C'Obs: A Refuge for Old daVinci

"The heart. Marvellous instrument, invented by the Supreme Master.
This moves itself and does not stop unless forever."
image from wikipedia.

Not too many people can expect to have royal apartments provided for them on their retirement, luckily for Leonardo, the King of France admired him so much that when the Medicis of Florence and the Borgias of Rome demanded more from his military designs than he was prepared to 'make real', he was able to cross the Alps at 67yrs old and find a warm welcome.

Francois I was the arch nemesis of Henry VIII winning back Aquantaine and Normandy back from the English for France. He also fought many battles in Italy against the Spanish and corrupt Pope. He had been bought up by his mother at Clos Luce and offered apartments here to Leonardo. His sister, Marguerite of Navarre was a remarkable woman (read about her political, religious and literary works-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marguerite_de_Navarre ) and retired, after the divorce from her second husband and death of her baby son, to Clos Luce.

Passage to the Chateau?

Chateau Amboise in the distance

Francois I resided as King at Chateau Amboise which legend says was connected to Clos Luce by a secret passage. Through this passage, Francois would regularly visit Leonardo. Although daVinci designed Chateaus, festivals - including a mechanical Lion whose chest opened to reveal a bunch of lillies and gave military advice, Francois seems to have esteemed him more as a confidant and philosopher. "I do not wish to forget to report the words I heard say of him by King Francois I: ... He could never believe that any other man had lived on this earth who knew as much as Leonardo in the spheres of painting, sculpture and architechture, but still more that he was a very great philosopher." Benvenuto Cellini.

In this 'retirement', Leonardo also finished painting the Mona Lisa and St John the Baptist which are now National treasures of France. He received a generous allowance from the King so was able to pay his apprentices and attendants who had accompanied him from Italy. The climate in the Loire valley allowed a beautiful garden and the height of the Clos Luce provides beautiful views down the river valley. The last three years of Leonardo's life were possibly the most comfortable and peaceful of his life.

Front courtyard of Clos Luce

daVinci's last bedroom

Today Clos Luce is a museum that maintains beautiful grounds and strives to recreate daVinci's engineering designs. The chapel he worshiped in, the bed he died in, the rooms he worked in through the last years are maintained for display and his 'wise words' are quoted around all the passageways - in French. This visit was one of the highlights of our trip.

Clockwork 'car' and first bike?

Toy Model of daVinci's tank drawn for the Prince of Milan.
The design had small canons pointing out of the pipe holes
around the side and grinders inside for men to turn the wheels
and a lookout at the top.

"I am a Genius" - no further comment necessary!

Chantelisa?

We stayed the night in a B&B in a little village several km out of Amboise. The delightful surprise was the Chef, we had the best food here on our whole trip. We had Lamb with a garlic tomato and a mustardish sauce with a polenta cake, a steak and an anise-carrot mousse and duck with local fungi and caramelised pear - Yum! The fig creme and rose sorbet were also fabulous. The place was called Auberge da la Treille at Saint-Martin-le-Beau.

Rose sorbet, baked grapefruit.

Brulee Figs with a pot of creme

Hotel la Treille

Sunny morning outside the Patisserie

We decided to buy some filled baguette from a local patisserie the following morning and meet a lady who was born in Seddon, bought up in Blenheim and was now living in France. Having just heard about the quake in Seddon we had quite a long conversation. She wore a Maori bone carving on her necklace which is what began the conversation. She also offered to order for me as Willow was outside soaking up the sun. As we waited a very large dog waltzed into the bakery, snuffled about behind the counter licking up crumbs, went out to the kitchen and had a conversation with the resident spaniel before being shooed out by the Spaniel's owner.

We instructed the GPS not to go on motorways and arrived in a village with very narrow streets and a crumpled Chateau. We ended up eating at a picnic table by a little stream. After several more tiny villages and postcard perfect farmhouses with rows of crops, including marigolds at one place, we swapped back to the toll roads and headed for the Bay of Biscay.