There are two Loire Valley regions in France. One is in the west of France and consists of five provinces. The other is called the Center-Loire Valley region. This region is in the center of France, where Chen Xing went.
There is no additional connection between them. They are mainly named after the Loire River as their main feature.
The Center-Loire Valley was not developed a long time ago. During the Hundred Years' War with Britain, French princes and nobles came here to take refuge from Paris. They discovered that the land here is fertile and the scenery is beautiful. It is a great geomantic treasure.
So the collective built a palace here. From ancient times to the present, nobles have built hundreds of castles here as cultural products of human history. Combined with the local scenery, they have become the golden zone of French tourism and an absolutely popular attraction.
But if the visitor is not a fan of medieval castles, then you only need to choose two or three representative castles to visit, walk slowly and savor them carefully.
Chen Xing chose Chambord, which is famous among all castles. This is the largest castle in the entire Loire Valley. If these numerous castles are pearls scattered in the Loire Valley, then Chambord is undoubtedly the brightest and most dazzling pearl in the entire Loire Valley.
But please note that Chambord has multiple translations in China, such as Château de Chambord, Château de Chambord, Château de Chambord, etc. You have to pay attention when using domestic navigation software.
Because the current navigation is said to be intelligent, but in fact it is a bit restrictive. Originally it could be reached in two and a half hours from Paris, but it took Chen Xing three hours and missed lunch time to find it.
The French name is more reliable. After the shuttle bus arrives, you can see the stone castle standing in the distance when you get off the bus.
He is too big and too complex. The castles that Chen Xing has seen in France for so long are all small ones. There are many such specious castles in China, but when you really see a castle where a European king lives, you will feel that all the castles you have seen before are bunkers. Bar?
It's like building a separate tower from the castle. But the castle has too many such towers.
From the parking lot, the spiers of Chambord Castle are gorgeous and complex, like a city in the sky composed of roofs, chimneys and towers. They are delicate but have the grandeur of a king. These spiers are scattered in an orderly manner, forming a European Renaissance style. unique style.
Stand in line to buy tickets. Because Chen Xing is a student, the entrance fee is waived. There are many such attractions in France.
Knowing that Chen Xing is from China, the lady who bought the ticket handed over an introduction sheet, which was written in Chinese.
"It's free," she said.
"If you have higher requirements, then you can rent our audio guide, accompanied by an accompanying tour guide." The introduction in hand was only a thin page, and Chen Xing did not want to visit the scenery with his camera. At the same time, you have to research the story of this attraction and go to the place where you choose a tour guide.
…When you don’t understand the history of European castles, it’s best to choose a tour guide to introduce it to you along the way. This kind of scenic spot is not like a landscape that everyone can understand. If you don’t understand the story, it will be a lot less fun.
Of course, you can also rent a voice guide, but it is definitely not as convenient as a real person, unless you are short of money.
As soon as he passed by, someone greeted him in Japanese and invited guests. Chen Xing refused: "I am Chinese." Immediately, a Chinese-speaking tour guide came up and asked if he wanted to visit together.
Group tour guides are easy to find, but these bilingual or multilingual tour guides rarely accept individual guests.
I guess it’s easier to make money when there are more people. Chen Xing searched for tour guides who were willing to accompany them alone. It seemed that they all only spoke French, but also some English.
People around France's big cities understand English, they just don't like to speak it. Chen Xing likes a young and beautiful tour guide. The professional skills of such a tour guide may not be as high as those of an old tour guide, but they are eye-catching.
He smiled at her and asked, "Sorry to trouble you." Rose, who finally found a customer after waiting for a long time, said cheerfully, "I believe I can give you a wonderful travel experience, Chateau Chambord." It is the best castle in France, and you will feel that your trip is worthwhile." Chen Xing went to the garden to take a look first.
The garden is divided into two areas on the left and right, both of which are at least as big as a football field. There are various neatly arranged flower beds and exquisite patterns on the lawn. Of course they look like patterns in the sky, but on the ground these patterns are as big as the lawn. corridor.
