Shopping for a Chateau

Wednesday 18th June 

Rest day.

We are staying right in the centre of the village so this morning it was a short walk to the boucherie for something for dinner, then the boulangerie for something for lunch. Laundry day so a short drive to the nearby village where there was a laverie. Chores done and back home for the afternoon. Entertainment this week  - the cycling Tour de Suisse. More fabulous scenery. 

Thursday 19th June 

Let's go check out some of these chateaux. Todays pick was the Chateau de Cheverney - 12k away. This chateau is privately owned and still lived in. It has been in the same family for more than six centuries. The family live in one of the wings.They say it is the most beautifully furnished château in the Loire Valley. It is certainly beautifully furnished and the highlight for me (and why i picked this as one to visit) was the tapestries. As we toured the interior i was beginning to wonder if it really had tapestries, but finally there they were. The first ones we saw had not been refurbished and still retained the brilliant colours. I had a close up look and in a square about 1/2" there were around 100 stitches. Amazing!!! 

Chateau Cheverney

The dining room.

The nursery.  The first rocking horse from the time of Napolean III.
And dog of the day x 3.

Another entry in dog of the day. Stuffed toy but it had a wagging tail
and lifted and turned its head.

The first of many tapestries. Original colours and not refurbished.

The back of the chateau.

One of the garden ornaments. 

This was as close to the kitchen as we got. Beautiful copper pots.

The birth chamber with a rare mahogany cradle.

Persian embroidery panel on the Kings four poster bed canopy.

They call this a sewing room! Bit small I think!

Hanging from the ceiling in the library.

Love the dinner set - continuing the hounds theme. 

Another part of the Chateau is the kennels where they have around 100 anglo-french tricolour hounds. So what do they do when they are not hunting? Laze around like any other dog. 

The Chateau served as a model to Hergé for Moulinsart, Tintin's chateau. There was a separate exhibition for TinTin related stuff. This is the second time we have come across TinTin exhibitions, the first was in Mulhouse. 

Alice and Odette auditioning for Tintin. 

I don't take too many photos of our food, but this one was pretty good.
Rob had a fish curry with squid ink rice,
and I had a fillet of sole stuffed with a crab meat filling,
and a vegetable sort of mash. 

Driving back we spotted this sign and the Chateau below.
This is where the liqueur chambord is made. It isn't open to tourists
but I'll see if we can find somewhere to taste it in the next few days.

Chateau de Sistiere.

The gates to the Chateau Villesavin....

...and the Chateau Villesavin.