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Blois: Day 3

Our last day in Blois had a bit of a rocky start. We were headed to Chenonceau and had checked the train schedule last night, so we knew we had to catch the 9:20 train out of Blois. The only thing we had to do was buy tickets. I was tasked with getting these tickets from the machine.

It was my first time using the ticket machine and I went through each step: 4 passengers, departing from Blois, arriving at Chenonceau, 2nd class seats, return trip included. Then it asked me how many, and I mistakenly keyed in 4. When the total charge was displayed, I knew something was wrong, but I also knew the train was leaving in 20 minutes. We had no idea how much it was supposed to cost. And everything was in French! I panicked - I began to think of alternate ways of getting to Chenonceau. Bus? Nope, it only goes to Chambord and Cheverny. Taxi? But it seems pretty expensive too. Another train to Amboise? Then a bus from Amboise? But wait!!

I realized my mistake, and tried the ticket machine again. Meanwhile, someone noticed that our train was delayed 10 minutes, so we had some extra time to sort things out. This time, I made sure to select 1 in response to "how many?" and the total and order was good to go. Whew. We hurriedly ate our pastries, validated our ticket, and boarded the train.

The hour-long train ride to Chenonceau was uneventful except for the ticket inspection - which proved we purchased and validated our ticket correctly. Hooray!

The Chenonceaux train station turned out to be right next to the castle grounds, so we wasted no time in paying the entrance fee and exploring the castle. It was my first castle and I enjoyed the experience (though one of my companions thought the castle was fairly small and disappointing compared to others). It turns out that the castle was built in the 15th century and was mostly managed by ladies, beginning with King Henri II's favorite lady, Diane de Poitiers, thus earning the nickname "The Ladies' Château". The inside of the castle wasn't too expansive: just 3 floors and the kitchens, but the rooms were very nicely decorated, reflecting the Renaissance period. I think my favorite part was the outside of the castle - where you can see the castle straddling the Cher river. The gardens were very well maintained, and there was a hedge maze!

Before we left Chenonceau, we had time to enjoy a quick picnic beside the castle grounds in the designated picnic area (no outside food allowed on castle grounds). Then it was time to board the train back to Blois. (We had to head back early because one of us forgot to pack enough shirts and needed to hit the shopping area. Not me!)

I took the time to relax a bit, and start packing up since we're heading to Paris tomorrow. And get ready for dinner! Our last meal in Blois was at Le Creusille - on the other side of the Loire river. It was a pleasant surprise that they had outdoor dining (though this got challenging when the wind picked up). The food was a perfect balance of rich and light - exactly what we were looking for after the last two dinners. I finally got to try duck confit and found the duck to be very well done, but not as tender as I was expecting. (I will always remember the roast duck I had in Shanghai which was melt-in-your-mouth tender and crispy on the outside.) Don't get me wrong, I ate the whole dish without having to use my knife, but the juiciest part of the duck was the sauce that accompanied it. Maybe my expectations are incorrect. The seafood appetizer was decent, and the dessert was heavenly - lavender ice cream with strawberries.

I'm really excited for tomorrow - Paris and a Michelin starred restaurant!

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