Day 13: Rigny-Usse
Today I was pressured into taking the wheel of the VW Golf to drive down the street for lunch. It all started out OK, but due to the chatter in the car intended to give me a hard time for the commentary I may or may not have been providing over the past 10 days, I nearly ran into a car and then to avoid another, I ran up the curb. Knowing a public car park was just nearby I made an executive decision that we would all be safer walking the rest of the way into town (only a block away). I did, however, park the car squarely and neatly in the allocated space before handing the keys back to the Handyman. I may or may not have another go.
Following a stomach-extending lunch of galettes and crepes (both in the same meal) we decided we were up for one more chateau. Not looking to travel too far afield today as the weather looked pretty gloomy, we set the Tomtom for Rigny-Usse, home of Chateau d'Usse set on the edge of the Chinon forest overlooking the Indre River. The GPS decided a winding forest drive through the Chinon forest was what we needed to do and at one point we wondered if we’d ever be found again. We didn’t pass or see one other car, which is quite something in France.
Eventually Tomtom told us we’d reached our destination, but it looked nothing like a chateau. It had sent us to Rigny and home of a much, much smaller Notre Dame church than its Paris cousin. With the roads only one car wide we couldn’t go too far wrong by heading in the direction of the river in the hope that we’d hit Rigney-Usse. Sure enough, only a few kilometres up the road we found the town and a well sign posted chateau.
Usse is a privately owned chateau, the property of the Duke of Blacas (an inheritance that came to the family from great aunt Comtesse de la Rochejaquelein in 1885). The site dates back to the Viking era of around 1004, but major work was undertaken in the 15th century to build a fortress that remains part of the site today. In the 17th century it became a stately home and the gardens designed by Le Notre, who also designed the Versailles gardens. It’s said that the 17th century writer Charles Perrault was inspired by the romantic features of Usse, writing Sleeping Beauty during a stay at the chateau…and haven’t the Blacas family and the French Ministry for Culture (who classify historic monuments) made the most of that! The 15th century round tower to the left of the front of the building is now the Chemin due Ronde La Belle au Bois Dormant (Sleeping Beauty).
After walking up an endless number of steps inside the circular tower, you come out on two floors dedicated to recreating the Sleeping Beauty story using mannequins in costume, with various props and lighting, all behind glass viewing windows. It was somewhat nauseating. The most interesting part of the tower was the dust-laden attic, but I was left wondering if the dust was fake too - it looked too perfectly dusty - nothing like the dust I find in my house when I haven’t cleaned in ages. OK, maybe not centuries.
Having seen more than enough of the Sleeping Beauty story brought to life, there was also access to the remainder of the 15th century wing, a central gallery (also originally dating back to the 15th century but extensively renovated since), with chequered, marble floors, Flemish tapestries and a reproduction Bernini bust of Louis XIV, and finally the Renaissance wing.
The other feature of the Usse exhibition was an exhibition of Belle Époque costumes and accessories, modelled by the compliant mannequins. Unlike some of the other chateaux we’ve visited just about everything was roped off - the lounge room with its 16th century furnishings (Flemish tapestries), 17th century desk and an 18th century Regency suite; a series of random period objects including coachmen’s boots, a cannon and sedan chair; the anteroom and king’s bedroom (part of the Royal apartments) with fittings and furniture dating back to or in the likeness of the periods of Louis XIV or XV.
As a whole it’s quite spectacular, but when you look closely, it’s somewhat haphazard and disjointed as a story. The timeline in the Chapel of what happened at Usse during the Revolution probably explains some of what has happened to the place and why.
There’s no doubt that owning a chateau like this would be like pouring money down the sink. The cost of maintenance would be more than most could even imagine. It’s interesting though to compare it to the state-owned and managed chateaux and the difference in pricing, type of displays and the tackiness of the gift shop you pass through on existing the grounds.
If Usse hasn’t cured us of chateaux visits, nothing will. We took a different route home following the Indre River back to Azay-le-Rideau past open fields, some recently sprayed out, managed forests, small roadside communes and kilometre after kilometre of green lushness.
With plenty of daylight left in the day, we dropped the travelling teen off at the gate of Le Plessis and went for another drive to Sache to photograph the most ornate windmill I’ve ever seen, the flooded mill house spotted briefly the other day, and to return to Balzac’s museum to pick up a reproduction Falguiere bust of Balzac I’d been wishing I bought during our visit - he has become my inspiration to write more. Obviously, if I’m not doing 12-16 hour days at the desk, I’m not trying hard enough.
We finished off the day by coming home on the other side of the Indre and stopping in at a park near the bridge crossing the river between La Chapelle St-Blaise and Azay-le-Rideau to look at the foaming waters of the river rush over the weirs and around the various structures built into the river, including what looked like an abandoned restaurant. We watched a very fat, white duck, with its partners on an island in the river sitting on a nest, being fed crusty baguettes by a man and his pre-schooler son, before heading home again.
Tomorrow we’ve scheduled that ‘me only’ day. A walk behind Le Plessis to find a paddock of donkeys and some open wheat fields are on my agenda. The travelling teen will probably walk into town to buy something sweet to bring back and resume watching YouTube videos, and the Handyman will explore another part of the town or plan the 105-120km trip to Chambord for what I think and hope will be our last chateau visit before heading back to Oz.