It’s our last full day here. It’s been a busy week (or at least we feel that way), so we want to keep things simple today.

This morning I run out of town and through vineyards. It is so nice. With the many wine-growing regions we will visit, I hope to have more runs like this one. The kids are eating breakfast when I get home. They are loving the French breakfast of toast with jam (and/or Nutella).

We drive into Amboise today. It’s the nearest town, and we haven’t had the chance to explore it much aside from our dinner Sunday night (when most stuff was closed). We park outside the main walking area and walk up a hill to the The Clos Luce, where Leonardo da Vinci lived his last years and died.

I’m thankful Stefan picked this place out of all the things to do in Loire Valley. It’s great. Granted it’s not cheap, at 15 Euros/person, but there is a lot to see and do there. The home, a chateau, where da Vinci lived his last years is still there decorated as it was when he lived there, and the grounds are beautiful to walk around. There are many recreations of his inventions, which we all find really interesting. And I am reminded how much da Vinci contributed beyond art.

Sadly, my camera’s battery runs out soon after arriving at The Clos Luce, so the rest of the photos today are from our iPhones. The kids have a lot of fun experiencing everything on the grounds, but they soon get hungry. Thankfully there are a couple food options within the grounds. We are excited about a restaurant that serves food as it was in the 15th century, even using old recipes from that time. While we recognize the risk, we feel we must try it! But there is a school visiting and the whole place is dedicated to them for the day. Too bad. So we head to the Creperie.

//Stefan Note: Stupid school, i was pumped

The Creperie is situated at the top of the cliff overlooking the town. And the tables are set in the garden of roses surrounding a fountain. It is so pretty. The kids can run around, and it is incredible ambiance. The food is a bit of a letdown, but then again I’m not sure our expectations were too high in the first place. We have crepes again, and the kids are more than happy.

After lunch we go into the chateau. After showing your ticket, you immediately walk up a narrow winding staircase. Stefan notes it’s the coolest entrance to a museum. The home is beautiful and marked with notes about his life and/or inventions. I find this far more interesting than your average chateau.

We head back to the gardens, specifically to the playground we saw earlier. It’s a very nice playground, and the weather is perfect for enjoying it. (It’s looked like rain all day, but so far none!)  We play for a long time. We even see a peacock trying extremely hard to draw in a lady friend. Poor guy kept getting the cold shoulder from her.

We walk down into the town center, passed the Chateau Amboise, and down a beautiful walking street. We pick up several items for dinner, including a variety of French cheeses. I love cheese! And Oly picks our Chicken Cordon Bleu from a deli.

We get back to Saint-Martin-Le-Beau, where our home is, just in time for Lillian and me to run over to the hairdresser. We have a lot of fun getting our haircut. Lillian is big on girl time right now, so this is super special for both of us. The hairdresser does not speak any English, and we speak next to no French. Still we manage, and I’m super happy with the results!

We prepare our food from town and have a nice dinner, Stefan and me on the patio and the kids in front of a movie. Calm and perfect. I think we will miss this place. Everyone seems a bit sad to be moving on right as we were settling in.