The last week hasn't been particularly eventful, except for Thursday night which accidentally turned into getting home at 5am. Tours doesn't have lots of clubs considering it's size, which in general suits me fine as the bars are enough for me. It was nice as a change though, and to actually behave like a student in my old age.
This Saturday I went on a coach trip organised by the uni's international office with Rhianna and Chloe. The title 'Château' is slightly misleading, especially in the case of Château de Saché, as they were more like stately homes, but they were lovely old buildings and we were given guided tours of both. It was a really great opportunity as the trip only cost 5 euros for the whole day, and both sites would be difficult to reach without a car normally.
Château de Saché was converted from an old castle and is of particular interest as it was owned by a friend of the famous french writer Honoré de Balzac (born in Tours!) and Balzac spent long periods staying there and writing. I sort of wished I'd read some Balzac, or known anything about his life beforehand, but it was still really interesting to hear about his work methods (he would often work from 5am to 5pm) and his life.
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| Château de Saché |
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| Balzac's writing desk |
Château de Candé was definitely the more impressive building and had a slightly more château-y look to it. It'd been developed and changed at various points which gave it that nice slightly higgledy-piggledy look as the new owners didn't really seem to pay attention to the original style when they changed it! While the first group were having their tour we went for a walk around the autumny grounds, and then we were given our tour. It was very luxurious inside, they were clearly very wealthy and innovative as there was an early gym, early indoor bathrooms and heating systems, an amazing library, and lovely french ceilings. Château de Candé was actually where Wallis Simpson and Edward finally married each other, and their signatures can still be found on the wall in the library.
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| Château de Candé |
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| Château de Candé |
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| Château de Candé (grounds) |
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| Wallis Simpson's wedding dress |
(Thank you again to
Rhianna, whose pictures I stole. She has 1000 times more energy than I do)
The full length of this term is starting to hit me, but luckily I have a lot to look forward to. Next week my aunt Katie and cousin are coming out to visit me, I'm meeting up soon with a rhul languages friend also staying in the Loire Valley, and then plans are starting to come together for the Vacances de la Toussaint for possible trips to Paris and Bourges.
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