xooz

Yes, it seems to have been brutal almost throughout Europe. Hopefully it will be more tolerable for my September trip.

offerendum

Hope so. One day we had 42,5 degree, which is quite hot for this region. September should be "better".

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It was time for a snack and we stopped at Feuillette. It's a chain bakery, yet it has a nice selection.






As is often the case with chains of system gastronomy, it seemed to be a quickly erected prefabricated building. However, it was nicely furnished, next to which one would like to suggest to the guest the long tradition of a family and craft business.



For a snack in between definitely OK, the things were also really tasty.

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Our next stop was L'Épau Abbey. The monastery is located just outside of Le Mans and is now used as a museum and cultural center.

The monastery was founded in 1229 by the widow of Richard the Lionheart, Berengaria of Navarre. There are some buildings








and the unfinished monastery church with the original tomb of the queen.











The remains of the queen were later transferred from here to Le Mans Cathedral.

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In the evening we went again to Le Mans for dinner. The only restaurant in the area with a Michelin star is the Auberge de bagatelle. A modern restaurant on the outskirts of the city.


After a mocktail, we chose the 7-course tasting menu without meat. Only for cheese we could choose between the cheese trolley and a prepared dish. We took one of each.


















What we got here on the table was of very good quality, the menu with 125 € very reasonably priced. I would eat here again at any time and can highly recommend it.

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The next morning we started the day in Candes. It is a small street village on the Loire River.




The main attraction is the Saint-Martin church. It was built on the site of the death house of Martin of Tours.



In the church there is a kind of mock tomb of the saint, supposedly in the place where he died.





Behind the church, a small path leads to a viewpoint.

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One of the destinations I was most looking forward to was Abbaye Royale de Fontevraud.


Like almost all monasteries in France, it is naturally secularized and is now a cultural center. During our visit there was a large Monet exhibition.
We bought a ticket for the whole complex and started in the monastery church.







Highlight of the church are the royal tombs of Henry the 2nd and Richard the Lionheart.



The cloister






Chapter house with frescoes.





A small courtyard.


Areas of the roof truss.




The refectory

A small exhibition about the history of the monastery.


Chapel

Courtyard




Cellar

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Next we visited the Fontevraud Modern Art Museum, which is located in the Abbey.

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But now for the really great Monet exhibition. The title was: MÉTAMORPHOSES. DANS L’ART DE CLAUDE MONET. There were over 30 of his works on display, a really comprehensive and interesting exhibition that alone would be worth a trip. The exhibition was held in cooperation with the Marmottan Monet Museum in Paris, which I visited in 2017.

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Now it was time for our first "real" Loire chateau. The choice fell on Chateau Montreuil-Bellay.





First we visited the somewhat newer rooms of the castle.









Then we went to the cellar vaults.




A steep staircase leads to the roof.






The kitchen.





The garden is quite small, you have a view of the Loire from the front wall.





The church can be reached from outside the castle.


A cozy warmth awaited us in the car. It was the hottest day of the vacation.

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For dinner we stayed at the hotel. This time we looked not only at the gastronomic menu, but also casual. The prices are actually quite the same. there is not much difference. As an amuse bouche, we had the peanut marshmallows again.

Since the gastronomic menu didn't really appeal to us, we both chose the shrimps cocktail, which came across as quite idiosyncratic.

The main course was monkfish (according to the menu) with - well - sauce.

For this I had chosen side dishes (I know, confused choice, but the interest was greater). There were fries, mac & cheddar and mushrooms. The latter were really good.

For dessert once chocolate cake.

And crepes suzette

Appetizing does not look now exactly and in the result it was crepes with a disgustingly sweet caramel crust. Here the kitchen once again showed all its skills.
With the exception of the crepes, everything was quite decent, but nothing special. Considering the remote location (without a car you practically have to eat here) and the category you want to play in, this was simply tnot enough.

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In the morning we went to Chateau Villandry. It is known especially for its magnificent garden. But first to the chateau.



From the inside it is well worth seeing.











Already a first look at the garden.


But there are still a few interiors to discover.







You can "climb" the tower, as you would expect you have a good view.





A few last rooms inside


and it went to the park. More precisely, the garden consists of several different areas and different gardens.





















The gardens are truly magnificent and the absolute star of Villandry.

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Our next destination was Chateau Azay-le-Rideau. Here the focus is clearly on the chateau, which still has quite a lot of interior decoration.





























A little outside there is still a historical garden.

dwugson

Where are the cats???????

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Cats are capricious creatures and appear only when they are in the mood.