Preliminaries: so now use of the AstraZeneca vaccine has been put on hold. I called yesterday and got my name put on two waiting lists to get the AstraZeneca shot — my GP's office and the pharmacy in Saint-Aignan that fills my prescriptions. The owner of the pharmacy told me that they think they might get doses of other vaccines soon, but that I'm number 276 on the waiting list. Wish me luck.
Meanwhile, I really intended to get back to some food and cooking posts on the blog, but all these châteaux have gotten in the way. Isn't it mind-boggling how many of them there are? Here's another one in front of which CHM and I stopped for a Kodak moment on July 26, 2006.
This château was built between 1470 and 1490, I've read. That was on the cusp of the Middle Ages and the French Renaissance. It's in a village called Antigny. CHM and I were on our way from Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe, where he spent some time during the war in the 1940s, to Poitiers via Antigny and Chauvigny.
The building was greatly modified in the 19th century, so is now basically "neo-gothic" in style, but 16th century wall paintings and stained-glass windows, among other features, were preserved. I read this on the Châteaux de France web site.
On another site, in French, I read that the château was put on the market by its Russian owner in 2011, with an asking price of nearly six million euros. The château has always been privately owned and has never been open to the public. Apparently, it's in excellent repair.
On still another web site, I read that the château was acquired by un homme d'affaires californien de 74 ans in 2016. He apparently fell in love with the "Sleeping Beauty" look of the place. He and the real estate company that handled the deal were very coy about the price he ended up paying, saying only that it was plusieurs millions d'euros. The château has 900 m² (close to 10,000 ft² ) of living space on three floors, if I understand correctly, and sits on 32 hectares (about 80 acres) of land, complete with jardins à la française and une orangerie.
The newspaper article from which I'm taking this information about the 2016 sale of the property says the California businessman planned to use the château as a résidence secondaire (a summer cottage). There's a confusing mention in the article about the place changing hands in 2008 as well, acquired by a Belgian company. It's all pretty mysterious. Here's a link to the newspaper article in French.
That is a good-looking place.
ReplyDeleteI think it has a slightly Disney look to it.
DeleteIt’s good that some people can afford to maintain these properties. It’s beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThere are worse ways for the super-rich to spend their money, I guess.
DeleteBack to square one?
ReplyDeleteI biked to Boismorand, and mostly to Antigny to see the lanterne des morts of which I was told, on my way to Chauvigny, and Touffou which was recommended to me. I was fifteen and already interested in old stones!
Your long-term memory is encyclopedic.
DeleteHope you get your vaccine asap. These castle photos are fun.
ReplyDeleteThanks, E. I wish France could get millions of doses of the J & J vaccine to spread around.
DeleteI hope you get the right vaccine sooner than later.
DeleteI don't know which vaccine I got, and taking into account that I survived Covid-19, I didn't have any after effects, whether from the first dose or the second. I understand that AZ vaccine "could" cause blood clots, but they're not sure yet. More or less Russian roulette! Aren't pandemics great?
chm, I'm guessing you got the Pfizer as you got it early on and it was 2 doses. Johnson & Johnson is just 1 dose. The states all have wildly different vaccine schedules. CT is promising to offer it to everyone over 16 by April 5. In CA we are still dealing with 65+. Texas is offering it to people 50+. The trick then becomes to get an appointment.
DeleteD., it might have been Moderna, but don't quote me on that.
DeleteI've been reading about France's vaccine situation. I think they can make the Pfizer one (maybe Moderna also) in France. I hope that things get better soon. My trip in June is looking like a pipe dream, but I'm not giving up yet. May visit French Embassy in Atlanta and see if they will let two old women in for a couple weeks.
Deletefrom what I've read on the A-Z vaccine, it's safe and all the "blood clots" shouting is just that. Also, there is decent reporting (but only spotty) that the Russians are spreading disinformation about vaccines, including that one. The US is building a network to distribute and apply vaccines, and that is looking very good so far. I'm reasonably confident that things will look better in a few weeks.
DeleteThe hospital in Saint-Aignan is doing vaccinations with the Pfizer product and with the Russian BioNTech vaccine. Problem is, it's impossible to get an appointment. When I go to the site you have to use to get one, all I see is this:
DeleteEn raison d'une forte demande et d'un nombre limité de doses, aucun créneau de vaccination n'est disponible dans ce centre : 393 vaccinations vont avoir lieu dans les 28 prochains jours.
It was very difficult to get appointments in the US at first, but the process is improving now. It will probably be the same in France.
DeleteThe picture with the car really shows the scale of the chateau...it's quite big! The formal gardens look lovely from the aerial view.
ReplyDelete