Vaux Le Vicomte

I found these pussy cats in the garden at the Estate of  Vaux Le Vicomte

A large part of what makes travel fun are the chance encounters that occur.  While I was working my way through the supermarket, a darling elderly lady asked me (in French) if we were Dutch because of our height.  I told her no, at which point she assumed I spoke French and rattled off a whole dialogue of which I had no clue what she was talking about.  I explained that I was American and sadly spoke no French but I did speak Spanish.  Her wrinkled little face lit up and she proceeded to speak to me in beautiful Spanish.  She started telling me her whole life story from being born and raised in Argentina,  meeting her husband and moving to France...you get the idea.  She was adorable, obviously lonely, and so sweet but I finally extricated myself so that I could continue my shopping

Marty and Sara have returned to Rabelo.

 When Sara and Marty arrived Sara said she would like to see more Chateau if possible.  We do our best to accommodate our friends requests, so we took them to Chateau de Vaux Le Vicomte.  We were all in for a treat.  This chateau is what inspired Louis XIV to build Versaille.  Nicholas Fouquet was Louis XIV finance minister.  Because he built such a beautiful home (which was much nicer than what Louis had at the time), he was sent to prison.  The landscaper was Andre Le Notre, the architect, Louis Le Vau and the painter Charles le Brun.  What they did was create a model of harmony between architecture and landscape.

An amazing visionary who influenced and inspired all of Europe for more than a century.

These statues line the entrance to the chateau.

Welcome!

The gardens were peaceful and covered 500 hectares (1350 acres).

 

The rooms were furnished with magnificent furniture.  The walls were covered with paintings, wall paper, and tapestries.

It's always important to look up.  The ceilings were ornately decorated and painted.

Another ceiling.

Ok, I really liked the ceilings.

I just love this painting with the bow on the ankle. showing off his leg.

The toilet.

The bath.

Of course we must have a bidet as well.

Here in the attic you can see the original style of construction.  Large pieces of timber held together with pegs.

The amorous cats inspired Tom.

View of the gardens halfway down looking back at the chateau plus its adjacent buildings.

Our reward for walking to the end of the gardens was a visit with Hercules.  

The barn was filled with magnificently restored carriages and leather harnesses