One More Chapter
A twenty two year-old's view on life, death,
and Taylor Swift conspiracy theories
and Taylor Swift conspiracy theories
3/18/2015 0 Comments Paris Update: La Loire ValleyWelcome to HEAVEN! Sorry about the delay in this post. Turns out that when you are living and studying and travelling around Europe, time seems to just disappear out from under you. But, nonetheless, I desperately want to write about our recent trip to Loire Valley. We left for La Loire bright and early Saturday morning (the 7th of March) and took a two hour bus ride, during which sleeping seemed to be the preferred activity, arriving at our first chateau, Chenonceau, around 10 am. I have to say, stepping off that bus at Chenonceau was what I think it will feel like when I die and (hopefully) go to heaven. It's so beautiful it's difficult to describe. The chateau is that which Henry II once gave to his favorite mistress, Diane de Poitiers, who lived there until his death, after which Catherine de Medici demanded Diane return the chateau to herself and move elsewhere. I was heavenly, like stepping back in time, most of the rooms exactly the way that used to be when the royals were living there, with breathtaking gardens surrounding the entire thing and a river running underneath the chateau's extension. After our visit to Chenonceau, we boarded the bus once again and set off towards the Mushroom Caves in Bourre. This was, to say the least, a strange experience. Most of us were expecting to see a large cave with mushrooms growing out from the sides and ground. Turns out a mushroom cave is actually just a long, winding underground series of hallways that were left from when people would take the stone to build the chateaus and castles. After a lot of walking deeper and deeper into the caves. Finally our tour guide brought us to a room that was completely empty (and very cold) with a long line of platforms, out of which grew a few, tiny mushrooms. Hmm. A bit anti-climactic. We saw two other rooms of mushrooms, these growing out of boxes. WOW! But what really caught out attention was the adorable baby at the back of the tour group that kept making the cutest noises. On a positive note, we got to taste some mushroom cream afterwards. I know it sounds gross, but it's basically a puree spread over some toast, and was actually quite tasty. That night was spent at a hotel in Tours, a small city near Loire. I spent the evening going out for dinner with a group of friends, then having a nice conversation in rather stumbling french with one of our program directors. I settled in for a wonderful sleep and a lovely conversation with my roommate, whom I was glad to have ended up with as she was a delight and I loved getting to know her. The next morning we were up bight and early and, after gorging ourselves on the hotel's continental breakfast, we were back aboard the bus, peacefully slumbering with happy tummies, on our way to Amboise. I knew right away that Amboise was the place for me. A small town full of happy people and lots of nature! There was a huge market and small skating rink upon arrival (though it was very warm that day, I was sweating) and the town traveled up a large hill, topped with the beautiful royal palace. Everywhere there were people walking around with woven baskets, like what Dorothy would carry Toto in, full of bread and bouquets of flowers. It was amazing. I was in love.
Thank you for reading, Amanda Lucille Song of the DayNot sure why, but I'm currently obsessed with Howard Shore and the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit soundtrack. And so, naturally, I have also become obsessed with all the Billy Boyd songs. Enjoy. "The Last Goodbye" By Billy Boyd and Howard Shore
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About This Blog:I started this blog as a way to challenge myself to write more over the 2014 year, but it has blossomed into so much more than that. I use it to let people in on what's happening in my life, talk about things I find important and to spread the news about amazing people, places and art. Archives
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