bramblekite

My friend K. posted a link in her LJ about it.

http://www.mackinacislandlilacfestival.com/

It looks wonderful…

Big Bend has hot springs!

http://www.nps.gov/bibe/naturescience/hotsprings.htm

A few years ago, I was google searching for garden plans or gardens or something like that, and found a picture of the gardens at Chenonceau. I looked up more photos of the chateau, and learned that it was a love nest of sorts for one of the kings of France (one of the Henris, but I don’t remember which one) and his mistress, Diane De Poitiers. She was an interesting character. Apparently, the chateau was a point of conflict between the wife and the mistress, both wanted to own it. It’s also called the “Chateau des Femmes”, or something like that,
because every major improvement or restoration was done by a woman. It was used during WWII as a field hospital, and at one point all the original windows got blown out during that war, too. Sad.

ANYWAY, then I found this website about travelling in the Loire Valley and touring the chateaux on horseback! That sounded so fabulous. If I found myself suddenly with a lot of money and free time, I would love to do that.

http://www.hiddentrails.com/europe/france/loire-escape.htm