On Boxing Day, which is not a thing in France, Simon and I, along with our medieval historian friends Niall and Antoinette, paid a visit to the chateau of Langeais. It is a late medieval gem, quite sympathetically restored in the 19th century and this Christmas, participating in the 'Christmas in Chateaux Country' programme. Despite the frigidity of the weather, there was a reasonable number of visitors at the chateau. I was particularly impressed with the medieval feel of the decorations, both inside and in the courtyard.
The roof and exterior stonework is being cleaned. You can see how far they've got.
The front entrance to the chateau.
Visit these six chateaux before 6 January to see their spectacular Christmas decorations.
Decorated deer.
A view of the famous suspension bridge across the Loire from inside the chateau.
View of the 10th century motte and bailey built by Fulke Nerra, from the 15th century chateau.
Reindeer and sleigh made from yew and red deer antlers.
The western end of the Chateau of Langeais.
A view over the town from the grounds of the Chateau of Langeais.
Reconstruction of medieval scaffolding on the ruined tower at Langeais.
Here is a previous post about the Chateau of Langeais, with a bit more history and detail.
You've got until 6 January to visit the six chateaux participating in the Noël au Pays des Chateaux programme. Trust me, the splendid decorations are worth seeing.
2 comments:
How spectacular for the 'Top Six', we are sorry that we are unable to get there at this time of year (and at this time of our lives!).
A Happy New Year to you both.
Happy New Year to you too. The participating chateaux are not the 'big six' but a nice mixture of the well known and not so well known.
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