A couple weeks ago, I was in the middle of France and I booked a night in this 15th century castle.
The castle is located in the city of Montrichard, in the center region of France, near the beautiful city of Tours.
The center region is mostly known for 2 things: Its wines “Tourraine”, and its castles.
Montrichard, that you could translate by “the mountain of Richard” is a cute little city, ideally situated next to the river “le Cher”.
Of course, Montrichard has his own medieval castle, and… a lot of wineries and wine cellars… It also host this charming guest house, built in the 15th century, renovated in the 17th century (following a fire), and adapted since to our modern comfort standards.
It is still being under slight restoration: you can have more details on the booking.com page
This mini-castle belonged to a local rich noble and only had some minor modifications since.
Architectural details are present everywhere around the castle, and are the remnants of its past glory.
Climbing in the dungeon, you have a ... hum... limited... view on the city.
But if you continue climbing the 3 stories using the marble stairs, you will find a massive area under the roof.
The roof structure is original and still holds the building... after 500 years.
The owners put various games, like this french-pool table (no holes !).
Now, let's have a look to the room I had. It was one of the 3 rooms in the upper levels and was the local noble's main quarters. Still, it was pretty small for a noble room, but a fancy decoration made it easy to remember the way of life of the 17th century.
Going downstairs, you can enjoy the terrace and even sit on a stone throne that the owners rebuilt finding parts in the caves under the castle.
Conclusion: if you happen to be near Tours in France, make sure to book a night there. Owners are great and sleeping in this tiny castle is really a funky experience.
I did not mention the fact that under the main house is a labyrinth of corridors, some have been blocked centuries ago and the owners are just discovering all the hidden zones. If you speak with locals, some may say there is a treasure hidden underneath...
Oh… here’s the Steemit Watch !!!
FYI, the Watch will be present in many more stories to come… including the castle of Chaumont, Lisbon Portugal, Versailles, Paris, the Silicon Valley, San Francisco, and a trip to Brazil at the end of the year.