For our 15th anniversary we went to Amboise, France. Un voyage en amoureux.
Amboise is a small town along the Loire River about 2 hours south of Paris.
S’il vous plaît, take a quick tour back there with me.
There’s a castle looking over the city. This was once the home of the French royal court. It was so peaceful exploring the grounds. Amboise is not overrun with tourists. At least it wasn’t then in June. Maybe it is in August when every Frenchman is on vacation.
Love me some gargoyles. I took way too many pictures of them. My husband was probably ready to rip the camera from my hands. Maybe one day I’ll show you more of them, plus the ones at the National Cathedral in D.C.
The Loire River at sunset. Très romantique!
The hot air balloons lifted off every evening while we were there.
The narrow streets were very charming. Si charmante!
I couldn’t stop taking pictures. ALL THE CHARM!
Some parts were very aslatian.
At the edge of town the houses were built into the rock. I think they used to be low rent dwellings where the poor could afford to live. I think now they’re getting expensive to rent/own.
Below is one of my favorite chemins in Amboise. Sigh. Up the hill are tiny houses with large gardens and impossibly small streets, walkways really, curving every which way. The hospital sits at the top of the hill, and across the street from it is their cemetery. We got a macabre chuckle out of that. Sorry.
Everything in Amboise was charming. Am I using that word too much?
This was our dinner view on our first night. Amboise welcomed us spectacularly!
And oh, the things we ate. . .
Mon préféré!
My husband had moules frites several times. . .
The only way to eat mussels is with french fries and beer (that’s my Coke).
The open-air market. We stopped here our second day and stocked up on fresh fruits, veggies, eggs, cheese, meat, and apple juice. Mon Dieu. This is what I made one night. . .
We were in a very tiny apartment, but it did have a closet with a window, a single or double burner, a sink and a fridge, so it was considered a kitchen. Oh, and kitchen had a slanted roof so you couldn’t stand up straight very well. But I loved every minute of cooking there.
This is a bronze statue of one of Amboise’s most famous residents. Leonardo da Vinci came to live here in the last years of his life. He died in Amboise. This statue, da Vinci as Perseus, is actually on a little island, l’Ile d’Or, in the middle of the Loire.
A…n….d… now I want to go back. Time to save up those centimes!
Passez une bonne journée!
Not So SAHM
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Not So SAHM 
Ahh, the memories. Je t’aime.
Je t’aime, aussi, mon amour!