Hounds and chocolate

Who knew that the highlight of the visit to the family-owned Chateau de Cheverny would be . . . a dog. There are over a 100 hounds in the kennels out front - ready to go for a hunt.


And the chocolate? Just a few kilometers away, the town of Bracieux is home to the Max Vauché chocolate factory. Guided visits illustrate all aspects of chocolate making - from growing and harvesting the chocolate beans, through all the stages of transformation until it ends up in your mouth.


Check out this life-sized chocolate woman!

DaVinci in Amboise

Leonardo daVinci spent the last three years of his life in Amboise. He lived in the Chateau du Clos-Lucé seen below.

The park surrounding the chateau contains scale models of the designs that daVinci created such as the precurser to the helicopter in the foreground.

DaVinci died in Amboise in 1519 and his remains are buried in this little chapel on the grounds of the Chateau d'Amboise.


Only a small portion of the original chateau remains here in Amboise and it's not very interesting, but you get a great view of our apartment down below and the Loire river. The house was part of a convent that dates to 1493.


I love this tree on the grounds of the chateau

Azay-le-Rideau

Elaine and Cindy at Azay-le-Rideau Chateau

Apartment in Amboise

Here is our studio in Amboise - to the right of the big house - at the base of cliff beneath the chateau


And here is the view from our front yard

Amboise castle

Our apartment is at the foot of this castle. Here's what it looked like walking home after dinner.

The gargoyle in the center looks a little fuzzy because he is wearing a bird's nest.

Amboise

I'm on my way to spend a week in the Loire Valley with my friend Cindy who has just arrived from Ithaca, NY.

We just had lunch at the Cabane a Huitres - yummm

We are now headed for the train station - on our way to Amboise where we'll be spending the week.

Stay tuned for photos and stories of French castles . . .

Venus in Pisces

"Half hour astro love check-in just $49." The email from astrologer Cindy Morris popped up in my inbox just before Valentine's Day. Why not check it out? I was planning to spend yet another Valentine's Day alone, might as well consult with my astrologer to see if she had any insights.

My first real exposure to astrology came in 2008. I was a skeptic - until I watched Carol have her chart read, followed by readings of her four skeptical grown children. The insights were uncanny. Then, supplying the exact time, date, and place of my birth, I had my own birth chart drawn and interpreted by two different astrologers. I was stunned by the specific details and resonance that I felt. The language of astrology with its planets and houses and ascendants still sounds like gobbledygook, but it has been around for centuries. There may be something to it . . .

I've never met Cindy in person. She always gives readings remotely, via the telephone, even if you live right next door in Boulder. So it doesn't matter that I am in Paris, I just call her up via Skype.

She started out by asking a few questions: "Are you currently in a relationship? How is the writing going?" Well . . I'm enjoying the writing, but the relationships don't seem to be going anywhere right now.

"Ah, we'll be talking about both writing and relationships," Cindy replied as she plunged into my reading.

"First of all, you have Uranus, the freedom planet, in the 7th (marriage) house - you'll probably never get married again. But you don't care, right?"

Well, gee, I guess not. After all, my whole trip to Paris is about being free and finding myself. Who knows what will happen next?

Cindy continued: "Love is all about the position of Venus and the Moon in your chart. Venus is what we love and what we are attracted to, and the Moon is our emotional nature and how we process that attraction. In your chart, Venus and the Moon are opposed rather than complementary. . . You have Venus in Pisces. This means that you are a romantic - probably more interested in the fantasy of a relationship than the everyday reality. Furthermore, your Venus in Pisces is in the third house - the house of writing and communication." (Suddenly, the connection with Dominique - which has been 95% via email and 5% in person - makes sense.)

"However, you have another strong influence that's been holding you back. Your Moon is in Virgo - and that puts on the brakes. It brings out your prudish, cautious, judgemental side. Your Venus may be attracted to someone much younger - but your Moon disapproves. (I think of Andrea . .) Ignore it! It's time for you to change. And why not? You are free. You're living in Paris for God's sake! Remember, you don't have to treat each man you meet as a potential husband. And that list of yours? Too long. Forget it!"

And so, as the reading ended, I was relieved and excited. According to the stars, I should spend less time in the library and more time out in the world. Don't think about finding a mate, just live each day as it comes, meet new people, and write. Probably good advice for anyone.