France 2 and 3 June

Thursday 2 June 2011

The villages seem very quiet with few people but they are pretty with lots of bright coloured flower beds and someone must tend them, we just haven’t seen them.  There are roses everywhere.  Some vineyards even have rose bushes at the end of each row of vines.



Chateau Chinon



All day we saw people having picnics on the banks of the Loire. Almost all the shops were closed with just a few restaurants open. Even the supermarket was closed and it finally dawned on us that it was a public holiday.

At last we found a little café on the other bank of the Vienne, a tributary of the Loire, and had a beer and a snack while taking in the view of the Chateau in Chinon with a line of plane trees below. 

Friday 3 June 2011



Chateau du Rivau



Thanks to some spectacular map reading on Karen’s part we arrived at Chateau du Rivau an hour and a bit later than we had planned. They had stopped serving lunch but the young waitress took pity on us and gave us a toasted baguette.  Later, as we toured the Chateau, we realised that the young woman who had served us was in fact the daughter of the owner of the Chateau as she was in the family photos on the wall.

The Chateau has gardens which are little different to most.  There are modern art sculptures throughout the gardens which may not be to everyone’s taste.  However they have one section set aside where there are hammocks in which you can rest.  We both almost fell asleep listening to the birds it was so peaceful. 

There are roses throughout the grounds.  I have never smelt roses with such a strong, sweet scent.

We walked around the rooms of the Chateau.  There is something a little quirky about this Chateau.  In amongst the  stuffed deer heads mounted on the wall there is a plastic Rudolf the red nose reindeer mask, and in amongst the bore heads there is a knitted version. 

You are able to examine the exhibits as closely as you like, even the 15^th century tapestries.  There are no areas closed off with red velvet barriers or staff to scowl at you.