Chambord: "House!"

On holiday in France we went to see Chambord

a beautiful yet absolutely huge chateau,

a royal palace,
the largest in the Loire Valley.

Chambord wasn't intended as a permanent residence,

Francoise the first only spent a few weeks a year here.

Some holiday home!

Consequently all the furnishings were temporary,

kings and queens of France, didn't travel lightly,

they brought everything with them.

Imagine carting all this stuff around and then unpacking,

hanging curtains,

and draping walls.

They really really didn't travel lightly.

My family is not that familiar with the kings and queens of France,
but helpfully their paintings are labelled.
We've heard of Marie Antoinette,
her reputation precedes her.

Wondering what kings and queens of france got up to
for those few weeks a year in their country residence,
we spotted a few clues in their taste for home decor.
This research is evidenced based,
we have no specialist knowledge of French history,
it's just based on what we saw.

Hunting

stag, 

and wild boar,

with ferocious looking hounds.

On the ground floor,
everywhere you look, 

quarry is being savagely attacked by dogs,

in oils and bronze.  

These foxes got off lightly

they look relatively unscathed.

However upstairs,

 more 'genteel' entertainment is on display.

The "National Board Game".

I say 'genteel', we obviously don't know how competitive Marie Antoinette was.
Mind you, I might have let her win, more often than not!

We recognised this game.

We loved the idea of Marie Antoinette playing bingo.
A far cry from a bingo night in the village hall.

How do you say "legs eleven" in French?

"House!"

Even Marie Antoinette's dog was more 'genteel' in appearance.

That demure face and yellow ribbon,
surely no threat to the wild boar.

Hunting and board games not for us,
we had a great time...

...playing hide 'n' seek in the fireplaces,

...reminded of Dickensian alleyways on the roof terrace,
auditioning for 'Oliver'.

...and marvelling at how this 'upstairs' stone parquet flooring,
'bounced slightly as visitors moved around the room.

Was it going to fall down?

Surely with this magnificent ceiling below, it couldn't.

I couldn't end this blog post  without showing you Chambord's famous
double helix staircase.
Two spiral staircases that intertwine over three floors
yet never meet.

Kind of simple,
but complicated,
especially as they go in the same direction.

It was said to have been designed by Leonardo da Vinci.
There's no proof though.

If you're in the area,
do pop in.
Chambord's details are on the website here.

Museum of the Broads: Holidaying

Back to the Museum of the Broads, Norfolk.

In a previous post, click here, I looked at crafts.
That was me making a connection with the Norfolk Broads,
having admitted that boats are not really 'my thing'.

But you can't blog about the Museum of the Broads

without mentioning boats and holidays.

Blakes Holiday Map 1960s

The rivers and lakes of the Norfolk Broads were formed thousands of years ago,
the result of digging up peat, when peat was used as fuel.

People have been coming to the Norfolk Broads for years, since 1800BC.
The visitors book is testament to this,
newcomers recorded on the museum's timeline.

First the Celts, Romans and then the Danes.

Then much later, the likes of us, the 'holiday visitor',
beginning their invasions around 160 years ago.

 Our invasion only lasted a week,
aboard a cruiser,

with all mod cons.

Gas hob, shower and toilet on board.

Toilets designed especially for boats,

with clear and considerate instructions for their use.

With the help of the museum phrase book,
we learnt a few words in the local language.

Not sure if it'll catch on.
Will my kids tell me I'm 'biggoty'?
Whilst I reply, 'that's a load of 'squit!'
Actually, I like the sound of that.
'Squit!'.

We checked out the local wildlife.

(On another day, we saw three huge Cranes at Horsey Mere.)

We felt a little sorry for this mole,

as 640 of his friends were used to make this mole skin coat.

 Blame Queen Alexandra,
who in the early twentieth century made wearing mole fur popular.
However, it provided jobs,
mole catchers were paid 3d a day plus the skins.

More appropriated wildlife.
Porcupine quills to make fishing floats.

We were intrigued as to where these porcupine quills came from
as they are not a native species, to either the Norfolk Broads or the UK.

As with every holiday, there are always the opportunities to collect mementos.
Souvenirs.

Like brochures,

boat flags.

models,

and photos.

At this point, I have to give a huge shout out to the Museum of the Broads.
From what I saw, nearly every object in their collection, had been saved, collected, preserved, built, conserved, restored and donated by volunteers and local families.
Local history treasured and preserved.

Over 40 volunteers staff and maintain the museum.
As a volunteer, if you're really lucky, you get to pilot their steam launch, the Falcon,
which runs on the hour between 11am and 3pm on the River Ant.
Details on their website here.

This was a summer family holiday on the Norfolk Broads.
Imagine coming in winter and getting to use an 'ice yacht'?

'Cabinets of Wonder': Royal Albert Memorial Museum

'Cabinets of Wonder'

Perhaps you were wondering,

"where did this museum thing begin?"

If so, the Royal Albert Memorial Museum, RAMM, in Exeter

has answers for you. 

Around 500 years ago,

'rulers and nobles', wanting to 'possess the wonders of the world',

collected unusual and exotic objects,

creating 'Cabinets of Wonder'.

A couple of centuries on, collectors began to be more systematic,

focussing on types of objects.

Their collections were often donated to public museums,

to contribute to scientific knowledge,

as objects for earnest learning.

Museums were serious business,

promoting proper learning and self improvement.

These collectors brought us...

...butterflies

...and more butterflies

very specifically from Bishopsteignton, Devon,

displayed in drawers.

...spiders

and flint tools.

I've shown you these before, in a previous post, here,

about things 'lost'

in the vicinity of Exeter.

Some collections appear slightly less thematic,

a bit random

and need more than a glass cabinet or drawer in which to display them.

Such as this Italian harpsichord and Kilimanjaro Giraffe.

Nowadays, collecting is not the preserve of rulers and nobles.

The RAMM invites you to become a collector.

Anyone can start a collection,

don't be put off by Giraffes and harpsichords.

Head to the beach.

Get out and about in the countryside.

Have a dig around in your garden.

 One day your collection

might be the beginnings of a museum.

 And when you have opened that museum,

you can invite visitors to say what they think.

 They'll be interested and amazed.

And tell you what they like about your collection.

And you might find out that you've made a space for people to connect,

and spend time together,

making museums more than serious learning and self improvement.

It's amazing what inspires people to start collecting.

Some things you just have to keep, and add to,

creating your own 'Cabinets of Wonder'.

Antlers found in Scotland,

sheep's ribs found on Dartmoor,

teeny tiny shells scooped up in your hands from a beach in Brittany,

coloured shards of sandblasted glass picked up on the beach in Teignmouth,

a gecko's skull,

bottle tops, all 357 of them,

stones from the beach, that always look better wet,

and a current seasonal occupation, conkers,
all litter the shelves of our house.

Get collecting,
and perhaps take your 'nana' to see what others have collected,
to the RAMM in Exeter.
A brilliant place to spend time,
both with objects and grandparents.

Details on the RAMM website, here.