As mentioned in the previous paragraph, Chateau Chenonceau has been in existence since the 11th Century when it was built on the Cher River in the Loire Valley. The chateau was named for the village of Chenonceaux by its first owners and for three centuries after its original construction, Chateau Chenonceau went through several owners before the chateau was torched in 1411 when its owner at the time, Jean Marques, was convicted of sedition and the burning was one of the punishments inflicted.

After the royal Chamberlain of Francois I took over Chenonceau in 1513, they destroyed the original chateau and built the current chateau between 1515-1521. The chamberlain and his wife hosted Francois I and several royals during their time in Chenonceau, and when the chamberlain failed to pay several debts to the crown, it was siezed by the royal family.

When Henri II, Francois I's son, became king in 1547, he gave Chenonceau to his mistress Diane de Poitiers, who fell in love with the chateau and added many features to the chateau including the arched bridge that crosses the Cher River from the chateau and planted several beautiful gardens and terraces that you can see today.

Henri II died in 1559, and his widow, Catherine de Medici, who was very jealous of her late husbands relationship with Diane, had Diane thrown out of Chenoneau and took over the chateau for herself. Talk about "Hell have no fury like a woman scorned!" Catherine had many more gardens put around Chenonceau along with a gallery and other perks. Throughout the next 240 years, Chenonceau would become home to several of Henri II's descendants before leaving the crown's ownership and being owned by several members of the French aristocracy. During the French Revolution, Louise Dupin, wife of the owner of the time, Claude, saved Chateau Chenonceau from destruction by the revolutionaries because of the bridge being an important road for commerce and other travel in the Loire Valley.

After the French Revolution, Chenonceau went under more ownerships outside of the aristocracy before becoming the home of the Menier family in 1913, who are some of France's best chocolatiers, and they still own Chateau Chenonceau today. Chenonceau was a hospital during World War I, and during World War II, escaped Allied prisoners of war and other victims of the Nazis crossed the Cher River from Chenonceau into the unoccupied Vichy Zone.

The French Club and I toured Chenoneau's interior and exterior on our own and I enjoyed seeing the beautiful canopied beds of the Dauphin and Diane de Poitiers. "Gee, I wouldn't mind a canopy bed at home!" Twenty-years later I still don't have a canopy bed, but it's OK to dream about one, isn't it? My favorite part of Chenoneau is the tower that is built into the Cher River. It's been my favorite part of the chateau to draw, and my father has a watercolor in his house in Idaho that I did for my grandmother about a year after I returned from France. Looking at the picture of the tower gives me many fond memories of my 1985 trip to France and the House that Diane built.

Chenonceau is one of the loveliest châteaux in the Loire Valley. Its interesting design, spanning the river Cher, and the magnificent gardens make it a must-see in the Loire Valley.

Six woman left their mark on this château—Katherine Briçonnet, Diane de Poitiers, Catherine de Medici, Louise de Lorraine, Madame Dupin and Madame Pelouze. Each one did their part to make the château what it is today. Most remarkable was the addition of the arched bridge over the river and formal gardens by Diane de Poitiers, and the turreted pavilion built by Katherine Briçonnet, wife of the first owner, Thomas Bohier.

We started our visit with the Catherine de Medici garden and continued with a walk along the river promenade and then ventured back to the entrance of the château to start our tour. The Catherine de Medici garden, the smaller of the two, uses about 130,000 bedded plants each year. It has a central pool and fountain and was blooming with pink tulips when we visited.

I will not expand on the history of the château as it is extensive and there are plenty of books and websites out there that will tell you everything you need to know.

We started in the Guards’ Room where you will find Flemish tapestries and the famous 16th-century oak door with the words, "S’il vient à point, me sowiendra" meaning, "If I manage to build, I will be remembered"—words spoken by Thomas Bohier and his wife Katherine Briçonnet.

From here we continued on to the tiny chapel with stained glass windows dating from 1954 since the originals were bombed out during the war. You will visit Diane de Poitiers’ bedroom, a study and the library before coming to the long gallery.

Catherine de Medici built this gallery on the bridge built by Diane de Poitiers. The gallery is a ballroom with dimensions of 60 metres by 6 metres and lit by arched windows down its length. An interesting fact about the gallery is that during WWII the gallery’s southern door, leading to the left bank of the Cher River, provided access to the free zone while the entrance was in the occupied zone.

Francois I’s bedroom contains a few masterpieces. The Renaissance chimney is supposed to be one of the most beautiful. The 16th-century Italian cabinet with mother-of-pearl and ivory and the Van Loo painting beside it are worth extra time.

The next notable room is the Five Queens’ Bedroom named for Catherine De Medici’s two daughters and three daughters-in-law. The ceiling displays the Five Queens’ coats-of-arm.

On the way out, take some time to visit the larger garden, Diane de Poitiers’ garden. It is overlooked by the steward’s house, La Chancellerie, built in the 16th century. The house was covered in purple wisteria when we were there—beautiful! We watched tiny lizards basking in the sunshine and scurrying along the walls as we walked along the sides.