The morning was spent getting to know Chinon - a before-breakfast stroll across the river, then up to the castle. It is a great castle - in the middle of a large restoration project. The oldest parts date back to the 12th Century - so it has some great towers with winding staircases and 'wall walks' with beautiful views of the surrounding country-side due to its high defensive position. It is most famous for being the place where Joan of Arc met the Dauphin. who was in hiding there, and convinced him to lead the French to a glorious victory over the English who had laid claim to half of France - no wonder she is such a herione here!
In typical french style there was an exhibition of photographs of the contruction which were beautiful in their own right.
In the afternoon we headed off to Villandry in the car - Michael becoming a bit more accostomed to the back to front driving! Villandry is a superb late-Renaissance castle which has a magnificent garden - fairly recently restored to its original glory.
For dinn
er w
e found a little restaurnat run by a youngish couple spepcialising in local, frech ingrediets. We had a lovely meal with interesting fresh produce - such as a tabouli with betroot, herbs and nuts and a glorious big tomatoe cut up with pistacio oil drizzled on it, accompanied by fresh goat's cheese - tres french and tres delicieux.
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