After a morning at Villandry, we drove on to Chinon (15-20 minutes) to eat lunch in a new town. None of us had ever seen Chinon, with its towering fortress-castle on the hill above the cute narrow streets. We had tasty kebabs for lunch (Jay and Rose had hamburgers and Amber had chicken nuggets--bless that kebab shop/sandwicherie for its kid-friendly menu).
After lunch, we rode the complimentary elevator up to the top of the big hill to check out the Chinon Chateau. We didn't feel like paying 50 euros for all of us to go inside, especially since a big chunk of the castle was in ruins, so we looked at it through the gate, admired the view from the top of the hill, and then rode the elevator back down again and drove to our last sight of the day: Valle Troglodytique des Goupilleres: the restored troglodyte cave houses. We learned that the peasants who worked in the quarry cutting that beautiful white limestone that was used to build the many chateaux, LIVED in the holes/caves that they created when they removed the stone! It was absolutely fascinating to see the "other end of the spectrum" after viewing the grandeur and glory of the big fancy castles. There was this whole awesome rustic farm recreated outside the original cave dwellings, and the effect was excellent. We got to walk through several troglodyte homes and get a feel for that life. We loved it!
The weather was beautiful--it rained last night and the sun took all morning to finally peek out, so it wasn't hot. The woods around les Goupilleres were green, cool, and inviting. Rose and Amber loved the little "cave bunnies". There were special little hollowed out cave-cages with bars on the front for a few soft gray rabbits. The plaque said the troglodyte dwellers raised rabbits for meat. Jay made friends with a large white goose named Taco, and the kids all petted the squat long-eared gray donkey standing in a rustic pen. The caves were all low-ceiling'd with lots of interesting everyday items in them, from awful creaky looking old bedframes to a hilarious wooden baby-holder with a doll strapped to it for scale. There was even a hideout down a 4 foot-high tunnel where the people could hide from bandits and other unfriendly visitors. I bonked my head down there.
The last loop of the farm had a few riddles and silly activities for kids. One of them was for each kid to invent a potion at the "witch's cottage", write it down, and turn it in at the entrance for a piece of candy. Jay, Rose, and Amber carefully wrote out ingredient lists (Amber muttered to herself under her breath as she slowly drew squiggles across the page, listing each ingredient as she drew its corresponding squiggle). They bravely turned their papers in at the exit and received a candy from the nice French lady.
The last kids' activity was at the log castle. The sign said to stand in the castle, shout "I'm the lord of Goupilleres!" (Je suis seigneur des Goupilleres), then hop five times like a goat and sit on the log throne. All five of us performed this ritual (Leslie was resting on a bench somewhere). It was silly and pointless and fun.
We drove through busy Tours on our way home and picked up some of those divine massive pastries from Jeff's favorite boulangerie. YUM. I can't remember what mine was called, but it had cream and strawberries and tasted like a sweet cloud of joy. We ate them at home after dinner.
After dinner the kids were bickering so I sent them outside. Bless that backyard.
Chinon:
The castle really was high above the town. It was quite satisfyingly looming up there.
That elevator saved us a good amount of sweat and really boosted the kids' morale.
Chinon
Switchback intensity. We actually drove down that tiny narrow road because Google maps brought us in the back way, forcing us to weave down into the town so we could park and have lunch.
The half-ruined Chateau de Chinon. I'm still uncertain why they thought they could get away with charging 12 euros per person as an entry fee. Thanks, but no thanks. Maybe the ruins looked cool? Maybe it was all for the view from that one still-intact tower? We turned back.
A view with my Jay.
The free community elevator-up-the-cliff.
On to the troglodyte farm, Vallee Troglodytique des Goupillieres:
For some reason this sign gave me chills--something about living in the "shadow of the chateaux" is dark and creepy!
This baby holder seriously made me laugh. A 300 year old baby bouncer!
I loved the cave kitchens, with their deep stone ovens and rustic prep tables.
That millstone out front makes this one look like it belongs in Jerusalem...
This was a cute little wash nook right next to the front door of one of the houses. I particularly enjoyed the details of style and convenience. I could just see the Mom in this family demanding her farm family wash off before they enter the house.
A rustic crib and bassinet. Splinters, anyone? The horizontal bars on the crib makes it look like it was made for a pet goat rather than a child, haha. Were babies more obedient back then so they didn't climb out of bed?
The adult bed was equally rustic. The thought of sleeping in a cave is kind of freaky to me--I know I slept in a musty basement for the past two years, but still. The cave is so...earthy!
Massive oven--the peel (giant wooden spatula) for this oven was as tall as me!
Jay, making friends with Taco the goose. Seriously, this French goose's nameplate said Taco. The bird kept peeking his head through the fence at Jay.
Lovely gardens. I don't want to over-use the adjective rustic, but... this place was the embodiment of the word!
A delightfully diabolical scarecrow lurked in the garden.
A cave pig!
Another low doorway.
Lapin!
Turkeys are so creepy. I'd eat a turkey over a cute soft bunny any ole day.
This whole place was discovered in the 70s when a farmer bought more land to expand his farm. I was utterly enchanted at the idea of innocently buying land and discovering such a rich history among the underbrush.
Checking out the anti-bandit hideout.
The "witch's hut" had plastic spiders and lizards nailed all over it. haha
The kids' castle, where we had to shout and jump like a goat.
I like old wells.
Amber's favorite dinner: Nutella baguette, veg, and milk.
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