Ten months in Tours: A Royal Holloway weekend: Chambord et Meung-sur-Loire

This has week has definitely been better than the last. En plus, it's Monday evening and my weekend's really only just ended, so I've done alright.

I didn't really get up to much during the week except classes etc. but on Friday me and Rhianna were invited to have dinner at Pauline and Justine's flat again which was a great way to end to the week. Then on Saturday I went on an Erasmus trip to Château de Chambord, which is about an hour away and has been on my to-do list since I got here as it's the castle that inspired the architecture of Founders. The problem was that Saturday was artic and we spent a lot of the day shivering in the grounds and in the equally freezing château. While some of the châteaux are more like palaces or stately homes, this one is closer to a traditional castle which of course meant there were only the two fires to heat the place! The architecture was stunning, however inside it was a little empty as it was just so big. What there was inside was very impressive, and I really feel that I'm getting a better sense of local history and of french history around the time of the reign of François I^er. The grounds were enormous too, I might return in the summer term to have a look round in the warmth. It was also the biggest group trip for international students so far so it was nice to get to chat and catch up with lots of people. When I got back to mine I felt like I'd just got back from a walking holiday, I was so appreciative of my warm shower and the meal I made with Rhianna that evening.

On Sunday I took the train to Meung-sur-Loire to visit Jess, who's working at the tourism office there this term. It's a pretty little town not far from Orléans, and luckily it has a station (although the trains are very infrequent!) Aside from drinking tea and comparing experiences of the year abroad we had a walk around the town and the Sunday market, went to the Gaston Couté museum, a small art exhibition, and had a long lunch. Then late afternoon we were picked up by a french family who are friends of Jess's and went for dinner and to stay over at their house. Small detail...they live in a château.

It was a lovely evening, the family were very welcoming and I was given a tour of the building, which during the tourist season is also a small hotel. We watched a bizarre french comedy called 'Les aventures de Rabbi Jacob' in the evening and then slept in late and had a late breakfast and a walk around the unreal grounds. Then at Jess's we ate dairy milk, I couldn't believe my luck! It was a great weekend and very relaxing, although hearing Jess speaking french with the family, and how good her accent is, reminded me that I'm here to speak french and I need to make a conscious effort to improve while I'm here. I already feel like I've improved a lot, but I could absolutely be doing more, and it would be a real shame to return from this experience without close to fluent french.

Chambord photos (all Rhianna's this time): (the château we stayed at was Château la Touanne)