I walked out from Azay le Rideau yesterday to visit a chateau garden. It was maybe three miles out there, which was good for burning off all the marvelous food I've been eating. It was a slightly less than pleasant walk, however. There was no shoulder on the road whatsoever. Pedestrians get great respect in towns here, but this road, at least, did not offer a good space for them.

It felt great to stretch my legs, however, and the gardens were fun. The French don't seem to have the robust topiary I'm used to in English gardens. I'd hoped to paint some of those funky shapes. The gardens do reflect the long history of delicate, courtly French art, which makes sense now that I think of it. And I found a high enough viewpoint to get some good pattern in my composition.

It was chilly and kind of late, so I only did one. Here are another couple of photos of the garden.

I loved that they had a garden of dance.