The fort is one of the few medieval castles in the Loire valley. It was a home of the kings of England and France, and is one of the most important historical monuments of the Middle Ages in France. Joan of Arc met King Charles II in 1429. In 1454, Queen Marie van Anjou van France made the Royal Fort of Chinon her main residence. She moved there without her husband. She was 50 years old and gave birth to 14 children! The fort was a prison in the 14th and 16th centuries by various French factions.
After we had left Chinon Castle, we lunch (I had a beautiful crepe) and then drove to a Troglodyte -cot farm. We went to the Troglodyte Valley of the Goupillières That is a set of three troglodyte farms dug in Tuffeau Stone. Farmers lived there from the Middle Ages to the 19one century. We went to an underground cave (plates around 4 feet high, where the inhabitants of the farm sought refuge during attacks from Brigands. There were old agricultural equipment and also many animals from donkeys to turkeys to pigs to rabbits. The troglodytes usually lived in one room in a corner in the valley and not much else.
Azay-le-Rideau
We stopped briefly in Azay-le-Rideau to see if we could get a glimpse of the castle, but it was quite well hidden behind gates and foliage and was closed for the day. There was a glimpse of it (middle photo and top left above. We enjoyed seeing the recycled London Phone Booth (now a loan library).
#Royal #Fortress #Chinon #Troglodyte #Farming