The wooden dummy is flying an aeroplane designed by Leonardo Da Vinci in the 16th century.

Leonardo spent the last three years of his life living in Amboise in a manor house given to him by François 1st. The house and grounds are now a Leonardo Da Vinci theme park that I wandered around while Karl and Lissie were off fulfilling their cycling quota of the day.

The house is full of goodies. Old furniture and portraits, and beds that may have been slept in by famous passers through. The walls are amply blazoned with framed aphorisms from the mouth of the great man. Copies of these and numerous other souvenirs are available in the gift shop but I resisted temptation. It was not difficult.

In the basement are rooms full of models of the various things he designed, most of which I think failed to be built in his lifetime. In the grounds many of them have been built now, using we are assured the materials of his time.

Here for instance is his machine gun with his tank in the background and below is another aeroplane. Leonardo imagined men or animals inside the tank pushing it about but I imagine this one has an electric motor.

It all sounds a bit crass but in fact I found it very interesting and better value than the Chateau d’Amboise that I visited with K&L later in the day.

On my way home I spent the morning in Blois where there is another castle – see back view below – that I didn’t bother going into being all touristed out by this time.
Near the castle is a place called the house of magic (closed so I was spared the agony of a decision) in front of which stands this statue.
The subject is described as a conjuror, a watchmaker, an engineer, an inventor, a learned man, an ambassador and a man of letters. His name is Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin and he is the man from whom Eric Weisz a.k.a. Houdini derived his name.