Day 4 was Tuesday, July 17th and we were leaving Paris and traveling south and would end the day in Tours, France. We met our tour guide Sandra and she would be with us for the duration of the trip. She was wonderful from the beginning and proved to be invaluable to us. We also met our bus driver Olivet, who was also wonderful and would always high-five Trent and Madison when they got on the bus.
We boarded the bus and headed out of Paris. It was sad to be leaving, but we would be back in Paris on Saturday. We traveled an hour and a half to Chartres where we were touring a beautiful cathedral.
Cathedral of Chartres
Construction of the cathedral began in 1205 and continued for 66 years. This cathedral as is Notre Dame is considered one of the finest in French Gothic architecture. What makes the cathedral special from an artistic viewpoint is its exceptional state of preservation.
We had headsets on to listen to the local tour guide.
The stained glass was breathtaking.
After the tour, Tim and Trent ran around the maze.
Lunch time!
From Chartres we traveled two hours to Chambord to see the royal Chateau of Chambord. This chateau is the most recognizable chateau in France because of its French Renaissance architecture with a blend of French medieval architecture. Chambord was built between 1519-1547, although it was never completed. We didn't tour the inside of the Chateau, we just explored the grounds.
You could see how enormous this Chateau was from a distance.
WOW!
Trent insisted that he take this picture with his finger holding up the Chateau.
Another picture by Trent.
Family Picture.
The group taking a rest.
Cutie pie!
The kids spent a few minutes playing in the playground.
Tim and Zach playing imaginary ping pong.
Big kid on the swing.
The quaint chapel.
From Chambord we traveled to our last stop of the day in Vouvray for wine tasting at the Marc Bredif Winery.
The vineyards of Vouvray cover 4,500 acres on the northern banks of the Loire to the east of Tours. Only one grape, Chenin Blanc, is grown on the clay and limestone or siliceous clay soil. The wines are both still and sparkling. Depending on the year, they are dry, medium or sweet.
Homes are built into the side of the hill.
The wine is kept in this huge cave. It was so neat.
The room where the wine that had the best season is kept.
The oldest wine was from 1874.
Wine from 1996.
Cheers!
From the winery we traveled about 10 minutes to our hotel where we would stay for two nights.
This is how we traveled around France.
Walking up to the hotel.
Part of the hotel.
Trent got his own room. He was so excited!
The hotel room was awesome. There was so much room for us to spread out.
Dinner time!
We had a nice dinner and then it was back to the hotel room for some much needed sleep.
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