Chateaudun
The plains of Beauce are vast and fertile. Once you get out of Paris heading for Orléans, this is what you see. Well-known for wheat, the plain also has other crops and there is a huge field of sunflowers just down the road, at this end of the plains, ready for whatever you do to sunflowers at the end of summer. The cathedral of Chartres is usually most associated with la plaine de Beauce but Madeleine (of Beaugency, on the Loire) and I ventured north to discover a lesser-known castle (actually on the river Loir - no e), at Chateaudun. This is another small town which has preserved a number of the older houses for the benefit of the tourist industry.
There is a lot to see here, for a small castle. Medieval, Gothic and Renaissance. The basement kitchens have huge chimneys right across the width of the (vaulted) rooms and there are displays about spices and menus, which make it all the more interesting. There is a spacious chapel, dating from the 15th century, with remarkably well-preserved statues of saints. The 15th century wing shows us a pretty comfortable place to live, with tapestries (from Brussels , Paris and Amiens
17 September
The plains of Beauce are vast and fertile. Once you get out of Paris heading for Orléans, this is what you see. Well-known for wheat, the plain also has other crops and there is a huge field of sunflowers just down the road, at this end of the plains, ready for whatever you do to sunflowers at the end of summer. The cathedral of
Madeleine, who lives scarcely 30 km away, had not been to Chateaudun before and was delighted with what she met there. Dun is an old word for fortress and we have here a 12th century round tower which is very fortressy. The word led to the family name Dunois, so Chateaudun is the castle of the Dunois family. Jean Dunois was the faithful companion of Joan of Arc – remember it is quite close to Orléans here. This guy, born 1402, fought the English from the age of 15 and had honours heaped upon him, as well as being educated and cultivated, or so we are told.
There is a lot to see here, for a small castle. Medieval, Gothic and Renaissance. The basement kitchens have huge chimneys right across the width of the (vaulted) rooms and there are displays about spices and menus, which make it all the more interesting. There is a spacious chapel, dating from the 15th century, with remarkably well-preserved statues of saints. The 15th century wing shows us a pretty comfortable place to live, with tapestries (from
The older houses on the tourist circuit are mostly still lived in, though some have notices on the door preventing people from occupying them until they have been repaired. The castle stands high above the river and there is an upper town and lower town, at least nowadays. Reminiscent of Angers
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