Chateau Villandry and a Hunting Lodge?

There were just too many castles to see that we couldn't fit them all in just one day. So we added another day of castles. But first we managed to fit in two more castles before we camped for the night: Chateau de la Bourdaisiere

And the magnificent Chateau Villandry. 

These gardens were the most incredible I have ever seen. There are four or five individual sections including an herb and vegetable garden, a water garden and ornamental flower garden. This is the first salon of the ornamental garden.

The water garden.

The second salon of the ornamental garden.

The sun garden.

The wood.

Our next day began with a glimpse of Chateau Chaumont-Sur-Loire.

And then we went to the largest of the castles Chateau Chambord which isn't a castle at all. It is actually a hunting lodge...with 440 rooms, 282 fireplaces, and 84 staircases.

It is not certain, but speculated that Leonardo Da Vinci designed elements of this lodge such as the double helix staircase in the center of the building. There are two entrances to the staircase and if two people go up opposite stairs, they will never meet. 

The lodge is set on 13,000 acres of wood and fields for hunting. Amazing.