Since we were staying in the west part of the Loire Valley, the "Pays de Loire", we narrowed down which chateaus to visit and decided on Angers, Saumur, Usse, and Le Mans. We went to Angers first, a big town on the Sarthe river. The castle is the oldest we saw with very distinctive towers all around the outside. One of the best parts was the grown in moat that's been transformed into a nicely manicured garden.
Next we went to the river town of Saumur, this time on the Loire river. Another older, defensive chateau, this one rests on top of a steep, hilly climb above the town. We were surprised by a tiny vineyard just across the moat from the castle.
After Saumur, we went to the Chateau d'Usse, the Sleeping Beauty castle. History has it that the author of Sleeping Beauty was so inspired by the chateau, he wrote the story after staying there. This one was tucked away in the country with hardly a town around it, but definitely worth the trip.
I had also read about the Abbey de Fontevraud in the area. It was also hidden in the hills in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of a tiny town. Built back in 1100, It was taken over and used as a prison after the French Revolution. Now it's a historical site and houses the tombs of King Henry II, Eleanor of Aquitane, and Richard the Lionheart among other Plantagenets.
We finished the Loire valley in Le Mans, which doesn't have a chateau, but boasts an amazing cathedral we visited after the race track. A trip to Le Mans wouldn't be complete without visiting the race track where they run the 24 Hours of Le Mans every year. It was closed for us, but we could hear the cars roaring by. Instead, we headed into town and walked around the old part visiting inside the cathedral, the largest we saw on this trip.
Our last stop was to take a look at the Chateau de Malicorne-sur-Sarthe, right in our backyard. We were staying just down the road and our host is friends with the owner of this chateau. Unfortunately the family was in town and we couldn't visit. That's right, people still live in this one. We were content to snap pictures from the roadside.
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