Chateau D'Usse was where Charles Perrault was staying when he was inspired to write the book Sleeping Beauty. We paid the fee to get in, which I was a little unsure about (you never know what you're paying for at places like this) but I was blown away at the castle. Not only did we get to tour the inside and the gardens, but there was a castle tower we found and climbed up to find an adorable little exhibit of different scenes from sleeping beauty in the rooms of the tower.
We even found the attic where old family heirlooms were stored in the dust of hundreds of years.
Seriously that thing is talking about King Louis the 18th. (ruled 1814-1824, except during Napoleon's 100 days rule, during revolution). Just some old attic relics. NBD.
It was amazing how much of the castle secrets were open for people to wander in to. We also found a hole in the bottom of the castle with a little sign labeled "prison" which was a dungeon used between the 1st and 5th centuries from what I believe. It had dark narrow little hallways that we explored. Then on another part of the estate we wandered in to some caves where wine used to be stored. It was all so enchanting. I could imagine that story happening in that very castle. Even the staircase to one of the towers was lit with a creepy blue light just like the one Aurora follows to the spinning wheel.
Sleeping beauty in the top tower of the castle
The back of the castle was situated right up against a dense forest that I wished so bad that I could go explore. Even an owl like the one Aurora dances with hooted like crazy from the green somewhere. The whole experience was a real life Disneyland, like a book brought to life.
We even found the attic where old family heirlooms were stored in the dust of hundreds of years.
Seriously that thing is talking about King Louis the 18th. (ruled 1814-1824, except during Napoleon's 100 days rule, during revolution). Just some old attic relics. NBD.
The back of the castle was situated right up against a dense forest that I wished so bad that I could go explore. Even an owl like the one Aurora dances with hooted like crazy from the green somewhere. The whole experience was a real life Disneyland, like a book brought to life.
This morning before Usse, we explored Nantes some more and wandered around, mostly shopping. We saw the Nantes castle, and walked around its wall and moat.
Nantes is very urban and one of the most populated cities in France.
The Carrefour was a much needed stop and I got a baguette and Camembert for lunch because my stomach has been bothering me a lot and I couldn't tolerate any more sugar. Everything here is so rich!
It's interesting how this castle is just sitting in the middle of the city, moat and all.
Tours was more of a drive by tonight, because we only grabbed a hotel room there to make tomorrow's drive shorter. We did get a chance to drive and walk the streets in the main part of town looking for a place to eat. It still has a very medieval theme to it.
More Chateau D' Usse because I'm completely obsessed.
Chateau Saumur drive by. (not Usse) We got out and explored the grounds, but the chateau was under construction and we didn't have time to go in. It was originally built and destroyed in 10th century as a stronghold against the Normans. It was rebuilt in the 12th century. This pic was taken from a bridge on the river where we got out and walked. Gorgeous.
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