Day 11 / Travel out of Paris to Tours, France, and a visit to da Vinci's Chateau and Amboise Castle!

Today I left Paris and took a train to Tours. From Tours, I rented a car and drove to Amboise. The countryside was a refreshing change from the hustle and bustle of the city streets. Every little town is different. Some have castles and some do not, but each is beautifully charming in their own unique ways.

Surprisingly, much of the French countryside looks a lot like Alabama!

I am really looking forward to seeing the castles of the Loire valley and working on some ideas for exciting architecture and castle units with my students upon my return to the States.

Tonight, after hours of sitting in a train and brushing up on French road signs in my travel book, I explored the town of Amboise.

 

Leonardo da Vinci lived for a short time in a chateau in Amboise, so I had to check out his home!

This museum was filled with models of Leonardo da Vinci's inventions. 

I also went to the Amboise Castle!  

There was a little bit of rain while I was there, which led to some cloud cover and a high-drama sky in this photo of the Amboise Castle.

It was so nice to finish off the day looking at a beautiful sunset over the Loire river!