Who needs a GPS when you have Diane and Trudy?

After retrieving our BMW rental car on the top deck of the Avis parking garage, Tom figured out the controls for the windshield wipers since it began to rain at a steady pace.   He programmed the GPS for Blois and we named the GPS ”Bridgette” since we were in France.   Bridgette instructed Tom to “dodge left, dodge right, move to center, then dodge left on the second turn," etc.   And although there were some who doubted Bridgette’s abilities (excluding Tom), she directed us right onto the freeway towards Paris.  After driving for about an hour, Trudy and Diane began to question Bridgette’s direction and felt that Bridgette had not considered all possible shortcuts to Blois,  and so they came up with an alternate route to cut off several miles from the trip.  Since Tom and Bridgette were out-voted, the motion to exit the freeway was carried.  As a result of this alternate route, we saw some beautiful French countryside, quaint villages, vineyards and amazing farm land.  Scattered throughout the farm land were wind powered turbines, but not as many as we saw in Germany and the Netherlands.  Overall, it is impressive how much Europe is into green energy programs.  Of course, as with the U.S., there are the European factions who complain that wind turbines are decimating the bird population.  However, Tom pointed out that there are many square miles of air space to the left, the right and above the wind turbines.   Therefore, the only birds being killed are most likely suicidal or inherently bad flyers.  As a result, wind turbines are improving the European bird gene pool.

After a few hours of traveling on two-lane roads, although the landscape was beautiful, Diane and Trudy admitted that Bridgette’s directions would have kept us on the four-lane freeway…which would have resulted in a 7:00 pm arrival time.   Instead, we arrived about 9:30 pm in Blois.   Lesson learned:  if you pay eleven Euro a day for a GPS unit, why not follow those directions.

The next day we were off to Chambord, the amazing chateau of Francois 1^st.    French chateaux (or palaces) differ from castles since they were not built for defensive purposes, but rather for “showing off” one’s wealth and power.  Chambord is the largest of the chateaux in the Loire valley.   It is a magnificent structure containing nearly a hundred unusual structures on the top level.  These various structures were supposed to resemble the skyline of Constantinople.  It is difficult to explain the sheer mass of Chambord and it’s requisite structures.  You could drive a Toyota Prius around the top of the chateau between these structures which appear to be a jumbled mass of small buildings from ground level.  The overall effect is a bit like being at Disney World.  The children of the various kings, queens (and mistresses of kings…yes…some were naughty) must have had a ball playing hide and seek and chasing each other around this make-believe city with its magnificent view of the countryside and impressive main approach lined with towering Sycamores. 

Here are some pictures taken by Diane.

That's all for now ...we are now 16 days behind in blogging and having trouble with our electronic devices!  It's always something!

Happy trails,

TNT