A month ago

My daughter and grand daughter aged 7 wished for a French Easter. I discovered that in this region of France families like to get out and about on Easter Sunday, but on Monday eat French agneau on a plate and spend time "en famille" in the home.
On Easter Sunday we did a tour of the Brocante. It was bitingly cold and I was for once glad not to be selling! I bought a rhubarb plant and that is all! In the afternoon we hurried to be early for the St Savin Abbey Easter egg Treasure Hunt, which was absolutely excellently organised.  It cost 20e for the three of us.  At the signalled start we all rushed to the gardens... we were at the front! There we grabbed as many wrapped eggs as possible leaving some for those behind us who were catching up. Those children who had none were brought to the front of the queue to go to the first level of the former cells of the monks. Again our family sprinted forwards, collecting and leaving! We were well pleased.  My grand daughter was trained to share her eggs with children who were rather timid and had not made 'la chasse'!  After that we had a short pause before being taken to the next floor where children sat in the front, adults behind for a wonderful puppet show lasting 50 minutes. My daughter was so happy! We certainly got our money's worth!
On Easter Monday we went to Azay le Ferron but it was rather tame compared to St Savin. One had to collect three or five corks which had been scattered about the gardens and easily found in exchange for a small bag of chocolates or a key ring. My grand daughter chose the key ring which was the same price as her entrance ticket. We wandered around the arboretum where there is an orchard of specially protected varieties of apple trees as well as huge ornamental species of other trees.  Very interesting!  However, groundworks were happening and we were cordoned off from some parts of the extensive land. We could have gone for a guided visit in the house, and it would have been interesting for my daughter, but I had already done it and explained that once caught in the system it was hard to get free. My daughter would have had difficulty comprehending the French language.  There were hardly any visitors so we declined.  However, at the bar opposite we had an entertaining discussion with an English ornithologist / twitcher who had lived in France for 45 years and afterwards with the bar owner who once danced at the Moulin Rouge. People are full of surprises. Anyone wish to buy a bar as she wishes to move to Brittany????
Inside the chateau are more 'animal trophies'!  It was a different era!

Hippoptamus

Alligator