We packed up the van and drove up the hill to the castle. There was a great view down across the river. Inside, it was divided into several exhibition areas. The castle itself had at one point being used as a prison and eventually converted into a museum.
First we looked at the rooms on the ground floor, which had information about the history of the castle. We then went down to the cellar area. A modern art installation had been installed there. Legend had it that there was a tunnel leading from the castle to the other side of the river. The art installation represented the idea of the tunnel.
On the first floor the emphasis was on tapestry and ceramics. There was an extensive range of well preserved ceramics on display. There were some very fine examples of tapestry, some of which were hanging tapestries and others items of furniture upholstered with tapestry.
Saumur Is the location of the French national riding school and the second floor was dedicated to an exhibition of equestrian items. It focused on the development of horse tack over the centuries.There were practical items on display such as saddles, saddle blankets, stirrups, bridles and reins as well as artistic interpretations including paintings and carvings. One of the most interesting exhibits was a full-size English racing horse skeleton.
We selected a campsite about an hours drive away in Pruille. Before setting up our pitch we did some shopping in Lidl and then drove to a nice spot in forest by a river to have our lunch, which was cheeses, baguette and tomatoes followed by a Portuguese custard tart. (Although I did get cornered by a local anti-vaxxer whose wife had to tell him to shut up and let us get on with our day!!! 😃)
We then got to the Camping Municipal Bac de Pruillé just I time to shelter from a storm and a downpour. It needed it really because it was 30° and getting oppressively hot. After the storm it was much nicer and we had a chilled afternoon with our novels and then cooked outside – salmon and sauté potatoes with a bit of salad.
Chateau’s look very fascinating before you even go inside.
Must say, your food looked so delicious, you have it off to a fine art by now.
How interesting to see the horse skeleton, and a cornucopia of other items.
Keep having fun, the ironing can wait.!! Jx👀🍄
What a beautiful castle and surrounding countryside. The exhibition items are very interesting also the food. 😊
As you can see I’m a bit behind with reading your blogs. I’m having a bit of a “catch up “ this evening. Xx