Pretty pictures

It's too hot to blog!
So I'm simply posting some photos of our walk in the pretty village of Crissay-sur-Manse.

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A bucolic lunch

One of my favourite Touraine villages is Crissay-sur-Manse. It therefore goes without saying that I absolutely wanted to show it to my friends. I had booked a table at ‘Aux coups de coeur’ also known as the ‘Auberge de Crissay’. On the phone the lady had told me that there would be a group of over 30 ‘randoneurs’ having lunch at the same time. This slightly worried me, as the acoustics inside the tavern aren’t optimal, which makes the place rather noisy when crowded.

However, luck was on our side, because as soon as we walked up to the ‘auberge’, after leaving the car in a car park at the foot of the ruins of former castle, we saw this large group of people sitting at a long table that had been set up on the lawn across the street from the tavern. They were merrily drinking their aperitif while the landlady and landlord were taking orders at the three tables on the sidewalk terrace near the entrance.

The 'randoneurs' enjoying their aperitf.

I walked up to the landlady and informed her that I had booked a table for a party of three. Upon which she showed us to the last remaining table on the terrace. It was perfect, pleasantly set in the shade of a large red parasol and with a breathtaking view of the hilly countryside. The chatter of the group across the road filled the air but wasn’t disturbing at all.

While drinking our aperitif – a chilled Vouvray bubbly – we studied the menu card. Although it was rather succinct, it perfectly fit the occasion. By then the group had finished their drinks. A few minutes later the landlady and landlord emerged from the kitchen carrying large plates of food. At first we thought that each plate was meant to serve three or four people. However, when they set one in front of each guest, we realized that this was the tavern’s version of a full meal salad.

A Mediterranean salad!

The three of us ordered the ‘Mediterranean’ salad: lettuce, shredded smoked chicken, dried dates and raisins, grilled pinecone pips, diced gingerbread, goat’s cheese, cherry tomatoes, parmesan shavings and a delicious vinaigrette dressing. The salad, the weather and the bucolic settings called for a light and refreshing wine. So I suggested the same Chinon rosé my friend and I had at the auberge when we were there in 2007.

The 'Auberge de Crissay'

For dessert B. had a rhubarb crumble, J.L. chose the ‘nougat glacé’ and I enjoyed the homemade rhubarb pie … Impossible to say who made the best choice because all three desserts were to die for!

Crissay also turned out to be the perfect place to ‘walk off’ this delicious lunch, as you will discover tomorrow …

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Langeais revisited

What I like about Langeais castle is the fact that you go all the way up to the ‘Chemin de ronde’ by climbing the winding stairs in one tower, to come down by a staircase in another tower. This means that, if you follow the ‘sense de la visite’ (the recommended tour) you never find yourself face-to-face with other people going in the opposite direction; which is a good thing as the stairs are rather narrow and worn in some places.

In between are several halls and rooms with nice furniture and gigantic tapestries. I don’t know about the authenticity of the furniture though, as someone once told me that most of the castles were plundered and ravaged during and shortly after the French revolution in 1789.

One of the rare rooms where the shutters aren't closed.

Compared to the other châteaux where the shutters, and in summer even the windows, are wide open, the rooms at Langeais are often darkened. During the course of the visit I recognized several items or decors, which confirmed that I had visited the castle before. In one of the halls there is a ‘mise-en-scène’ with dummies representing the young king Charles VIII and his wife-to-be, Anne of Brittany. An ‘off-screen’ voice explains how the marriage between the two young people was arranged.

In a side room there is a very nice china cabinet with artful and unique pieces of porcelain, while another room is completely dedicated to religious medieval art. On the top floor the walls are covered from ceiling to floor in tapestries depicting the great legendary kings, such as King Arthur.

A bird's view of the village of Langeais.

The best part, however, is the ‘Chemin de ronde’. This circular gallery is located on top of the ramparts. It offers a splendid view of the surrounding countryside and the nearby suspended bridge and a bird’s view of the village. In the old days the ‘Chemin’ was used by the guards to overview the area and defend the castle in case of an attack.

'Chemin de ronde' or 'Rampart Walk'.

Today the glassless windows are covered with chicken wire to stop people from climbing or falling out. It therefore isn’t always easy to make a good photo from up there as you have to squeeze the lens of your camera through one of the tiny holes, which doesn’t always allow you to point it in the most attractive angle. However, I think I  didn't do too bad with this photo of the suspended bridge.

By the time we had finished the tour it was almost noon. On our way to the car park we stopped at the local bakery to buy a baguette for our evening picnic. But first I had a special lunch in store in the pretty little village of Crissay-sur-Manse.

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