Today we started off the day by visiting a new chateau, which I found to be the highlight of the day. The chateau was Langeais, and it was build at the beginning of the French renaissance. The main feature of the chateau that makes it a large tourist attraction is its drawbridge, which we got to see operate, but I personally enjoyed exploring the interior of the chateau and the older medieval era keep behind it. Being situated on a hill over the Loire, the chateau has a great view of the river and town below it. Although that may make it seem like it was designed for some kind of strategic purpose, it was simply built to show pier, as suggested by the lack of decent fortifications.
The other thing that we did was visit a goat farm, where we learned about how to take care of goats and how goat cheese is made and what different types of it taste like. I personally found that I prefer the stronger cheeses, which was something completely new to me.
Absolutely fabulous that you get to see these castles and totally imagine what it might have been like to live there! The gardens look spectacular. I love your insights on why certain features were incorporated. Can you find a time machine while you’re there? How would you ask for one in French, I wonder?