| Nora took an early-morning train to Tours and walked across the station plaza where she was met by Pascal, the driver for the day. She was joined by four young students, three from Thailand and one from Vietnam for the tour. The first stop was the extensive gardens of Villandry which she toured under overcast skies. The next stop was Azay-Le-Rideau where she toured the gardens and the Chateau (which was undergoing restoration). A picnic lunch at Chenonceau was followed by most of the afternoon spent wandering within the Chateau's walls and gardens. Pascal suggested that it would be best to bypass a planned visit to Chambord -- which he likened to a second-rate Versailles -- and instead suggested a tour of the castle-like Chaumont where she toured the Chateau and its luxurious stables. It is said that the latter were built so opulently because their owner believed he would be reincarnated as a horse. |
