Saumur is a small village that is located in the Central Western part of France along the Loire River. It's about a two hour drive from Paris and sits just on the outskirts of the Loire Valley between Tours and Angers. It has many of the same features as the other destinations of that famous part of the country, such as a being situated along the banks of the river within wine country and of course having its own castle in the heart of the city.
It certainly has the same sort of general feel as other parts of the Loire Valley region as well.
If you cross the old stone bridge called Cessart Bridge you can get a pretty good view of the city in its entirely along with the castle overlooking the sleepy little town.
You might remember a similar photo from a previous post on simple photo editing techniques.
Saumur's castle sits on a hilltop and dominates the small town below. Not surprising, it is a major draw for tourists visiting the area. It was what drew us to the village.
The castle was originally built in the 10th century in order to protect against a Normon invasion. It was besieged though and destroyed soon after.
It was rebuilt in the 12th century by King Henry II of England.
The architect who was commissioned for the project apparently used an old painting that was found to recreate the same look of the old castle that predated it.
One interesting fact is that caves were dug in and around the surrounding area to mine the limestone bricks that were used for the castles construction. Today, vineyards still use those caves as cellars to store their wines.
Apparently you can still go into those caves at some wineries in the area by going on a tour of their facility's.
During King Louis XIV's reign the castle was used as a prison and then as a military barracks. It's a common fate for many castles in the country of France.
You don't have to go inside to enjoy the castle.
You are free to walk the grounds, which are quite modest, as well as the entire perimeter.
The castle is up on a hill and there are a few spots with some decent views of the city.
I really liked this spot for photographs. It's on a platform next to the wall seen above.
I took a few photos of my wife in this location under the tree that was just starting to blossom with flowers. A beautiful woman, under a beautiful tree, who doesn't love that?
I read online that the interior of the château is pretty sparsely decorated, so I don't know if it's worth the price of admission to go inside or not. That's a decision that you will have to make on your own.
I can show you more of the exterior though and tell you a little bit more about about the town itself.
The weekly market is held on Saturday mornings, which was when we were there. There were a surprising amount of stalls throughout the old town and new, all of which were quite bustling.
Saumur is also an important equestrian town with horse related events happening year round. There is a large military tank museum in town as well, with a large free parking lot. It's a good place to park if you happen to drive there as it's only about a 10 minute walk from the castle.
The entire area around the town is wine country and vineyards so you might want to sample the local wines during your visit.
During the age of enlightenment in the mid 17th century, much of France as well as Saumur, under went many severe changes in its appearance. The old medeival buildings came to be seen as small and clustered, as well as dark, damp and unsanitary. Much of the old buildings and tight alleyways were demolished and replaced with wider streets and squares along with much larger homes and structures. All of these changes were made using clean looking white stones called Tuffeau.
Tuffeau is a type of white limestone that is characterized by its fine grain and chalky texture. You can see the whiteness of the buildings today throughout Saumur. It is actually a very common look to many towns within the Loire Valley and surrounding area.
There is a small but lovely park just outside the castle gate that you can walk through to get back into town.
It was still February when we went so the trees didn't have their leaves yet. But still, it made for a nice walk to finish our time in the city.
Oh, how nice you visited my castle.
It is sparsely decorated as I dont need a lot of stuff, maybe that grand piano I am dreaming about and not a lot of things more. Ok, a big heater and a chimney ( ok, several heaters for the winter) lol 😂
Many big heaters are a must I think in a place made of stone lol.
I bet the acoustics would be great in there for the piano.
Yes, the acoustics should be perfect in such a castle, and the fingers would have to play very fast to avoid freezing, even with big heaters 😂
How striking are those limestone buildings with the black roofs. It looks blumming awesome and great photography once again!
I love that bridge and river shot along with the first one best
Yeah the white stone buildings create a unique look. A lot of the Loire Valley looks like that. All the buildings are made with the same stone.
Thanks 😊
Hey what's up buddy! Nice castle of Saumur; most importantly where is your glass of wine? 😃
Hey man. Welcome back.
We had local wine in Angers that night. We saw Saumur in the morning and Angers in the afternoon and evening.
What happened to the people in this beautiful town? The streets are empty!
Most of the photos were taken up by the castle, which wasn't very busy. The old town and especially the market was very busy though. I just didn't take any photos there. I often feel awkward taking photos in large crowds if it means stopping in busy streets and holding up foot traffic or if people think that I'm taking pictures of them lol. There have been so many times where I've thought "I should really take a picture of this cool market stall," but then I chicken out because I immediately think that the vendor will think I'm rude for taking a picture without buying anything or that I'll be in the way or something Haha. It's kind of silly but it's what I always end of thinking.
I have been thinking like that. Then I have joined a photography meetup and learned to be OK with that. It is easier with the group of people doing the same thing.
Yeah, I could see that being the case with a group and with practice 😄
simply a beautiful castle.
The weather looks really nice, it's great to have a nice day out!
Yeah, I think the weather makes a huge difference for any destination. Sunny blue skies are always welcome 😁
The village looks so picturesque with the old but very beautiful Cessart bridge and the castle on the hill - that would have been my favorite destination too. The fact that the caves are used today for storing the wines is not bad :)
Yeah I thought the cave thing was pretty interesting. Unfortunately I didn't see them though.
Beautiful castle and the valley is also so beautiful.
I agree. Both are quite lovely 😁
Love it 😊
@tipu curate
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Thanks for the support! Its very much appreciated
I enjoyed a lot your post and your pictures! I loved how you took the pictures, and also that sunny day look awesome there!
Thanks. I'm glad you liked it 😁
Hola! Desde otro continente me hiciste viajar con tu post: qué belleza de lugar! Es muy interesante saber que existen estos lugares escondidos, me hizo recordar a los castillos que veía en los cuentos cuando era niña.
Amo las construcciones que parecen tener mil habitaciones y pasillos.
Muy buenas las fotos, te invitan a querer viajar ya, y gracias por la dedicación de tu redacción.
Saludos desde Argentina!
Daiana😃
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Greetings. Yes, castles like these do seem like they are out of a fairytale. I'm glad you liked the post
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Wow, what a beautiful and amazing village, it looks good.the pictures was dope
Glad you liked it :)
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