New Experiences #70 - #73
W/C 30th July
New Experience #70: Leornardo Da Vinci's House and Gardens
Nestled away in the side streets of tourist hotspot Amboise in La Loire stands the last dwelling place of arguably the greatest thinker that ever lived, Leonardo Da Vinci. The large manor house, supplied to him by King Francois I of France, has been transformed into a museum celebrating the Italian renaissance forerunner and his philosophy, art, writing and engineering work.
Five hundred years after they were put on paper, most of his intricate designs can be used as blueprints for perfectly working models of parachutes, tanks, cameras, paddle boats, helicopters, bridges...
The pretty gardens which accompany the house now contain full scale models of such designs and were the highlight of the impressive, inspiring and very pricy few hours of discovery.
Rating: 4/5. The prestigiousness of the place radiated on the faces of the intrigued visitors and it well worth a visit.
New Experience #71: Visiting a Chateau
Chateau de Chenonceau is one of the most clbre of the Loire's fancy mansions and, hefty entrance fee aside, is a marvelous place to while away an afternoon. Built in the 16th Century over the River Cher, the elaborate but beautiful castle stretches over the water with its five arches raising long hallways, numerous bedrooms and hundreds of tourists above the surface. Picture postcard stuff.
Rating: 4/5. When in France...
New Experience #72: A Maze
Whilst wandering around the opulent grounds of Chateau de Chenonceau, I found my way in to a maze. I have no way of comparing this against other such plantations but I'd say it was of relatively small dimensions and I found my way out again pretty quickly.
However, a maze is a maze and it's another thing ticked off the list.
Rating: 3/5. Due to my head being a good few inches above the tops of the hedges, some of the thrill of it was lost on me.
New Experience #73: Japanese Green-Tea Ice Cream
Good French markets can be weird and wonderful things, offering the shopper more than a fair share of fine foodstuffs, arty clothing and crafty-nit-bits to browse through. I spotted a golden opportunity for a new experience for my tastebuds at a Japanese ice-cream stall, selling all the usual flavours as well as a Green-Tea variety. So I bought, I licked and... just about liked.
Rating: 3/5. I'm a fan of green tea but having it frozen in a cone was just odd. Worth a try but not something I'd rush out and buy again.
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IMAGE: New by chrisinplymouth
2 Comments – Postiwch sylw
Tom W
Rhoddwyd sylw 45 mis yn ôl - 23rd August 2012 - 14:03pm
It sounds like you've had some (more) great experiences lately, but the humour in this article was what made it - good job! How you're still turning out interesting articles 73 experiences down the line is beyond me! Da iawn!
Tom_Bevan
Rhoddwyd sylw 45 mis yn ôl - 28th August 2012 - 10:39am
Thanks Tom :) too busy to write up the articles, half the time though!