This is also the best place to see the front of the castle. Chen Xing raised his Hasselblad camera and took photos of some of the distinctive little decorations on the castle.
One of the outstanding features of a medium format camera is its secondary composition effect, coupled with its excellent white balance function. Even if you fail to take a good picture when shooting on site, you can still edit professional-level photos at home and improve your work. expressiveness.
Rose asked: "Sir, do you know the king Francois I?"
"I know." Chen Xing said. This king was the most obsessed with the Renaissance style in French history, and this castle was also a palace he built for himself.
This simple news is probably known to all tourists who come to Chambord. Rose nodded when she heard Chen Xing's answer. She walked with Chen Xing and said, "This king is also very knowledgeable about architecture. Under his control, many medieval medieval buildings were built that are very famous in modern times." Architecture, but the Renaissance in France had just started at that time, so the Chambord you see now still has strong Gothic architectural features." She introduced to Chen Xing what Gothic buildings were represented in the castle The most intense, Chen Xing took photos one by one.
There is hardware on the outside of the Hasselblad camera that automatically detects color temperature. When Chen Xing raised his head to photograph the building on the top of the tower, the white balance was automatically lowered, making the entire castle look more historical, majestic and wonderful.
This is the natural color that Hasselblad is famous for around the world. Sometimes, he may know what the photographer needs better than the average photographer.
Walking into the interior of the castle, the roughness with a sense of history hits your face. However, it is a building with a long history. This shortcoming is understandable. In fact, these can also be regarded as part of the sense of history.
...If it were brand new, tourists would probably wonder whether it was an old castle or a new castle.
There is an exquisitely designed double spiral staircase in the hall. Rose said: "This mysterious staircase was designed by Leonardo da Vinci. Although there is no clear record, I personally think this statement is very reliable, because Francois I was already very close to Leonardo da Vinci. Friends, it is not difficult to get a design draft. The reason for designing this staircase is that the king wanted to avoid embarrassment and disputes when the queen and his mistress met face-to-face." Chen Xing walked around the two stairs. Going around in a circle below, the two sets of stairs are staggered around a common axis, spiraling upward. The axis is hollow. People walking up the two stairs can see the opposite side, but Won't meet.
The carvings on it are also very exquisite. Four corridors extend from each floor around the staircase, forming a cross. These halls are divided into four identical living areas.
"This is the palace of Francois I." Rose suddenly introduced. Chen Xing waited for the people in front to come out, then walked into the room to take a look. There were several small rooms inside, such as study rooms and prayer rooms. The ceiling was vaulted and very high, and there were carvings on it.
The brocade silk hanging on the wall is very Chinese style and can be called a work of art. Is this silk previously sold in China and brought to Europe?
It's actually not broken yet. Chen Xing carefully photographed the piece of silk, and when he was about to go back, he asked someone first, and then considered whether to write about the piece of silk in his book. Otherwise, when the book was released, he found out that it was a mistake. He was so embarrassed.
Further up is the wide terrace on the top of the tower, which is an excellent place to enjoy the scenery of the surrounding courtyards. It overlooks the surrounding charming scenery in all directions. Looking behind it is the Chambord Hunting Forest area, and the Loire River in the distance.
Turning around and looking up, I instantly found myself surrounded by various exquisite roofs. Looking out into the distance, I had an unobstructed view of the entire territory of Chambord.
Rose said: "There is a cafe here, do you want a drink?"
"No need." Chen Xing said, busy taking pictures. This is the good thing about plain areas. As long as you build a tall house, you can see very far away. If other houses are built around you, but they are all relatively low, there will be a The feeling of the world at my feet.
King Experience Card - a moment. The emperors of China were actually like this. At that time, people in the imperial city could not build houses beyond the imperial city. So when the emperors stepped to a higher place in the palace, they could see neat houses and wide streets extending in all directions.
