Château de Touffou

It was New Year’s Eve.

I had driven Dominic to a friend’s house where he’d spend the night. Sophie had come along with me just to get out of the house and we were on our way back to Châtellerault.

We’d passed it numerous times, but this time, there were just two easily spontaneous people in the car who were in no particular rush. We stopped…

Beautiful Unknown

There’s a small fishing pond along the side of the D749, the Étang de Bonnes with a number of dirt roadways around it for members of the fish & game association who maintain it. With sufficient parking just off to the side, we parked the car and walked the farm paths that led from roadside to riverside, past a couple of trailer plots.

On the other side of the Vienne River, perched high on the hillside, is the castle. Parts of it date back to the 12th century while other parts are from the 15th (all in all… even the ‘new wing’ is still older than any non-aboriginal development in my home country, Canada).

I’ve never visited this castle (yet), but hope to at some point, they have a terraced garden that was classified as a Remarkable Garden of France, back in 2004 and while most of the castle is private (unless you’re staying there as a guest or holding a conference there), it is possible to visit the gardens.

River’s Edge

It was cool to be able to get right down to the river’s edge, where we could get that beautiful look at the 7-story tower, built as a fortification in the Middle Ages.

We could hear people strolling up one of the roads that lead to the castle, on the other side of the river, but thick shrubbery kept us from seeing them. It only increased my curiosity to explore further one day… but on the other side of the river.

Short but Sweet

It wasn’t a long stop. Just long enough to take a couple of pics and stretch our legs is the great outdoors. Throughout the various levels of confinement, one thing was common… staying indoors more than normal and more than was probably healthy. With so many things closed… dirt paths and riverside trails provided a perfect remedy for our serious case of ‘indoor-itis’.

One last look over our shoulder before getting back into the car and making our way home.

Pssst…. Wanna buy a château?

Interestingly enough… a few weeks after walking around this castle, and completely out of the blue, I came across an advert on Le Figaro‘s website. Apparently Touffou is for sale via Christie’s…. and it can be yours for only 7,420,000.00€ (9.5 million Candian / 8.9 million US$).

Who’s in?