These photos taken at Valençay over the years might give you an idea what it's like just to stroll around the grounds
of the château — as some 90,000 visitors to the site do every year (according to French Wikipédia).
of the château — as some 90,000 visitors to the site do every year (according to French Wikipédia).
The photo above is one I took from the road that runs south from Valençay toward the towns of Levroux and Châteauroux. You can see where the east wing of the château stood before it was torn down to open up views toward the east.
The grounds include a formal jardin à la française, south-facing terraces with flower beds and statuary, and a small forest. To the west is a big animal park with deer, goats, peacocks, turkeys, and more.
In all, the château grounds measure some 53 hectares (130 acres).
In all, the château grounds measure some 53 hectares (130 acres).
Loooking east over château's vineyards, the town of Valençay, and the church
Above and below are examples of how the formal gardens are planted and decorated.
This is the view of the west wing of the château from the animal park.
Very nice French cottage. Excellent photos. Different cameras?
ReplyDeleteAll these 2005 and 2006 photos were taken with the Canon Pro90 IS — the big barrel-lens camera I bought sometime in the early 2000s in California.
DeleteCottage....lolol. I think the chateau would have been nice with the east wing still in tact, provided it looked like the west. Would have been more dramatic. The gardens are truly lovely and I wish I could be there right now.
DeleteBeautiful photos, thank you!
ReplyDeleteThe vineyards, the town, and the church, make a lovely view -- that's a great photo :)
ReplyDeleteI love seeing these photos!
ReplyDeleteImagine having a house so big you could just casually tear down an entire section to improve the view!
ReplyDeleteThe flowers in that second photo are so pretty, I like their cottage-garden feeling contrasted to the formality of the setting.