Christmas at Chambord: A Serene Journey to the Loire Valley’s Crown Jewel

We love Paris. One could spend a lifetime here and not see everything this city has to offer. That doesn’t mean that we sometimes don’t venture out to the see the rest of the world, even the relatively nearby world. That’s what we did over Christmas. Driving south to visit family we decided to stop at the jewel of the Loire Valley, Chambord. It had been some time since we visited Francis I’s 500 year old “hunting lodge” in the Loire Valley, with its Leonardo da Vinci double-spiral staircase, but we had some time to spare so we thought we’d stop. 

After you pass the gates and you’re driving in you can see glimpses of the chateau through the trees and it makes you want to press the accelerator just a bit harder to get there faster. Given that it was Christmas Eve when we stopped it was particularly apropos that the chateau gave us a gift… THERE WAS NO ONE AROUND! There were three other cars in the parking lot and that was it. Which meant we had no problems getting great locations for shooting. Another gift was the fact that we’d been getting rained on much of the drive, but for the twenty minutes or so we were there the clouds decided to take a break but provide enough texture for great photos! 

We didn’t actually have time to visit or walk the grounds, but we were able to take shots from both the front and the back. With its distinct French Renaissance style, the largest of the Loire Valley chateaux is a sight to behold. The contrast of black and white, its vertical lines, circular towers and roof of chimneys, gables and towers make Chambord the brightest of the shimmering galaxy of chateaux in the Loire Valley. While we wish we had more time to re-visit the chateau itself, this brief diversion was a great way to get our holiday trek started!