[Journal/Info] The First Day Trip

A recollection of my day of many naps. 

Château at Amboise in Loire Valley, the second château we visited today.

---------------

Currently:

6:52 p.m. I wake up to the sky and quiet. The sky all around me looks spectacular. Clouds of all shapes and sizes look like they exploded across the true blue. I admire the 360 degree view through the big window panes of my bus. My classmates are quiet, the majority of them sleeping like I was just moments ago. The bus is enveloped in a still quiet, the aftermath of an exhausting day trip to the beautiful Loire Valley. 

My photo does not do the sky any justice.

A week and a half of the program has passed, only a week and a half until the end. I've heard some students say it's felt incredibly long, and some say it's felt full or not full enough. Between classes, walking tours, and solo adventures, I feel the week and a half has flown by. There's always something to do or be done. At a week and a half, Paris feels like an old friend. 

---------------

Earlier This Morning, in Paris:

6:50 a.m. I wake up to an overcast sky. The day trip bus is leaving at 7:30 a.m. and our second midterm is due before we leave. Although the class had a week to complete the midterms, almost everyone seemed to have wait until last night - burning the midnight oil - to complete the free responses. The bus is full of groggy, half-awake faces. 

Rooftops under an overcast sky. Not uncommon for Paris.

It seems after so many years of school, we still haven't learned to manage our tendencies to procrastinate. Hopefully, for the finals to be handed out tomorrow, we will complete them in a more timely manner. I would recommend future students complete the midterms as soon as they have free time, days ahead of their due date. 

---------------

Château de Chenonceau and Diane de Poitiers' flowers.

Later This Morning, in Lore Valley:

10:38 a.m. I wake up to find myself in Loire Valley, sitting on the bus on the grounds of the Château de Chenonceau, one of the most well-known châteaux in the region and second most visited after the Palace of Versailles. Over the bus's microphone, Professor Freixes is giving us a rundown of the history of the castle. 

The Château de Chenonceau is the first of the two châteaux our class will be visiting. Built in 1514-1522, it was built on the foundations of an old mill along the River Cher and later extended to span the river. The architecture is a prime example of the mixing of the late Gothic and early Renaissance period. 

With the château's several centuries of history, one of the most notable stories tell the tale of Diane de Poitiers, the mistress of King Henry II of France, and his wife, Catherine de' Medici. When the château passed to King Henry II, he gifted it to his beloved mistress, who fell in love with the castle on the river. She spent her days in the castle, commissioning the famous bridge across the river, and overseeing her extensive flower, vegetable and fruit tree garden.  

When King Henry II passed away in 1559, his widow, queen Catherine de Medici forced Diane to exchange Château de Chenonceau for the lesser Château de Chaumont. Once queen Catherine took over, it became her favorite residence. She built new, even more extensive gardens across from Diane's gardens and spent a fortune on hosting spectacular nighttime parties. 

Once we are off the bus, we are able to bypass the line (with Professor Freixes, we never wait in the hour-long lines) and continue down the long, tree-lined road that leads to the castle. At the end of the road, I stand before the gardens of the two women who created them centuries before me. With both gardens side by side in front of the castle, I breathe in the spectacular view and history of the grounds.

.
.
.

Driving through Loire Valley.

When traveling with the class, be mindful of the time. To explore as much of France as possible, Professor Freixes gives us strict meeting times. That being said, one of the most important things to do is to prioritize, especially on a tight tour schedule where not everything can be seen in depth. Pick and chose, see everything quickly, and linger at only a few. 

Until next time,

Sherry