The Chateau Chougnes Day 4Thurs July 24th
This would be our last full day in the chateau and we haven't been to a market yet. Inconceivable! Now or never!
Most of the group had one more chateau to inspect but I had some pictures in mind and the light was good. Below is the village of Saint Christophe, just down the hill from our chateau.
And I think this my favorite of Chateau Chougnes.
Maybe a round of petanque. Ruby was in charge of the half time show.
Jeanne Marie agreed to umpire.
Or maybe relaxing in the hammocks,
or beating the grownups at cards,
or just practice being a goof.
The Chateau Chougnes Day 3Wednesday July 23rd Another day, another chateau or two. It was looking like rain but we were charging out there anyway. Besides, if it did rain we might as well be looking at the insides of one of France's finest.
Chateau d'Azay-le-Rideau
And you all know I'm a sucker for these.
The rain looked like it would lift so part of the group planned to walk across town to another chateau. JM and I had our fill of big old houses so we headed home. We had noticed on our way up in the morning a lot of bicycles displayed on the roadside.
By the time we got home the sky had cleared so I headed out to find sunflowers or something to photograph. There were four or five villages within a ten mile radius. Should be something to see there.
The clear skies brought out the pool hounds.
And again we dined under a clear blue sky with perfect temps. Another fine day with family, friends, and fabulous food in France.
The Chateau Chougnes Day 2Tuesday July 22nd The Loire Valley has been one of the richest agricultural regions of France for a millennia. So it became the epicenter of the great chateaux. They are everywhere. It was mandatory that we tour some. Chateau de Saumur sits on the bluff above the River Loire. It was originally a true castle that had been gentrified into a chateau.
I got to play with the drone too.
After touring the castle we were ready for lunch.
Are we having fun yet?
After lunch most of the group went on to another chateau. Jeanne Marie and I went back to our chateau for a nap. And more pictures!
This was the real deal. It was great fun!
Jamie and her Mom, Donna. More touring tomorrow! The Chateau Chougnes Day 1Sunday-Monday July 20-21st We arrived Sunday evening at Chateau Chougnes. Tom and Jamie have been dreaming about this part of our trip literally for years. To go to a chateau in France and invite family and friends to come and hang out, touring through the villages, visiting markets and castles, eating the pastries, drinking the wine, was for them, the epitome of a vacation. Jamie resolved to make it happen before she was 40. Tom was just happy she settled on renting. Her original plan was to buy one. This is what they found. It would be home for a week.
So let us show you around. The kitchen was ideal for gathering and cooking. We used it extensively.
Below is the billiard room.
JM and I were shown the proper deference when bedrooms were assigned. We got the master, shown above. Not your typical B&B. Monday July 21st This first morning we sent Tom to the bakery unsupervised.
No matter. There were fifteen of us. We ate it all. This first day most of the group was in need of a down day after touring hard all weekend in Paris. So Jeanne Marie and I drove down to Tours to the shrine of St. Martin.
We went back to the chateau for lunch and scouted around the grounds for something to photograph.
And one of the big draws of this place was rather unFrench. It boasted a large in ground heated pool.
More touring tomorrow. Oradour-sur-GlaneSunday July 20th We awoke to the intermittent blast of hot air balloons. They like to take off early. Really early. Mass at a nearby church and we were headed back north Our destination for today was Chateau Chougnes in the Loire Valley where we would meet up with Tom and Jamie and the rest of the party. But on the way we would make one stop. Our English friend Victoria implored us to see the village of Oradour-sur-Glane and we have to advise that our story at this point turns very dark. This village is in complete ruins and will remain so forever as a memorial of June 10, 1944. On that day a German SS company entered the town, rounded up all of the inhabitants, and massacred them. 642 men, women, and children. Only six residents of the town managed to survive. Then they burned the town. The Germans' motives were never explained in depth because the commander who ordered it, and most of the troops who executed it, were killed in the Battle of Normandie a few weeks later. Some possible motives are known. The D-Day landings had started just four days earlier, on June 6th. The Germans were obsessed by the possibility that when the Allies did invade France the Resistance would rise up behind the lines and cause them many problems. And there had been a Resistance attack on another SS unit in the vicinity of the village. But there had been no Resistance activity in Oradour itself. Further, this SS unit had served in the Balkans where the war was entirely conducted between partisan resistance forces and regular German troops. They were quite accustomed to dealing harshly with civilians they suspected of resistance activity. So it appears Oradour was picked out for reprisal for Resistance activities they had nothing to do with. I've decided to present the pictures in black and white without much comment. It helps to convey the bleak atmosphere of the town.
We departed in a pretty somber mood. We both knew there were terrible depredations during the war but being in this village where such a horrific massacre actually took place made it much more real. Standing in that church, where the women and children were killed, was especially harrowing. You don't need much imagination to see the ghosts and hear the screams. Below are the remains of a baby carriage in the middle of the church.
Those responsible for preserving the village have tried to acquire a photograph of every inhabitant and have them displayed in the entrance hall. This too, is an eerie encounter.
« Older Posts
© Patrick K. Kelly
|
