one château, coming up

In one of my classes yesterday we discussed the School of Fontainebleau and saw an image of earthenware tiles from the Château de Chenonceau, which just happens to be my favourite flavor of château. When my mother and I were in France, we toured the castles of the Loire Valley, and both of us fell in love with Chenonceau. We wanted to move in, right then and there. I settled for a small watercolor of it. The Château has a fascinating history. It was a mill, then a palace, then the home of a king's mistress, then his widow. The duel ownership is reflected in the Château's two very different gardens, one supposedly the work of Diane, and the other of Catherine.

Beautiful, beautiful place. If you're ever in the Loire, be sure to drop in!

photo from here