Monday 30 2011
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| Our first view of the Chateau |
Left Bordeaux and found our way into the countryside with fields of wheat on either side sprinkled with red poppies.
After a couple of wrong turns we ended up using the sat nav built into the car and the one we brought from home to find the Chateau de Ternay. We got our first glimpse as we turned down the hill. It was stunning with its turrets and yellow coloured stone sitting on a small rise with fields below. It was amazing to think we would actually be staying there!
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| Chateau de Ternay |
We were greeted by two dogs – Rocksy (our name) a dark coloured shepherd and Gargoyle the honey Labrador who is only 5 months old.
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| Gargoyle and Danny |
Walked up the worn stone steps to the 10 foot high front door and rang the bell.
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| Our room |
Caroline, the countess is a small dark haired woman with a warm smile. She brought us into the centre courtyard which has a grass square and offered us a glass of champagne. Loic, the Count is very friendly and speaks English.
Our room was massive with ceilings 20 foot high, a huge portrait of an ancestor above the unused fireplace, huge shuttered windows, antiques along the mantelpiece and two large four poster beds which were very comfortable.
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| Internal courtyard |
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| Internal courtyard |
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Steps of the Chateau
Tuesday 31 2011 Loic took us on a tour of the castle. Some parts of the castle are 800 years old and there have been major changes throughout the centuries. It originally had a huge moat in which over 200 people used to live and sell their wares on market day. It also used to have a high thick wall at the front but it has since disappeared to provide a view down to the valley across the fields. There are carvings in many places. Some are not done very well. This is because the King came to visit once and saw the quality of the carving and took all the talented sculptors with him and although they promised they never returned. There is a chapel with stained glass windows on the side looking into the courtyard. The guest’s living room has a painting of Loic’s great grandmother and grandmother and there are wooden carved crests covering the ceiling in squares painted red and blue. Drove through pretty fields dusted with poppies and found the Chateau de Breze which has a grand position. This large turreted building has its own drawbridge. We went on our own self-guided tour. Saw troglodyte dwellings, bakery, ice house and a brewery in the endless tunnels all carved into the rock beneath the castle. When you exit the tunnels you come out into the moat – the deepest in France. Chinon was our destination for lunch/dinner. It also has its own chateau, of course, on the top of the hill. Enjoyed a local salad with goats cheese and a couple of beers. Cheese and wine back at the Chateau ended the day. Caroline tried to teach me the French word for corkscrew but we both gave up in the end.
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