Saturday, April 24, 2010

"Le Bout Du Monde" or the end of the earth Part 1... The Castle


((( Before we go to the end of the earth, an explanation for my lack of postings while away.  It seems I forgot to check if my browser could correctly read the blogger site.  Well it can sort of, but not enough to actually function & load pictures. Thus the wartime like silence on the airways! )))

Paris was lovely although I was mostly in a funk and not up for taking many pictures and those I did take were mostly rushed and pretty bad.  As you could see from my one and only post using our hosts computer we stayed in a lovely apartment on Ave Rapp in the 7th arondesmont.  In the end I didn't shoot in a restaurant kitchen because when you go to the ends of the earth, it's a long tiring journey back. On our first sunday in Paris our host Sharon and Michael had invited their friends Fred and Amanda over for brunch. Fred was excited to talked to me because he and Amanda are both big on food and my blog and pictures from restaurant kitchens was of interest to him. And it is thru Fred & Amanda that Toby and I got to go to the Le Bout Du Monde.  Turns out the end of the earth is in the Loire Valley. And is somewhat of a secret!  Fred was born in the Loire and thinks it's vastly underrated as a tourist spot. I tend to agree after our day and a half stay there. Fred declared on sunday at brunch that he and Amanda were going to Le Bout Du Monde, which it turns out is a very lovely restaurant at which he declared the owner Christophe Roublin, a sommelier as well as a cheese expert served the best cheese course he, Fred had ever tasted. Further more Fred suggested that we should base our entire meal on cheese.  Michael couldn't take the days off from work and Sharon suddenly got sick Monday evening, so Tuesday Toby and I met Fred and Amanda at the Pont de Serves subway station and off we went in Fred's car. Fred suggested that we had plenty of time and should stop by one of the many castles the Loire is famous for along with it's many small wineries.  As the Chateau at Amboise was close by our destination it made sense to visit this resting place for Leonardo da Vinci.  Seems he lived the last years of his life in the area and is buried in the chapel there.  The chateau itself is a mix of of French Gothic and the first use of Italianate Renaissance style in the Loire region. It sits atop a bluff overlooking the confluence of the Loire and the Amasse Rivers and must be a bitch to heat. It is lovely and worth a peak if your in the area.

Part 2 Food and Drink follows tomorrow.
If your headed to France and the Loire this summer
www.chateau-amboise.com
+33 2 47 57 00 98

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