Taken in 2002 with a Canon Powershot S10 compact 2.1 megapixel camera at Chambord Castle during a very pleasant vacation in the Loire Valley. Chambord is particularly famous for a “double helix” spiral staircase, but I believe that this isn’t it (the famous one is inside the castle while this one is outside). It’s still pretty impressive though – as is the rest of the castle, particularly the exterior. The interior is rather bare and cheerless.

I was supposed to have studied at the University of Tours in the Loire Valley, and even registered. Somehow, I got distracted and ended up staying for a couple of months with friends near Lille. I should have gone with my original plan. The Loire Valley is gorgeous, while Lille is industrial and far from scenic. If you want to get a good feel for this part of France read “Germinal” by Emil Zola (who was also a photography enthusiast and a pretty decent photographer – see Emil Zola was a photographer?!