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FROM PARIS FRANCE TO MONTEPULCIANO ITALY

A journey into the land of Castles, Chianti, Vineyards, Van Gogh and more by Marilyn Cook

 
A majestic XVIth century castle. Walking into the courtyard is an ominous experience.  You can feel spirits from centuries ago and imagine knights riding in.   If you are walking alone in the dark it is an incredibly eerie experience to cross the expansive courtyard with its magnificent tall gate.  The grand castle is ominous looming down into the darkness.  To go in, you must open the old creaky round wooden door with the black rod iron key then the journey down the long winding  shadowy hall as century old eyes stare back at you from the walls.  If ever a place was haunted, it is here.
CHATEAU VERRERIE, LOIRE VALLEY, FRANCE
#travel #chateau verrierie #loire valley #france
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                LOIRE VALLEY, FRANCE 

               CORDES-SUR-CIEL, FRANCE

CHATEAU VERRERIE, LOIRE VALLEY, FRANCE
Cordes-Sur-Ciel France
Located in France, 421 miles SW of Paris, lies a sleepy village on a hilltop.  A place you can experience le bon vie.  The fortified town was built in 1222 by the Count of Toulouse, a Cathar heretic.   Until recently the town's name was Cordes, a word thought to come from the Indo-European root "corte" meaning "rocky heights."  The village is striking as it rises into the sky above the clouds on a towering hill with a beautiful fertile valley below.   When walking through the narrow cobblestone streets, many cats are lounging around in the early morning hours; the village belongs to le chat  on a quiet French morning before the town comes to life.  The village consists of many ancient houses on narrow streets with artisans plying their skills -- blacksmiths, graphic artists, weavers, engravers, sculptors, and painters.
Cordes Sur Ciel France
Cordes-Sur-Ciel France
Cats in Cordes
#travel #cordes-sur-ciel #france
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               CARCASSONE, FRANCE

CHATEAU VERRERIE, LOIRE VALLEY, FRANCE
Carcassone
CARCASSONE
Imagine you are sitting behind the fortified walls of a medieval castle built by the Romans in 100BC, first settled in 3500 BC. Carcassonne is the "Cité", a famous architectural monument, unique in Europe, on a hill looming over vineyards with the Black Mountain in the distance. Inside the ramparts are towers, narrow streets, secret gardens, courtyards and fountains.  Portions of Robin Hood: The Prince of Thieves were shot here.  "I doubt that there exists anywhere in Europe as complete and formidable a system of defense of the 6th, 12th and 13th centuries, as interesting a subject of study, and a more picturesque situation" - Viollet le Duc.     It is something out of a fairy tale as a little girl plays by the fountain with the sun rays shining upon her.  At night, the ramparts light  up the castle in stunning glory.  Live like royalty and stay in a hotel room all your own inside these walls.
#carcassone #france #castle #medieval
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