It’s a bright and sunny morning and we slept well despite nature and humanity’s best efforts.
We have a 50 minute drive to Brissac-Quince, and as we skirt Angers the northbound traffic is at a standstill.
The aire in Brissac-Quince is busy but we find a space and head up the hill to the chateau. Still inhabited, by the XIII Duke of Brissac and his family, it claims to be the highest chateau in France and is nicknamed the Giant of the Loire Valley. Twin turrets flank a wide terrace in front of its imposing renaissance facade. Although a family home, some of its 200 rooms and 7 floors are open to visitors, but not wheelchair accessible.
Ali goes inside while Nick explores the extensive grounds.
The interior is quite modestly decorated but has many tapestries, some large four-poster beds and a few simple chandeliers. The kitchen displays utensils and copper pans. There is also a small theatre complete with grand piano, velvet upholstery and flock wallpaper.
The exterior is in fine condition with carvings of crests and attractive stone detailing. Huge sunburnt lawns run between streams with waterlilies and trees of many types colour the vistas.
After our visit we go up to the town, find a little bar and have lunch of melon and Italian ham salad.
A street market is setting up, including a baker with wood fired oven where we buy some bread. We guess it will be like the summer markets we enjoyed in 2016 but will not stay for two reasons; where we parked is too sloping to sleep and we had planned a France Passion 3 miles away already.
We arrive at Domaine de la Belle Etoile, a vineyard specialising in rose d’anjou, of which we hope a bottle will go well with our marinated prawns and fresh bread tonight.
Parking is in a field scattered with trees next to another field with a few young sheep.
Brissac-Quince is holding a Montgolfiere festival this weekend and early evening more that twenty hot air balloons fly directly over us, the faint roar of their burners plain to hear.
And the Cabernet-rose we selected for supper is a perfect partner to our prawns and crusty bread.