It was definitely "chateau day", and after Azay-le-Rideau, I continued on to Chateau d'Usse. This chateau claims to be the original inspiration for Sleeping Beauty, as the writer actually stayed there. I would believe this claim, the chateau certainly had a special "something" about it. Amazingly, people actually live here too - the Blacas family. As much as I'd love to live in a chateau, I'm not sure I'd like one that is used as a tourist attraction. It was so pretty and kept so very well though - the gardens were full of roses and smelled amazing!
One thing I didn't personally like about this chateau was the mannequins they used to depict scenes and costumes. I appreciate that the owners were probably trying to bring a bit of life to the scenes and for children, it was ok, but I found the odd, scary-faced 80's-looking mannequins a little weird.
After enjoying the castle, I stopped for a delicious croque monsieur at the nearby cafe before heading off.
