THE LOIRE - France 2014 - page 581

Second Floor: Beneath beautiful coffered ceilings (notice the “F” for François) is a
series of ballrooms that once hosted post-hunt parties. Today, temporary exhibits occupy
these rooms. From here, you'll climb up to the rooftop, but first lean to the center of the
staircase and look down its spiral.
Rooftop: Apincushionofspiresandchimneysdecoratestherooftopviewingterrace.
Fromadistance,theroof—withitsfrillyforestofstonetowers—givesthemassivechâteau
a deceptive lightness. From here, ladies could scan the estate grounds, enjoying the spec-
tacle of their ego-pumping men out hunting. On hunt day, a line of beaters would fan out
and work inward from the distant walls, flushing wild game to the center, where the king
and his buddies waited. The showy lantern tower of the tallest spire glowed with a night-
time torch when the king was in.
Gaze up at the grandiose tip-top of the tallest tower, capped with the king's fleur-
de-lis symbol. It's a royal lily—not a cross—that caps this monument to the power of the
French king.
In the Courtyard: In the far corner, next to the summer café, a door leads to the
classy carriage rooms andthefascinating lapidary rooms. Hereyou'llcomeface-to-face
with original stonework from the roof, including the graceful lantern cupola, with the ori-
ginalpalace-cappingfleur-de-lis.Imaginehavingtohoistthatload.Thevolcanictuffstone
usedtobuildthespireswassoftandeasytowork,butnotverydurable—particularlywhen
so exposed to the elements.
Sleeping near Chambord and Cheverny
$$ Hôtel du Grand St. Michel** lets you wake up with Chambord outside your window.
It's an Old World, hunting-lodge kind of place with rooms in pretty good shape and a
trophy-festooneddiningroom(good menus from€20).Sleephereandyou'llhaveachance
to roam the château grounds after the peasants have been run out (small Db-€76, bigger
Db-€90, Db facing château-€98-110 and worth the extra euros, extra bed-€15, breakfast-
€10, tel. [phone], on Place Saint Louis, www.saintmichel-chambord.com , hotel-
[e-mail] ) .
$$ Chambres la Flânerie, on the bike route from Chambord to Cheverny, offers
two family rooms in an adorable home. It's riddled with flowers, crawling with ivy, and
surrounded by wheat fields and forests. The gentle Delabarres speak enough English and
loan bikes to their fortunate guests (Db-€63, Tb-€78, Qb-€98, includes breakfast, 25 Rue
de Gallerie, tel. [phone], mobile [phone], www.laflanerie.com , laflaner-
[e-mail] ) . Coming from Blois on D-765, it's before Cheverny in the hamlet of
LesFées.Turnrightwhereyouseewoodenbussheltersflankingtheroad,andfollowsigns
to Eric Auge Menuiserie (see map on here ) .