Hello there springtime

It seemed appropriate, on the first official day of spring, to visit a chateau famous for its gardens : Malmaison.  Malmaison was bought and renovated by Joséphine Bonaparte in 1799.  It was where she finished her days after her divorce from Napoléon and where he in turn lived between his defeat at Waterloo and his exile. 

The extensive grounds (three full parks plus grounds around the house) hold many exotic plants, but are most famous for their roses.  Josephine had her favorite flower crossbred so that her gardens held roses that couldn't be found anywhere else in the world.  The roses weren't in bloom this weekend, but there was quite enough splendor to be going on with.

The day consisted of the following simple pleasures:

Cherry blossom trees reminded me of the D.C. version of home.

I stole walnut shells.

This Western redcedar is 150 years old.

And you can sit inside its branches like it's a fort.

I took off my shoes to walk barefoot on the grass.

Bridges.

 

 

The town of Ruil-Malmaison, about fifteen minutes outside Paris by train, is also charming.  I ate a wonderful millefuille in the town square as all the residents sunned themselves in the warm afternoon.

The whole day smelled nice.

Wishing you hyacinth-colored days,
Maria

Castles Are Fun

Are knights allowed to smile?

Visited Langeais, ye olde medieval castle par excellence.

L'Abbaye de Fountevraud

Also visited the Abbaye de Fontevraud, which really caught my imagination.  It was built in the early 12th century and controlled many other abbeys in Europe.  Fontevraud was also a prison from the time of Napoleon until the 60s.

The roof of the kitchen is magnificent.  Nuns who went crazy were locked in the dungeon.  Eleanor of Aquitaine and Richard the Lion-Hearted are buried in the church.

Dungeons are full of shadows.

I thought about how many thousands of lives have overlapped there, how many hands and feet and breathes preceded mine.

I stole lavender from the little garden. 

Swimming the sidestroke through history,
Maria

Real Estate

Today I visited Chenonceaux, the delicious little palace just down the Cher.  I'd like to live here one day.  Maybe just in the steward's little tower.  I think it could happen.

This is perfectly Maria-sized.

The gallery that extends over the Cher.

During WWII, the front door of this chateau was in la zone occupée and the back door was in la zone libre.

Bedroom of Louise de Lorraine

My favorite room in Chenonceau is Louise de Lorraine's room.  When her husband Henri III was assassinated, she retired to this chateau, painted her room black and wore white for the rest of her life, earning the appellation "The White Queen."  Talk about a flare for the dramatic!

Coucou Georgetown : oh look, a fellow Hoya!