The castles were extraordinary. Everything is so grand and beautiful. But oddly enough, the more breath taking things I saw the more I realized what a horrible life living there would be. The royals had no freedom. Being noble meant wearing certain clothes, eating a certain way, saying certain things. Everything was controlled. It may have been a life full of beauty, but it would be a pretty empty one. We also had the opportunity to get a glimpse into the life of someone that was completely different: Leonardo de Vinci. He lived in France in the later part of his life. We got to walk through his home and see all the inventions and ideas he had. The experience was the opposite of the Chateux. In the Chateux, everything was beautiful but for no purpose. Here, the halls were filled with ideas and thoughts and a different kind of beauty. Walking through his house was like walking through his mind.
I had one of the greatest weekends of my life. The Chateux and the river and his home were amazing, but it was also the company I kept. We truly have an amazing group. Everyone is so goofy and fun and passionate about France. We had the chance to see these historical buildings, but we also did tequila shots with our professor, taught her what Yolo meant and tried veal tongue/cheek. I got to experience the beauties of the castles with the freedom of being a 20 year old American college student studying abroad. Not a bad way to spend a weekend.
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