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Hello! Welcome to Pichets in Paris Publishing. Here you will find travel stories and photos, the occasional Book Review and fictional piece based in Paris or France. ALL IMAGES ARE BY L'AUSSIE IMAGES (owned by Denise Covey). Contact me for permission to copy my images.

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Chateaux of the Loire Valley - two of my favourites.

One of the beautiful chateaux of the Loire, Villandry


On our last visit to France, we were fortunate to stay a month in the Loire Valley, only a few hours drive from Paris. We stayed in Fontvereau at a B and B run by a couple of English ex-pats. Through them we got to meet some of the locals and were fortunate enough to be there while a film crew was filming for a BBC TV series as Fontvereau is pretty much as it was in the middle ages.

The kitchen at Fontvereau, how middle ages!


We visited most of the Loire Valley chateaux, and it is difficult to say I have a favourite as each is different in its own way, depending on what was the purpose behind the building initially.


Two of my favourites were:


CHATEAU D'USSE

The fairytale castle

Living the fairytale at Chateau d'Usse


This gorgeous chateau is built so whatever direction you approach it from, it startles you as you appear to be entering a fairytale setting. It so deserves its reputation for inspirating more than one princess story. To me this castle is a fairytale come to life. Its image served as inspiration and sparked an idea for the writer Charles Perrault, one of the original writers of the fairytale Sleeping Beauty. The basis for his story Sleeping Beauty can be linked back to the blue slate roof and gothic turrets of the Chateau d’ Usse which still stand proudly today.


It has a nickname, the castle of dreams, naturally.


What was it originally built for? It was originally intended to serve as a fortress, but for many it has become the ultimate symbol of a fairytale. If you look closely at the Walt Disney film Cinderella Castle, you will recognise the Chateau d'Usse.


CHATEAU VILLANDRY



Oh wow!


This chateau remains a hot favourite, not just for its eye-popping design, or its amazing vegetable garden, but for the fact that we were taken there by locals who wanted to show it to us. Villandry was built in the 16th century near the Cher River. It is not only the beauty of the chateau’s design that draws people to what is one of the most visited castles in France, but the French mosiac gardens surrounding it are simply unbelievable. They are truly the finest example of formal Renaissance gardens in France.

Whenever you travel, it is the people you meet who make days special - nationalities blend seamlessly - here we have, Theresa (English), Sylvie (French), the Aussies, the Germans. 

There are many more stunning chateaux in the Loire. In another post I will share more..

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Cinderella Shoe Giveaway from Mari at A Pocket Full of Roses

 Mari at A pocket full of roses, a simply delicious blog, is having her first giveaway. This is what she is giving away to a lucky follower:



These are the rules for picking up this lovely shoe:

MARI HAS POSTED THE RULES~

#1~ BECOME A SWEET FOLLOWER OF MY BLOG  AND COME BACK AND LET ME KNOW SO I COULD ENTER YOUR NAME FOR YOUR FIRST ENTRY!! AND IF YOU ARE A FOLLOWER ALREADY THEN YOU ALREADY HAVE ONE ENTRY :)

#2~LEAVE ME A COMMENT ON THIS POST, MUST BE ON THIS POST PLEASE OR I WILL NOT BE LIKELY TO FIND IT!!

#3~BLOG ABOUT MY SWEET GIVEAWAY ON YOUR BLOG AND PLEASE FEEL FREE TO USE ANY OF MY THREE PIC'S,TO SPREAD THE WORD AROUND!! AND LADIES I WILL BE CHECKING!!! GIGGLES...
AND PLEASE COME BACK AND LEAVE ME ANOTHER COMMENT TELLING ME YOU DID THIS PLEASE, SO I COULD ENTER YOUR NAME FOR THE THIRD ENTRY!!

ALL THE NAMES WILL GO INTO A BEAUTIFUL ANGEL BOWL, THEN I WILL DRAW THE WINNER!! OR IF I'M TOO EXCITED ILL HAVE MY SWEET HUBBY DO IT FOR ME!!! OHHH LADIES I'M SUCH A CHICKEN....HAHA!!

AND THERE YOU HAVE IT MY BLOGGY GAL PALS!! MY FIRST GIVEAWAY!!!
GOOD LUCK EVERYONE :) MY RULES ARE GOING TO BE SIMPLE LADIES AND I WILL BE PICKING THE WINNER ON NOVEMBER 18, SO YOU HAVE PLENTY OF TIME :) 
XOX~MARI


Isn't she sweet. How could you resist?



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