Château de Chambord

Chateau de Chambord was built to be a hunting lodge, but it is really an extravagant chateau.  It is 156 metres long and 56 meters tall with 77 staircases, 282 fireplaces, and 426 rooms.  The estate covers 5440 hectares, the same area as Inner Paris, and is surrounded by a wall 32 km long with six gates.

We signed up for an educational tour and we were very glad we did.  "Frère Thomas" kept the kids laughing and running as he taught them about the history of the castle.  He turned everything I thought I knew about French education on its head.  He stayed in the character of a monk from the Renaissance and had the kids hanging on his every word.  He also had props--a map, a secret message, ...

The young King Francois I was 25 years old in 1519 when he initiated the building of Chambord.  Francis I reigned for 32 years, during which he spent only 72 days at Chambord and never saw his project completed.  His son, Henry II and Louis XIV continued building the chateau.

In the centre of the keep is the famous double spiral staircase.  The staircase comprises two concentric spiral flights of stairs that wind independently around a hollow central column, so if two people each take one flight they can see each other through the openings in the central column but they will never meet.  Some think that Leonardo da Vinci designed the staircase.  He was friends with Francois I and stayed in another of his castles that was nearby.

Our guide had the boys take one staircase and the girls take the other.  There was much stopping and giggling at the windows.

Staircase in the courtyard

François Roi de France

In the King's bedroom Frère Thomas had the girls practice curtsying and the boys practice bowing.

There are lots of walking and biking trails on the grounds.  Unfortunately, it was too rainy for us to take advantage of the opportunity.  Thanks to the great tour guide, the girls will not forget this visit.