Friday, October 7 we decided to go to Chenonceau, our favorite château. We first saw it in 2014. We invited our new friend, Annette, to join us for the day. We toured the castle and the gardens, then had a small bite to eat at the little cafe. It was as wonderful as I remembered. The château was built from 1514-1522 and was later extended to span the river in 1556-1559. The gallery on the bridge was built from 1570-1576. The château has an interesting and tragic history.

Side view spanning the River Cher. I call this the money shot, as it’s the one people see most often.
The front of Chenonceau
The gallery that spans the river

We then drove to another château, Azay-le-Rideau. Much more modest than Chenonceau, but also beautiful with park like grounds.

The back of the château

We returned to Tours and had dinner with Annette again. She was fun to be with and we enjoyed spending time with her.

Here are some nighttime photos of Tours.

The Monster
Our block on a Friday night