Photo: @Toinou1375

Photo: @Toinou1375 Chateau du Chambord Chateau de Chambord The Chateaux in the Loire that belonged to the royals were essentially second homes in some of the best hunting grounds in France. They were visual symbols of power and wealth. On the whole, owners visited them infrequently, taking their possessions with them. Unlike today when second home owners furnish their properties, in those days people carried their belonging from home to home. Beds, chairs, cutlery, dishes, tapestries etc were expensive and even the royal family rarely decked out their chateaux with permanent collections. Take the Chateau de Chambord which was built by Francis 1, the flamboyant King of France in 1519. The chateau was said to be inspired by Leonardo da Vinci (who died that year). It was one of the wonders of its time, making other royal families in Europe jealous. Immense, architecturally stunning with that double helix staircase. It cost a fortune. And yet Francis spent only 60 days there in total. The chateau has 400 fires and on chilly days some are lit. It's lovely to see the

embers glowing and the rooms scented with the smell of a wood fire, just as they would have been when it was inhabited. Climb the stairs to the roof top and look out over the extraordinary newly renovated gardens. A donation of 3.5m euros from an American benefactor has transformed the vast area in front of the chateau. Don't miss a trip to the shops, restaurants, maison des vins and the lovely biscuiterie in the tiny town like estate at the foot of the chateau. I had to be dragged out of the biscuit shop and away from the delish cherry fancies! Here you can do a free wine tasting and buy Chambord, a sweet French liqueur that's very more-ish. Made from honey, vanilla and raspberries, drink it neat, with white wine or Champagne or even splashed over ice cream. It's notoriously difficult to get hold of overseas and even in France - this really is an exclusive sip. www.chambord.org www.biscuiteriedechambord Stay at: La Maison d’a Cote it’s a gorgeous, boutique hotel and the chef/ owner Christophe Hay makes the most delectable dishes ever, the chocolate mousse is something you will never forget!