Day 38 Around the Loire Valley (day 2)

Day 38 Around the Loire Valley (day 2)

Today we took the easier option and walked into the village and to the Chateau d'Azay le Rideau.  This is a very different chateau to yesterday's - Chateau de Chenonceau.  This is a smaller chateau which has not been restored to the same level.  They did have a terrific display on the restoration of Philippe Lesbahay's bedchamber which included the use of hand braided bulrush matting on the walls and floors used in the renaissance period for warmth and insulation.  Interestingly this bulrush was harvested in Bedfordshire (UK).

Chateau de Azay le Rideau

A tremendous amount of oak has been used in the vaulted roofs.

Alan finds a comfortable chair and enjoys a moment of "reflection".

The gardens while not so expansive are delicate and quite well set out.  The building is again made from the white/grey stone typical of the area.  We spend around 2 hours going through the chateau and gardens.  Again well worth the visit and not nearly as busy!   

We decided to have a quick bite to eat and found a lovely cafe (a rare breed in France) and had coffee (tea) and either a fish or vegetable soup or an omelette then walked back to the hotel and set off for a drive in the cars.  

We set off for Chinnon and ended up at Usse and decided to stop at the Chateau de La Belle au Bois dormant in the village of Usse.  On the way back we stopped at a small family run wine cellar/ roadside wine sales.  They use caves craved into the rock over the centuries as cellars for their wine storage.  A very friendly chap greeted us in broken english.  We bought several bottles as it was quite a pleasant drop.

Chateau de La Belle au Bois dormant in Usse - Referred to as Sleeping Beauty's castle

This chateau was reputed to have inspired Perrault to write his famous stories including Sleeping Beauty.  It is a beautiful and majestic castle built mainly in the 15th and 16th century. The stuff of fairytales!   This chateau was again quite different from the other two we had visited previously.

Dinner tonight was once again in town - next door to the pizza establishment (which shared the pizza kitchen) and Dale and I opted for a "cook it yourself" hot rock with beef, venison, duck and pork tenderloins.