Well i am feeling much less home sick now....planning activities and such does that to you, instead i am always exhausted!!! So anyway i left the internet café and headed back to the hostel, i was able to get in this time so YAY and finally got in to my room. It's basic, but really perfect, warmer than outside and i have access to ammenities and a bed. I had a shower...they are horrible, you have to push in the knob to get the water to flow..i have become an ace at showering one handed!!! Then i pretty much crashed reminding myself that tomorrow would be a new day and i would find things then!
And find things i did, so i got up and went down to breakfast, all the hostels provide you with breakfast, which is nice, it was huge!!!! i noticed a guy who had checked in at the same time as me, he had Qantas stickers on his guitar...and sure enough he was from Canberra. He'd been backpacking through Europe since October, he graduated high school last year and was obviously a bit younger...he didn't have a coat silly silly boy!!! So we decided to spend the day together YAY to company that speaks english YAY!!! So we walked back tot he centre of town, my hostel is about a 15 min walk to the train station so its easy and went to the tourist office to plan our day. i found out it is going to be VERY easy to access the chateau via public transport so another YAY! We decided to go to Amboise, where Leonardo Da Vinci lived while in France. So we took got on the train and away we went. Once in Amboise we had to walk a little, across a river and then in tot he main part of town, where we found a market. So we wandered through there before going to the chateau in Amboise. its great you get to most little towns and voila a chateau!!!However it was about to shut....stupid siesta stuff, so we looked around quickly and went to find lunch. i cannot get over how many kebab shops there are, and they are soooo cheap, even with the crappy conversion rate! then we went back to the chateau and joined a tour...in French but i got some of it, the canberrian spoke no french!!! We saw the place where Leonardo Da Vinci is burried and continued through the chateau. Then we went to Leo's house, a little over priced for what it was but would have been great in summer. So we wandered around there and then headed back to the train station. I hate that it gets dark so early here! then we got back and i found the common room...and TV YAY and started planning the rest of the week. then he came and found me and we went to get a pizza to share...it was great we got 2 12" pizzas for the price of one!!! i had lunch for the next day aswell, score! then went to bed, much happier and organised.
Got up monday morning and headed in to the town again for the train station, had planned to take the train to Blois early, but i read the timetable wrong and had to wait an hour and a half. Oh well did more wandering and organising in that time. Got on the train and arrived in Blois and walked to the chateau in the town there. this too was amazing but my time was short because i had to get the only bus to Chambord, the most beautiful chateau in all of the Loire valley, in my opinion. Got there and had my left over pizza lunch looking at the chateau then went inside. there were rennovations on the main staircase but i could still use it, its a double helix so two staircases in one but you'll never meet the person on the other one...i hate renovations!!! anyway the chateau was beautiful and i even managed to get pics of me there, long live the timer and ledges!!!!! Did some more walking when i was finished as the coach didn't arrive for another hour and a half or something, i have been walking lots, easiest way to get arround generally, and the cheapest! Got back to Blois, got the train and got back to Tours exhausted after another long day.
Got up Tuesday morning and headed to the station again but for a caoch this time to Loches, where Emily is staying. Got there and it was really really foggy, could't see much above rooves at all!!! i took the long long cut passed nothing exciting to that chateau which, also had rennovations, see what i mean!!! the chateau was small, but lovely, was the place where Joan of Arc told the dauphine to go become king...or something like that. the entry also allowed me access to the dungeon, so i went and climbed lots of little mouldy steps to the roof, which was full of pigeons in the fog, VERY scary!!!! but it was lovely still...just creepy really! Then went to meet Em and go to her place. its gorgeous a little converted attic, so we sat and chatted for ages, then she had acess to a supermarket so i went there to get some supplies, and it started snowing, knew it was cold!!! it was very magical, then went back to ems and relaxed for the rest of the arvo. We had tea and i stayed the night was nice to be with people.
Woke up this morning and saw blue skies for a bit, then stayed in doors. Went for a wander to get a few things and am now back in Tours. Tomorrow 2 more chateau and then one more on friday!!!
Am very happy, and tired and enjoying myself lots. Thanks chelsea for the book it is awesome!!!
Love you all
laura xoxoxo
