I'm a bit obcessed with châteaux. OK, a lot. That was true even before I came to live in one. And I'm in the right neighborhood, as they are everywhere in La Bourgogne. You can hardly drive a kilometer without tripping over a turret of some sort.
The big ones are stunningly expensive to maintain, so most of these are open to the public. There are so many that there are two "château routes" in Bourgogne. The first is La Route des Châteaux en Bourgogne Sud, in our old neighborhood around Cluny; there are 15 of these, and I've been to most of them. But now I have a new crop to see around Beaune: La Route de Ducs de Bourgogne.
So we got crackin' on the list this week. What to know about châteaux is this: they are remarkably diverse. They were built in different centuries, starting in the 9th on up into the 19th century. There is even an authentic one being constructed as we speak, in the traditonal manner, at Guédelon (don't miss it if you're in the area). They can be large or small, defensive or just prestige palaces, rustic or refined, in the middle of massive formal gardens or in the middle of a mellow meadow.
This week's offering was the Château de Sully. It was huge, and interesting, if a little frayed around the edges. It is owned (and lived in) by royals whose lineage goes back to the ice ages.
We pique niqued in the shade by the moat, contemplating the enormity of the building and listening to birdsong and the lowing of the cows that were in the field next to us. The uncut lawn tickled our ankles and old forests topped the hills around us.
Inside, the rooms pretty much had their original patina, with the usual grand vestibule, ballroom, and the fumoir, the lair where the men retired to talk about manly things.
There is always seems to be a good story or two to be told about the château. Here, the owner is a Duchesse with a grown son and daughter, all in residence. Sadly Le Duc met an untimely death a few years ago. The son then inherited the Duc title; the daughter, being a female, got nothing, so she had to forfeit her nobility. Her only hope, our charming guide told us, was to hunt up her own Duc and marry him. But in fact, the 30-year-old daughter did them one better--this past summer she married an Italian prince, so she is now a princess! She has upped her game considerably, in the hierarchy of such things. You go girl!
Actually they may be needing the Prince's funds (is it perhaps like the old days, when you make a good marriage with the royal income as the main criteria?). Turns out that the Château de Sully, plus the stable and the extensive series of barns all need new roofs (see photo at top). We are talking acres of roofs and gazillions of euros. And that must all be done before they start on the interior renovations, and the needs look to be considerable. Yowsa. And did I mention it takes a staff of 15 to maintain it and keep it open for tours?
So we have spent one very pleasant day, chalking another château off our list. And if you want to get a good feel for the rich history of La Bourgogne, there's hardly a better way to do it than château-hopping. Maybe I'll see you there.
IF you go: Both the southern route and the Ducs de Bourgogne route have websites. Many of the châteaux have summer festivals and activities, like the fabulous immersive one in Digoine, or the Cormatin summer theatre festival. Check the schedules, because some of the châteaux are only open in summer months.
P.S. And speaking of châteux, this week I came across some old postcards of the Château de Balleure (it's a private one), where we lived for 3 years. So, just for fun:
In the COMMENTS: Anne, it’s happened to us a couple of times while traveling, that we’ve happened on a fête. It’s always a memorable bit of serendipity. But Colleen, as a music lover with a musician husband, you may want to avoid the small towns for this particular fête! Natalia, I loved your post—my husband doesn’t dance in public but he will dance with me in the kitchen after dinner (probably to put off the dishes). And thanks for the tip, I will now cut up my chip and other snack bags as well. Natalia has a new book for us, comme d’habitude, happily: Lady Tan’s Circle of Women, an intriguing historical novel.
Our new (occasional) feature is Be Kind to Your Fellow Animals. If you, like seemingly everyone else these days, are trying to cut down on meat (better for your health, the planet, and certainly for the poor farm animals), then here are some tips from a pescatarian married to a carnivore. First of all, streeetrch your hamburger beef, which also adds much deliciousness. I throw a bunch of mushrooms on a sheet pan and roast them until they are browned around the edges. Then I chop them coarsely in the food processor, and mix them in with ground beef, at a ratio of roughly 1 part mushrooms to 3 parts beef. Freeze or use right away to make hamburgers or any ground beef dish. Not only does it stretch the meat, it adds more depth and flavor, (per my own carnivore, and friends). Another tip is to check out authentic Asian and Mexican recipes--these cultures, among others, have a tradition of making delicious meatless main dishes.
