Sunday 1 August 2010

A Medieval Sunday afternoon at the Château de Colombières

Visitors to France already know about the fabulous châteaux which can be found in the Loire valley. Many years ago we took the ferry across to France, from England, to spend a wonderful week touring them with our friends K & T.
Until we finally came to live in France I hadn't realised how many châteaux there are in Normandy and we have certainly enjoyed discovering them, touring their gardens and marvelling at the wonderful architecture.
You may remember that I blogged about our visit to the Château des Ravalet some time back, click on the link if you missed it.
Two weekends ago we discovered a beautiful hidden gem, practically on our own doorstep!

The stunning Château de Colombières , less than a 5 minute drive away from our home, was hosting a Fête Médiévale, how could we resist visiting?After struggling to find a space to park, we wandered through the ancient gates and into the grounds surrounding the château, where we discovered many displays and activities depicting how life was lived in medieval times.


It was possible to tour the Château, however we decided to postpone that treat for another day, when there would be fewer crowds around.

I hope you have enjoyed our virtual tour of the Château de Colombières (click on the highlighted links for more information), with it's thousand year history and if you are ever visiting this little corner of France I would imagine a stay in one of their wonderful B&B rooms would be a once in a lifetime experience.

What a shame I live so close by, Ben & I think that their Louis XVI room is just our style!
Linking this post to Mosaic Monday graciously hosted as ever by Mary @thelittleredhouse and also Frenchy's French Obsession Party & Giveaway @Le Chateau des Fleurs, two places where interesting and friendly bloggers get together.
Click on the links to see a list of others also participating this week.

16 comments:

  1. All I can say is WOW! If you drive 5 minutes from my house all you see is a grocery store and a strip mall!
    This is just gorgeous Maggie. Thanks for sharing it with us.
    Jane

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  2. I think you should definitely stay in one of the rooms. Maybe as a special treat for your birthday or to celebrate it is Sunday or some other important reason.
    You only live once.

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  3. You have to stay overnight in one of the special rooms - it's all research - for your blogging buddies....especially the ones, like me, who can drive for five minutes and just see more trees.

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  4. Good Morning Maggie Sweetie...
    Gorgeous share today. Oh my gosh, what a beautiful place to see. 5 minutes from my house, a Target. I see no castle around here. I love it.

    It would be so much fun to stay in one of the rooms. Just to say that you have. Save it for an anniversary and it will be one to remember for a lifetime of anniversaries. How romantic.

    Thank you for sharing today and taking me to such a lovely place. The grounds are so gorgeous.

    Have a beautiful Sunday sweetie.

    Country hugs...Sherry

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  5. Thanks for sharing such a lovely afternoon experience.

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  6. Just another typical Sunday in France! What a delightful place to visit. I do think you need to book a room! This is a special year!!! ~ Sarah

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  7. Such a lovely place and awesome a medieval châteaux.

    Happy new week.

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  8. And here I was excited about going to the local Renaissance Festival! (well actually I still am :-) ) Lucky you to have something so marvelous so near. I'm a history buff so it looks like great fun to me.

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  9. This looks like so much fun! WOW Great post! Oh I miss the beautiful buildings...They knew how to build :)
    Thank you for sharing this at The French Obsession Party.
    Gros bisous ma chere.
    Frenchy

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  10. Thanks for another fascinating glimpse into your life in the countryside of Normandy. I've noticed that blogging posts often trigger a comment which reflects on a similarity between the writer and the reader.
    5 minutes from my house...I'll keep you posted...(I'd change it to 15 though!

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  11. Wonderful shots of the chateau! Sounds like a beautiful tour.

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  12. Wow, beautiful pictures of the chateau and surroundings. And I love your mosaics.

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  13. Maggie - thanks for your inspiration. I did a post about what I found 15 minutes from home and linked back to you. Hope that's ok with you.

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  14. Hi Maggie! Oh, what lovely photos! I would love to go there and how blessed you are to be able to come to all of these places!
    Thanks so much for popping in to see me.
    Be a sweetie,
    Shelia ;)

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  15. Oh My Goodness...Book the Louis XVI room immediately just for the weekend!! Of course, I'd love to have want an inside peak~ How wonderful to have that so close by. Thanks for sharing :-)

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  16. What a fun day! I'm so glad that you were able to visit on this day! Thank you for the photos! We loved our day trip (VERY LONG DAY!) from Paris to the Loire Valley. We visited Chombard, Chenonceau. The home of Leonardo Da Vinci~Le Clos Luce' in Amboise? Oh my, the gardens were the most amazing them to me also. It was also at Easter time and the arrangements were incredible!
    I'm homesick....

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Thanks for stopping by, your visit just made my day!