In the valley of wine and castles (Loire)

10 Sep. 2018

Summer and time off are coming to an end. Once again, I start the engine to get to know a new piece of France for a few days.

In Doué-la-Fontaine, I visit the Aux Anciens Commerces museum. In the former stables of a castle, a collector has set up and richly equipped about twenty shops and workshops from the years 1850 to 1950. Here, I take a trip back in time through a large collection of classic goods and advertisements.

And it goes on underground. Rochemenier is a village where all the houses are dug into the sandstone as if around a quarry. The houses look as if the inhabitants have just left to work in the fields.

And now I am starting my tour of the castles. First stop is Montreuil-Bellay, a small town dominated by the castle of the same name and picturesquely situated on a river.

Château Breze is a small castle, but its foundations are deep and surrounded by dry moats. There is a system of caves around the foundations, where there are some service rooms and a wine cellar.

Next stop is Usse Castle. Legend has it that the French version of The Sleeping Beauty was written here. In any case, this is how I imagine a castle from a fairy tale. I also visit the interior, which is full of loving scenes from different eras. I go up to the attic and back again. There is something to be discovered around every corner.

And my last stop is at Chateau Brissac, the giant of the Loire. The castle, which is in fact still inhabited, is also open to the public. I take a stroll through the impressively furnished rooms and even find a small opera house in there.

And with a few bottles of wine in my luggage, I head back to Brittany to enjoy the last few days of my nine-month journey by the sea.

Cheers, Thomas