains its charm and authenticity. The renovation project into a luxury establishment was led by the renowned French architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte, with the greatest respect for its unique architecture and its natural environment. The hotel’s facade, modern and classic at the same time. The hotel has been transformed into contemporary accommodation, it retains its original facade, including an observation turret, and respects the traditional characteristics of Chambord, such as the red color of the windows and doors.

One of the singularities of the Chambord park is its total enclosure by a masonry wall intended to create a royal territory and to preserve the game within it. Undertaken as early as 1542, the construction of the wall was interrupted on numerous occasions and only completed in the 17C after the acquisition of the last lands. Today there are 6 known gates used by visitors to reach the castle. At each gate is a pavilion currently inhabited by a forest agent. The Chambord park is the largest enclosed forest park in France. The gates from North to South, the Pavillons of Muides, Thoury, Montfrault (not accessible to the public), Bracieux, Chaussée and Saint-Dyé are the guardians of the domain.

The porte de Bracieux gate, which, as its name suggests, is close to the town of Bracieux. The Bracieux Gate and its wall delimit two forests: to the north, the Chambord Estate forest, and to the south, the Boulogne Forest, appreciated when the time comes by mushroom pickers.

The porte de Muides opens the gates of the Chambord estate by taking the Route François 1er road. As you enter the estate, you will see the forester’s house on your right and the Gabillière farm on your left, which includes a rental cottage, a reception hall, and an educational workshop for schools. A little anecdote about this gate: it is the obligatory passage point for exceptional convoys transporting mechanical parts for the Saint Laurent nuclear power plant nearby.

The official Domaine National de Chambord : https://www.chambord.org/fr/decouvrir/decouvrir-le-parc-domaine-chambord/

The local Blois-Chambord tourist office on the castle: https://www.bloischambord.co.uk/discover-the-destination/the-loire-valley-castles/chateau-de-chambord/

The Loire Valley Centre Val de Loire region tourist office on the domaine de Chambord : https://www.loirevalley-france.co.uk/discover/loire-chateaux/national-domain-chambord/

There you go folks, I say the king of the valley of the kings, Chambord, undescribable. A must to visit while in France. We had come back, and will again. We were there even during Christmas magical, and concerts awesome. Again, hope you enjoy this post on curiosities of Chambord !!! as I.

And remember, happy travels , good health, and many cheers to all !!!

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Published by pedmar10

I am a lover of travels to Europe , Americas , Africa and Asia as well ,who like to share my experiences of the last 53 years with the world, visiting so far 81 countries; living in 6, working in 5, and Citizen of 4, speaking fluently 4 languages. I can deal with sports especially football/soccer and love music, arts, wine collector/drinker, and go out to restaurants, and just visit the world. My background comes all the way from Candelaria and Pajara in Tenerife, Spain where my grandparents came from ;not knowing each other then, to Punta Brava, west of Havana, Cuba. There , my parents born in Cuba met and later on I was born there too. 100% guanche (annexed Tenerife to Spain on April 10 ,1496). I left Cuba as many have to Madrid, Spain where I lived for 4 years. Then, move to Perth Amboy ,New Jersey USA (living there 13 yrs) ; where I completed high school, became a US Citizen, learned to drive a car, and learned English. Afterward, went to the university in Florida, ERAU, and upon graduation decided to moved there to Ormond by the Sea, near Daytona Beach, finally moving North Miami, then Hialeah, then another moved to Silver Lakes division in Miramar, Broward county, Florida; in Florida I lived a total of 18 years. Finally , moved to France in 2003 ,Versailles call me for its royalty, and working in Paris was great. It was time to seek frontiers again and moved to Brech near Auray, Morbihan in Brittany , and later move to not too far Pluvigner. Total so far in France has been 20 years, and counting. Moving average a home every 5.5 years hopefully this will be my last. Cheers All rights reserved. No part of this blog may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means or stored in a retrieval system of any nature, without the written permission of the copyright holder, me. No part of this work may be modified, without the written permission of the holder, me.No part of this work may be exposed to public view in any form or by any means, without identifying the holder as the author, and with the before mentioned permission.

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