I definitely had a fairytale birthday this year... We went to Rigny-Usse, where there is an enchanted castle at the edge of the forest and the river Indre, and sat down by the riverside under a tree to enjoy a picnic.
Château d'Ussé inspired Charles Perrault to write the classic retelling of Sleeping Beauty while he was a guest here. This chateau is rather special as it is still inhabited, by the ancesters of the Comte de Blois. Here are the children listening to the story...
Aurora's parents hold a gathering for her christening and the fairies give blessings to the young princess. But they forget to invite the bad fairy Carabosse.
She curses the princess, so that she will die...
The youngest fairy who is yet to give her present, is able to soften the curse so that Aurora will sleep for a hundred years when she pricks her finger on a spindle. The King and Queen banish all the spinning wheels from the kingdom, and they are burnt.
One day the princess is exploring the castle and goes into a tower she has never seen before. The old woman in the tower does not know about the burning of the spinning wheels, and Aurora pricks her finger in her curiousity. She (and the rest of the castle) fall into a deep sleep...
Until one day, a handsome prince battles his way through the thorns and kisses the princess.
I had some fun being a modern-day princess. Though being able to use stairs instead of depending on the length of my hair and perhaps needing only a short nap during the day, I didn't need any rescuing.
The rest of the castle is wonderful to explore too - there's the attic,
More interiors,
also a chapel, wine caves, and the stables; where we found a dog cart! The children living in the castle used to harness up their family dog so their dolls could go for a ride.
It was an absolutely wonderful day.
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