Amboise
At the boys' request, we had another Maison Gaspard breakfast. While I stuck to the more savory items, the boys, true to their preferences, veered towards the sweeter options. Our next stop - the village of Saint-Régle, to stay at Chateau Arpentis—a fief of Chateau d’Amboise. The drive along the Loire was picturesque lined with chateaus, caves (so many), quaint villages, a cycling path, and strong winds. As we neared Amboise, the 15th-century residence of King Charles VIII, which also holds the tomb of Leonardo da Vinci, emerged in the distance. We had to pull over and take a photograph. We then entered a driveway that meandered through a canopy of trees until the sun illuminated the entrance of Chateau des Arpentis. Woah! Laurent, our host, first led us to the boys' room named Penelope & Cleophee on the third floor with a view of fields dotted with hay bales and horses.
A fox was by a tree as we arrived. Afterwards, we followed Laurent across the grass to the guard house, where a small elevator took us downward. What greeted us was a grand room, with a regal four-poster bed, a large bathtub, and a kitchenette tucked within a cave/ alcove. The room has six expansive windows that offered views of the surroundings, creating an enchanting feeling.
We felt like kings and queens! Haha After settling in, we decided to explore Amboise. We left the Chateau, taking a different route than our initial approach. We saw a McDonald's and an E.Leclerc merely 1.2 km away! Weird. One instance finds me immersed in a castle situated in the midst of remoteness, and in the next the modern world, one which doesn't resonate with my personal preferences, reveals itself just around the corner. This is another example of the contrasts that life often presents. We explored the village of Amboise, with its narrow streets lined with shops and restaurants. My goal was to find a soap shop, where we could buy bath bombs or salts.
We found one! Later, we enjoyed a unique dinner: Fouée, small dough bites originally for testing wood oven heat, similar to pita and served with chicken and lamb (and what we think was sausage and carmelized onions), salted herb butter, and mache greens. Wrapping up the day, the guys hopped into a bath bomb bonanza before retreating to their quarters.
