France and Italy, 2004

We stayed at the Château de la Huberdière, about 5 km outside Amboise. The glories of this château were considerably faded, but it provided a base for seeing some of the châteaux of the Loire valley.

The walls and cathedral of the town of Loches.

Château Villandry has an imposing building, but people really come to see the garden.

The church in Villandry is situated just outside the Château gardens: very convenient.

Château Chenonceaux is an even more imposing building.

With a separate guard tower.

But the most extraordinary thing is that it is built right across the River Cher. During WW2, the front door was in German-occupied France and the back door was in the Vichy Republic. Some interesting traffic through the house.....  At least that is the owners' story, but as there was a German garrison in the next field, maybe not.