Chateau with Beauties
With two dear girlfriends here for a visit, we are hitting the sites, and not just the Singular Adventure to Super U (the local mega-grocery store that has All The Things.) To prepare for their visit, I was Brave. I drove the car, put gas in it, visited the local patisserie, and …… trusted a stylist at a salon de coiffure with a cut-and-color (yipes!). It all turned out just fine!
Our first adventure was to the sacred Fontevrand-l’Abbaye that I loved seeing again, another visit to the cathedral in Le Puy-Notre-Dame to visit Joan of Arc’s belt. Then we headed to the Château d'Ussé.
Château d'Ussé was originally constructed in the 10th century to protect from Viking raids. After significant renovations and expansions throughout the centuries, the stone version was erected in the 15th century with modifications to replace the wooden structure. It is currently occupied by the Duc de Blacas, whose family has lived in the Chateau for over 200 years. We were so thrilled to be visiting the very chateau that inspired Disneyland’s theme-park castle. There is a wing and turret dedicated to the telling of Sleeping Beauty, complete with mannequins and music. The rest of the Chateau did not disappoint with historical period furniture, intricate tapestries, paintings, a Flamboyant Gothic Chapelle Sainte-Anne, an old and a modern wine cave, and horse stables. Given the time of year, the grounds were just starting to emerge from a very short winter slumber.
Our final adventure of the day was navigating roads washed out by flooded rivers. Big Brave on elevated goat roads over fast moving rivers! We happened into Langeais for a bite of lunch and were rewarded with more gothic structures.
