Musee du Louvre and again

This time we visited the museum. Our intention was to see the Mona Lisa which meant taking a long, long walk  in this huge museum

 

 

The Palace of Versailles

This site began as Louis XIII's hunting lodge before his son Louis XIV transformed and expanded it, moving the court and government to Versailles in 1862.

Statue of Louis XIV

 

 

The Hall of Mirrors

The Garden

Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres

The current cathedral is mostly constructed between 1193 and 1250. This cathedral is considered to be the greatest Gothic cathedral in Europe (Eyewitness Travel Guide: France). According to legend, the Cathedral has housed the veil of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Sancta Camisia since 876

The two spires are different but this is common to churches in Europe. The reason is because the spires were built in different times.

Chartres Cathedral is renowned for its stained glass made between 1210 and 1240. They mainly depict the biblical stories and life in the 13th century. During the two World Wars the windows were dismantled piece by piece and removed for safety.

Pilgrims still come to walk on the Labyrinth. We saw few walking on their knees. The Labyrinth measures 42 feet across only but its path reaches 856 feet

Chateau de Chenonceau

Built in 1513 it became the Royal Palace for Henri II and Catherine de Medici. This chateau was built on the River Cher, literally.  Chenonceau is the second most visited chateau in France after Versailles

An aerial view of the chateau

Chateau d'Chambord

Francis I began construction of this chateau in 1519 as a hunting lodge. Like most castles built during the Renaissance, they were not intended to provide any form of defence from the enemies. Hence, the walls, towers or moats were purely aesthetic

Lunch near the chateau

Clos Luce

Leonardo da Vinci was invited by Francis I to Amboise in 1516 and resided at Clos Luce. He  passed away on 2nd May 1519 leaving the three works of art which he had brought with him :  Mona Lisa, St  Anne and the Virgin and St John the Baptist. All three are now kept in the Louvre for somehow the French Government seems to have inherited them. 

Many will remember him as an artist. Few know that he was also a scientist and an engineer. Clos Luce is now a museum in memory of Leonardo da Vinci and displays many models of his inventions

Chapelle St Hubert

This is the last resting place of  Leonardo da Vinci situated  within the walls of  Chateau d'Amboise