When Chen Xing was studying history, he liked what the teacher said about Bianjing City. It is estimated that only China in the world can create streets with a width of 200 meters. Unfortunately, no one in later generations has seen the style at that time. In contrast, there are Chang'an in the Tang Dynasty, Dadu in the Yuan Dynasty, and Yanjing in the Ming and Qing Dynasties.
Yanjing is a little better, at least it is relatively recent and has preserved more things than the previous dynasties.
Chen Xing wandered to the back of the terrace. He saw someone holding horses on the grass below. The horses were all beautiful. They didn't look like the kind of horses that were kept in captivity for people to take pictures, but the kind that often ran on the wide ground. They looked very strong.
...Chen Xing suddenly wanted to ride a horse. He asked, "Can I ride the horse down there?"
"Generally speaking, you can't, but you can take pictures with them. Do you want to see it?"
"Of course, if you work here, you'd better tell me. I want to ride on it and take pictures. Don't worry, I can ride a horse." Although Chen Xing's skills can't be said to be able to ride a horse and run wildly, he can control the horse. Horses trained by others can simply walk a few steps or even trot without any problem. They will not feel scared, and they will not fall off due to instability.
He is a man who wants to build his own manor and raise horses. It would be great if my manor was as big as this castle. Just the garden in front can raise many small animals, not to mention there is a forest behind the castle. This was the hunting ground of nobles in the past, but now small animals of paradise.
The two walked down, and there were many people taking photos next to the two horses. The blond woman holding the horse was also dressed in ancient European guard clothing, like a guard waiting for the king to mount the horse.
Chen Xing thought that this kind of photography culture only existed in China, but it turned out that it also existed in Europe. It's just...it seems like it's free here.
Everyone can stand next to the horses and take photos with them, but they must be more than one meter away, otherwise they will be chased away by the person holding the horses. Due to the appearance of one of the female guards who leads and feeds the horses. The reason why it is so high is that it has the most tourists here.
When Chen Xing got here, he no longer looked at people's looks, he looked at horses. There were four horses here. Chen Xing passed by them once, and finally stopped by a horse next to the forest. He used his eyes to signal the tour guide to come forward and help him communicate so that he could get on the horse and have fun.
Rose looked troubled. She does work here, but! But she is just a part-time employee, not a regular employee, and she doesn't usually have contact with these people, so how could she possibly know them.
I was about to explain it to Chen Xing. But then she thought about it, and it didn't seem to be a big deal to ask first. She had seen these people letting tourists ride horses before. What if she negotiated it?
Will this boss give me an extra tip? So I walked up. This elder brother also has nothing to do. People who take pictures like to take pictures in front, so that they can take pictures of the castle's architecture. Otherwise, how can he prove that he has been to Chambord?
But he didn’t like too many people, so he walked closer to the forest, and no one came to take pictures of him.
Rose went up and asked: "Hello, I am Rose, the tour guide working here."
"Hello, Gabrielle, do you need help?"
"Yes, my client would like to experience riding a horse."
"What? Is he crazy?" Gabriel Pierre stared and said,
"It is dangerous to ride a horse. Since you are a tour guide, you should tell him. And our horses cannot be ridden casually, you should know." Of course Rose knew.
But she also knows that it can be accommodating. She has seen these equestrians let tourists ride horses.
"He is a gentleman from China. He can ride horses, and he likes our equestrian club in Chambord very much. He is a very educated fan. He just wants to ride on the horse and take pictures, and it won't take too much time. , there will be no problem as long as you are here." The last words made the equestrian feel a little excited.
He looked at Chen Xing. The Chinese man smiled slightly at himself and seemed to be a good person.
"Okay." He agreed, but warned,
"I can only ride on it and take a photo, otherwise I can't guarantee whether Annie will be angry. She usually hates strangers the most. She only listens to my words."
"okok!" Rose couldn't help but feel happy, knowing that the tip was found, and hurriedly went to report the news to Chen Xing.
