Once
we were settled last night, we realised that there was a large number
of (British registered) Autotrail Motorhomes gathered at one end of
the site; it turned out to be a rally of their owners' club. First
thing this morning we were entertained by a exhibition of
Synchronised Departing, by the Autotrail Owners Club Display team, as
twenty large motorhomes moved off in rapid succession. Theodora
looks quite tiny in comparison.
Once
the entertainment was over, we walked into Amboise to visit Le
Chateau du Clos Luce, the summer residence of the kings of France for
200 years.
This
is where, at the invitation of Francois I, Leonardo de Vinci spent
the last three years of his life. De Vinci was not only an artist,
but also an engineer and architect, and the basement of the chateau
houses The Model Room, devoted to his inventions.
Leonardo De Vinci's proposed wooden tank
A
great doodler of ideas, there are models based on many of his “ahead
of their time” ideas, such as a machine gun, a wooden tank, and a
steam powered (!) cannon. More peaceable exhibits included bevel
gears, a swing bridge and his famous helicopter. Outside in the
gardens twenty of these machines are exhibited as large (mostly
working) models, amongst the flower beds and ponds.
Another
3-course menu du jour left us feeling somewhat stuffed, so
after a brief walk around town we waddled back to the campsite to
recover from our exertions. Restaurant Le Procopio (www.le-procopio.fr) is highly recommended.
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