Loire Valley, Florence & Modern Technology

Leonardo DaVinci, France & Italy..

So this is the second week of Toussaint break in France - my husband unfortunately had a work conference in Florence, Italy - and it was just too complicated to try to take the whole family - but the girls and I, along with some friends are enjoying the Loire Valley.

We had a bit of fun skyping with my husband yesterday - he had an opportunity to tour the city before his conference officially started so shared amazing photos with us via Skype and email.  We returned the favor - and laughed at the irony that Leonardo DaVinci was famous in both places!  Yesterday was our tour of Chateau de Clos Luce, his home in France.  I will be doing more write ups about our trip later - but wanted to share some nice photos of yesterday, both from Leonardo's home here in France and of Florence!

The Cathedral in Florence, Italy...sorry I'm not there so can't tell you the official name - but can tell you it's beautiful and stunning!  Apparently, it has one of the first domes built in Europe.  Very ornate - definitely a different style than that of Notre Dame in Paris.

Of, course the statue of David - 

A unique feature - houses built across the bridges....this was apparently done long time ago in many European cities, but were removed by many cities to clean up the appearance of the bridges and open up the space and view.

Now, back in France - This is Chateau de Clos Luce - Leonardo's home in France.  A great place to walk around and most impressive were all the inventions that he envisioned.  Such the Renaissance man and a true visionary!







Below is his idea for the first tank....this model in the garden allowed the kids to spin it from the inside.

One more little taste, the idea for a water pump...

All I can say, with WiFi, Skype and instant email - it's so great to stay connected and enjoy our unique experiences!  I look forward to doing more detailed write ups on each of our tours this week....today we are off to Chambord.