The last week has seen a family outing down the Vallee de la Loire, a beautiful, fertile valley that follows the Loire River. Most famous for the many stunning Chateau's, we were headed for a flower show. Not my usual cuppa but I was tempted by Patrick with the promise of a picturesque drive...and he delivered! Past the scenic town of Bloise and onto one of the 59 nuclear power stations dotted through-out France.

The flower show was held in the grounds of the Chateau Chaumont-sur-Loire and was a festival of colour this year. While I didn't always understand the logic or artistic expression behind some of the gardens, (waffle waffle waffle) I at least appreciated the effort, especially the French Poodle!




After a lunch of salmon sammies washed down with cider, we decided to head onto the near-by town of Amboise which was the final home of Leonardo de Vinci (in the Clos Luce) and has a display of many of his inventions. What an amazing man he was, constantly thinking up new ideas and variations on old ones. A good example is the double-layered bridge so that pedestrians carts can use the same bridge at the same time, thus improving the traffic flow. Who would have thought he was a council worker at heart! But he didn't mind the odd war machine either!