pass the french toast: bus trip day 5

Friday June 1.
part i: blois
I didn't care too much for this castle, it was definitely unique but it did not have the same charm as the others. Once you walk through the entrance, you find yourself in a large square with buildings on all 4 sides. Each side is built in a very different style, so the overall effect is jumbled and dissonant. We had an hour of free time before the tour so we checked out the chapel, found a nice view of a nearby cathedral, then took a little nap on the grass.

i loved the rooftops. melissa and i were trying to throw little spike balls from a tree into the chimneys. it wasn't easy.

more of henry ii's monograms. i may have found the inspiration for decorating my bedroom. (jk mom)

some interesting ghost-like monk gargoyle? and painted ceiling beams.

terrible lighting but my shoes matched the floors.

our professor playing king of the rock.

Part ii: Chambord
This was the only castle I had actually heard of before the trip. My first impression was that the roof looked like 'its a small world after all' at Disneyland. I later learned that the roof was inspired by the skyline of Constantinople. The chateau was built in a huge forest (the forest is bigger than the entire city of Paris) and was used as a hunting lodge by Francois I. It was left completely abandoned several times, and during the French revolution the furnishings were sold off and the doors were used as fire wood. Many works from the Louvre were stored here during WWII.
There were so many rooms that I didn't have a chance to see all of them, but it seemed like the hunting lodge theme was pretty consistent. It had a really cool double spiral staircase that I took up to the roof to have a look around.