Well I promised you all a post about our visit to the castle and though I am slow of late...I do deliver ;) D's mother had suggested a day trip to a nearby castle and did the research to find the best one closeby. I think she did a wonderful job as the choices are endless.
The family arrived early that day and we set out to eat at a nearby restaurant. It was one that none of us had ever been to before but she had been assured that it was quite good. Upon arriving it seemed a very nice place...even fitting in with the castle mood with the faux torch lights along the walls. I think we all eyed the HUGE STAGE AT THE END OF THE ROOM with a little trepidation.
After seating and perusing the menu we all settled in for a wonderful meal. My first course was a wonderful Terrine de Foie Gras Maison et sa Gelee au Sauternes
Followed by a delightful Tournedos aux Cepes
Unfortunately it was also followed by this...
Which caused this...
and also caused my husband to flee the room. It was terrible!I still found time to enjoy this Brie Chaud au Miel
and this...
and Country Boy really enjoyed this...
D's mother had a little of all the goodies
I think we were all glad to make our escape to:
The approach to the castle was down a long tree shaded lane
with enticing glimpses as we drew closer
Until finally we were close enough to realize just how big it was!
We had to wait a short time for our tour guide so we wandered around the grounds a bit
and got a good look at the exterior
They also had a small display room at the entrance showing various artifacts
An arrow slot window...which was all the castle originally had... although we were told later that there were two extensive reconstructions to the castle in later years adding windows twice to the exterior. Both times were hundreds of years ago though so didnt detract from any authenticity to me.
and some pictures of the moat...we were told that this particular moat was never filled with water
but it did come equipped with a tunnel in which the nobels could rush out of a secret door and escape into by horseback... YOu can see the tunnel set into the side of the moat wall with the small chapel in the background
Some of the outer remains
Here are a few of the interior shots of the chapel. We were told that the decorations were not in the common theme of those days and the owner had been much influenced by his travels in Morocco and other places like that.
I am not fond of tour situations and this was no exception. The tour guide made it clear to ME that she didnt want ME to take pictures then ignored everyone else taking pictures so I took some anyway :P She was very informative though.
The main courtyard entrance
The Entry Hall
Some of the many huge fireplaces
A water fountain area
Dining....
A room fit for a princess
And a wonderful kitchen with shiny copper EVERYWHERE
Please forgive the quality of some of the photos. I was trying to be sneaky :p We were not allowed to tour the whole castle and actually were told that the owners were still using parts of the castle as was in evidence with the hams hanging from hooks in the kitchen. It was a beautiful castle and I thoroughly enjoyed my visit there. It was quite an elegant building and somme of the craftmanship was just wonderful to see. It was much nicer inside then I expected it to be and I'm really glad I finally got to see for myself what the inside of a caastle was like.
