Today was full to bursting! We left home a little after 10am and drove an hour to Saumur, which is a darling village with a massive fortress-castle up on a high rocky hill looming above town. We arrived just in time for lunch, and strolled the Saturday outdoor marche (pronounced "mar-shay") in search of something tasty. We ended up defaulting to a kebab shop and sat outside enjoying the small-town-market-day ambiance while eating our lunch. Since Amber doesn't eat kebabs or hamburgers, I purchased a container of fresh plump blueberries from the nearby market stall and a baguette from the boulangerie across the square for her lunch. She was quite content, gnawing on the stiff baguette and following us around town.
After lunch, we hiked up the steep high hill to take a look at the castle and the view of the Loire river and Saumur town from the top. All of it was very satisfying. I love wide panoramic views, and the day was breezy with puffy clouds in a blue sky, creating a textured skyline above the winding river and pointy town roofs. My kind of view!
We did not go inside the castle at Saumur; instead we hiked back down to our car and drove 10 minutes out to Breze. [next post]
This was a pretty little pocket of a pedestrian street in Saumur. Parapluies! I love how the French word for umbrella literally means "for rain." Where did English come up with the word umbrella?
Oasis-- a light watered down deliciously refreshing tropical juice drink-- was a favorite among the kids. It's my favorite European beverage as well since it isn't syrupy heavy 100% juice and it's not carbonated. Jay, Rose, and I dislike carbonation and it was nice to have a sweet-but-not-too-sweet drink without the throat-searing bubbles. We didn't get Oasis at every restaurant, but when we did the kids were extra happy.
Cute girl with her beloved baguette in a cute town square full of market stalls.
Our first glimpse of the chateau on the hill.
There was a wall blocking a construction zone that kind of messed up these pictures. Thankfully the view was better when we climbed higher.
Up, up, up
Jay and his silly selfie faces.
The Loire River and bridge on the right, Saumur Castle on the left. The town is in the middle but slightly obscured by those leafy greens.
Breezy!
Rosie requested this picture.
A vineyard and a chateau--how very rural French. Amber thought this castle was a temple because of the large stately white-stoned grandeur. Plus, the golden fleur de lis on top of one tower reminded her of angel Moroni.
Still clutching her baguette. She ate the entire loaf by the end of the day. 80% of Amber's diet in France was made up of baguettes. She is pretty picky so at least she had her baguettes.
It's always surprising how much bigger a large castle is up close.
Plotting
River view from the castle walls--that steep sidewalk on the right is where we hiked up.
Saumur
Peeking through one of the slits in the wall--I think this was for archers to shoot arrows through.
An extra small door in one of the defensive towers along the ramparts. Jay is just under 5 feet tall.
Moody sky, moody castle. Saumur Castle was used as a prison at one point.
Jay in a view. I really liked Saumur. It was a last minute choice. We had an extra day and needed a location that wasn't too far from home and Saumur fit the bill nicely.
We had to.
The restored 15th century Maison des Compagnons. That's all I could glean from the French plaque on the wall.
Heading back into town.
The sun was shining extra bright through the umbrellas on our way back to the car and it made me happy. We stopped at a toy shop in Saumur and the kids picked out their souvenirs: knights. They wanted weapons but that was a no, so they each picked out a model knight riding a decked-out horse. These same figurines were sold in most of the gift shops we had walked through, so the kids were hoping to find them before we left. They were quite happy about their souvenirs.
Next stop: Breze.
Next stop: Breze.
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