France Trip 6/19 Day 4 - Amboise Farmers Market and the Cemetery

After breakfast we left at 9:15 for the farmers market in Amboise along the river Loire.  Quite an experience!  Cathy even ordered a chicken in French sign language?!  She was so proud of herself.

We bought food for the next few days.  Then went back for a nap.

This is the arch to come into the property.  At least the street was wider than at the gate in Chartres!

Sam "Where's the food"

We are in the Pavillion Lucas 

These are into the side of the cliffs.

The first floor bathroom really has a problem!  It stimks!  Jen said in one of the reviews they had mentioned a toilet stink problem.

We needed to re-orgainize our suitcases and then we decided to take a walk to the old cemetery just outside of town.

We didn't see any of our family names but the cemetery was very special.

 We picked some some jasmine on the way back from the cemetery to put in the bathroom to help the smell situation.  (it didn't help for long.)

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Our itinerary for Day 4

June 19 ~ Sunday ~ Day 4~Amboise (Am-bwa z)

Day of Rest - Things we can do: (Stores are closed!)

Sunday market along the banks of the river Loire at Amboise. Pick up perishables food for the next 4 days (tomatoes for stews, salad fixens, nuts, Corn & potatoes, baggette for lunch) 8am to 2.00pm arrive before 10 because it gets crowded. It is located by the river in a parking lot across from the Office de Tourisme d'Amboise Val de loire Quai du Général de Gaulle  37402 Amboise, France  We can also pick buy combination passes at the Tourist Office for visiting several châteaux in the area.

GROCERY SHOP at market! We have picnics coming up!

Sleep, Sleep, Sleep

Go Swimming!

Rent a bike

LOCA CYCLE

2 bis rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau

37400 AMBOISE

• 02 47 57 00 28
• 02 47 57 00 28
• http://www.locacycle.free(...)
• locacycle.amboise@free.fr

Dinner and Hot Chocolate in Amboise

• L'Echanson, 5 Rue d'Orange, 37400 Amboise, France. A small variety of high-quality dishes that use local produce. Fixed-prix menus available - 21€/25€ (this may vary depending on food available). Food can also ordered a la carte. Excellent selection of wines that can be bought by glass for tastings
• L'Alliance, 14 Rue Joyeuse, 37400 Amboise, France, +33 2 47 30 52 13. Delicious food at fairly reasonable prices (average prix-fixe menu is 27€) that makes full use of seasonal local produce.
• La Fourchette, 9 Rue Malebranche, 37400 Amboise, 0611781698. Simple but delicious home-style French food. Very reasonably priced at lunch. Menu is limited and changes daily. Open Tuesday-Saturday for lunch and Friday-Saturday for dinner.

~Walk down to the Loire River

~This evening have bags packed and ready by door so we have more time in morning for castles.

~pack a lunch for tomorrow

-water

Many of the châteaux in the Loire Valley offerSound and Light Shows (Son et Lumière)during the summer season. The shows vary from one château to the next, but all try to transport you to the time when the châteaux were the home of royalty. It's a fun way to thrust yourself into history.

The Château d'Amboise has a charming Son et Lumière that is performed by over 400 volunteers from Amboise and the surrounding villages. It traces the château's history and focuses on the time of King François I, who ruled from 1515 to 1547. With a series of processions, dances, flaming torches, acrobatics, and horses, as well as music and creative lighting effects, the show presents a delightful picture of life at Amboise in the 1500s.

Leonardo da Vinci, who was living nearby at Clos Lucé at the invitation of François I, puts in an appearance, and the show culminates with brieffireworks. Spectators are seated in grandstands with an open view of the château and its grounds. Afterwards you can greet the cast—Jane even got to pose with King François I!

Azay-le-Rideau (UNDER RESTORATION, NOT OPEN AND SCAFFOLDING ON OUTSIDE) takes a different approach, inviting visitors to stroll through the grounds around the château, while music seems to come from the trees. Projections on the châteaucomplete the picture. The grounds are open for about an hour, and visitors stay as long as they want and go at their own pace.

Most Sound and Light Shows invo lve no performers, but rather project images and sound on the monuments, telling the history through pictures, music, and dialogue (usually in French).

The first Sound and Light Show was presented at the Château de Chambord in the Loire Valley in 1952. The invention is credited to Paul Robert-Houdin, who was curator of Chambord, and who was also the grandson of Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin, famous magician and showman fromBlois. Chambord still offers a delightful Sound and Light Show today.

Sound and Light Shows are also presented atChenonceau and Blois, as well as other châteauxin the region. Check with the local Tourist Officefor show times, prices, and availability of performances in English or other languages.

The Tourist Information Office in Amboise sellscombination tickets that can save you a little money. Also some Sound and Light Show tickets will include a discount coupon for a visit.