Our chateau is located on the south side of the River Loire and to the east of Muides sur Loire. Not on the scale of the chateaus of the royalty, it is still quite nice. Its owners used it for agriculture until shortly before WW II. It was occupied by the German Army for three months during WW II, and the family moved to a close by town. After the war the family returned and it was turned into a hotel; family members not involved in running the hotel found work outside the chateau. Patrick, our host and cousin of the current owner, indicated that the Allied forces crossed the River Loire at the west end of the chateau; a marker indicates the spot. The chateau was not affected by the French Revolution.
The original 1750s artwork adorns the walls and ceiling of the dining room in which we are having breakfast. The room is slightly larger than our dining room and not of the scale of the banquet halls in the grander chateaus.
The current owner of the chateau is a nice gentleman who is four days older than me. His English is good, a result of spending three months in the US while he was studying at his university. I would have liked to have a half day to chat with him about subjects like the realities of supporting and maintaining a 260 year old chateau, the changes he has seen in French life and culture since WW II, and his perceptions of the country’s current socialist tendencies. Unfortunately we did not have time for that to happen. (Note to self: next time, schedule a more leisurely trip … and develop a basic working vocabulary in the French language BEFORE we arrive in-country. )