Our plan this morning was to have a quick look at Château de Chenonceau, just west of Amboise, before heading to Bordeaux. The château was built by Thomas Bohier, Chamberlain for King Charles VIII of France between 1515 and 1521 and was at times the home of Diane de Poitiers (mistress of Henry II) and later Henry’s widow Queen Catherine (Catherine de' Medici). As it turned out we could only get as far as the front gate without paying the 10€ entrance fee. We thought it a bit much to have to pay that much just to look at the exterior of the château and didn’t feel we had the time to get our value out of 20€ so we ‘gave it a miss’.
On to the A10 heading for Bordeaux. Called into a roadside service centre and had a nice bacon and egg and muffin breakfast. Filled up with fuel and were on our way again. The toll berth here only took credit cards so goodness knows how much that toll was. Called into a supermarket on the outskirts of Bordeaux and got some rice cakes, cheese and tomato for a late lunch (and some wine for tea).
We had arranged to stay with Couchsurfers in Bordeaux and arrived at Alain and Francoise’s home a bit after 3 o’clock. After making us welcome Alain suggested we walk the 20 minutes into the centre of Bordeaux. It was a great recommendation. The historic part of the city is on the UNESCO World Heritage List as "an outstanding urban and architectural ensemble" of the 18th century. Saw lots of beautiful buildings and open spaces including: the Grand Théâtre, a large neoclassical theatre built in the 18th century; Esplanade des Quinconces, one of the largest squares in France; and the beautiful Place de la Bourse. There are no cars in the city which also has a modern tram system. All the buildings have been cleaned in recent years and are spectacular. Had a sorbet and a wander around and caught the bus back.
