French Wine Country: Part Trois

And so we come to the end of our little three part triology, after making one last stop in the Loire Valley.  The final destination was a little town in the Eastern Loire Valley called Amboise, about an hour from Chinon.  We decided to stop here to cut up our drive back to Paris from St. Emilion. 

SO. Amboise. It was fabulous. Here are the pictures.

The hotel stole the show in Amboise.  Manoir les Minimes.  A gorgeous old French chateau turned into a small hotel.  (Amboise is another town where you can get major bang for you buck. Believe me, the hotels we typically stay in do not look like this. They are more like what you would find in the "value" section of a Rick Steves {the best travel guide book on a budget}).

Perfect location right on the water with views of the castle above.

Always love a good fountain.

I am so sad this picture didn't turn out better (by this time the real camera's battery had died and we were left with the iphone). But just take my word for it, these paneled doors in the hotel salon were gorgeous.

I am on a mission for this hardware next time at Clignancourt.



And, I am pretty sure I need this crown molding in my future home.

 

Come on, is this not the cutest beer bottle you have ever seen? So French. (I would love to see how this marketing strategy went over in the US).

We were so excited when we found a wine fair going on underneath the castle in the town center.  Reminded me of our days in DC going to wine fairs in Virginia. (I know promised wine discussion and I promise it will come....right after my full attention to something of much greater importance in life... the royal wedding, which airs at 10 AM tomorrow in Paris). 

After a few cases of wine, 12 hours driving through the French countryside, an exorbitant amount of tolls, several French chateaus, and even more French wisteria (and thankfully no food poisoning), I think our first adventure into the French wine country was quite a success.

If anyone is ever looking for a friend to take on such a trip, I am totally available.

Now, on to the more important question on everyone's mind today: what is Kate's dress going to look like?!?!?!  (Don't be jealous that I am 6 to 7 hours ahead of you and will see it first {except maybe for Caroline Weimar who told me she is waking up at 4 AM}). 

Happy Royal Wedding watching.