A couple weeks ago, I was in the middle of France and I booked a night in this 15th century castle. 
https://www.steemimg.com/images/2016/08/04/thumb_IMG_1928_10240b301.jpg

The castle is located in the city of Montrichard, in the center region of France, near the beautiful city of Tours.
https://www.steemimg.com/images/2016/08/04/ScreenShot2016-08-04at3.09.31PM139dc.png

The center region is mostly known for 2 things: Its wines “Tourraine”, and its castles.
Montrichard, that you could translate by “the mountain of Richard”  is a cute little city, ideally situated next to the river “le Cher”.
https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/01/12/0a/e1/montrichard-river-cher.jpg

Of course, Montrichard has his own medieval castle, and… **a lot of wineries and wine cellars**…  It also host this charming guest house, built in the 15th century, renovated in the 17th century (following a fire), and adapted since to our modern comfort standards. 
It is still being under slight restoration: you can have more details on the [booking.com page](https://www.booking.com/hotel/fr/la-chancellerie-montrichard.fr.html?label=gen173nr-1FCAEoggJCAlhYSDNiBW5vcmVmaE2IAQGYAQ24AQfIAQ3YAQHoAQH4AQuSAgF5qAID;sid=b01c60525452b70047fd011ec1b39e60;dcid=1;ucfs=1;room1=A,A;dest_type=city;dest_id=-1453379;srfid=ecf8ee3429342d60fca0437d839012ee7a5a8806X1;highlight_room=)
https://www.steemimg.com/images/2016/08/04/thumb_IMG_1921_10249c593.jpg

This mini-castle belonged to a local rich noble and only had some minor modifications since.
https://www.steemimg.com/images/2016/08/04/thumb_IMG_1923_10247084c.jpg

Architectural details are present everywhere around the castle, and are the remnants of its past glory.
https://www.steemimg.com/images/2016/08/04/thumb_IMG_1922_1024e1a97.jpg

Climbing in the dungeon, you have a ... hum... limited... view on the city.
https://www.steemimg.com/images/2016/08/04/thumb_IMG_1915_102432a4e.jpg

But if you continue climbing the 3 stories using the marble stairs, you will find a massive area under the roof.
The roof structure is original and still holds the building... after 500 years.
https://www.steemimg.com/images/2016/08/04/thumb_IMG_1913_102466630.jpg

The owners put various games, like this french-pool table (no holes !).
https://www.steemimg.com/images/2016/08/04/thumb_IMG_1912_1024d1238.jpg

Now, let's have a look to the room I had. It was one of the 3 rooms in the upper levels and was the local noble's main quarters. Still, it was pretty small for a noble room, but a fancy decoration made it easy to remember the way of life of the 17th century.
https://www.steemimg.com/images/2016/08/04/thumb_IMG_1911_1024bdd28.jpg
https://www.steemimg.com/images/2016/08/04/thumb_IMG_1910_10248baee.jpg

Going downstairs, you can enjoy the terrace and even sit on a stone throne that the owners rebuilt finding parts in the caves under the castle.
https://www.steemimg.com/images/2016/08/04/thumb_IMG_1918_10249edb7.jpg


# Conclusion: if you happen to be near Tours in France, make sure to book a night there. Owners are great and sleeping in this tiny castle is really a funky experience. 
_I did not mention the fact that under the main house is a labyrinth of corridors, some have been blocked centuries ago and the owners are just discovering all the hidden zones. If you speak with locals, some may say there is a treasure hidden underneath..._

---
### Oh… here’s the Steemit Watch !!!
https://www.steemimg.com/images/2016/08/04/thumb_IMG_1930_10248b13b.jpg

FYI, the Watch will be present in **many more stories** to come…  including the castle of Chaumont, Lisbon Portugal, Versailles, Paris, the Silicon Valley, San Francisco, and a trip to Brazil at the end of the year. 
# **Stay tuned!**

@sebastien