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Spring 2019 In this issue . . .  Our
Featured
B&B: Château
Juvenal in Provence
Our Featured Rental: Château
de Servigny in Normandy COMING in SEPTEMBER!
Château de Courcy News &
Offers from our Membersand More! Highlighted links in this text will take you to the appropriate web sites. Just click on any one of them. This newsletter is best viewed with a Firefox browser. Our Featured B&B: Château Juvenal in the heart of Provence  Château Juvenal Offering four double or twin rooms plus two
apartments, Château Juvenal is a delightful place for your next
getaway in Provence. In addition to friendly hosts and the fine
amenities such as a swimming pool, Hammam and massage room, or wine
appreciation classes, you can also participate in courses in wine,
cheese and truffle tastings!
The comforts of the château guest rooms include en suite bathrooms and amazing walk-in showers, as well as views over the lovely countryside. Enjoy the swimming pool and outdoor Jacuzzi, or take day trips to Orange, Avignon, Vaison la Romaine, antiques markets and shops at L'Isle sur la Sorgue, the market at Carpentras or so many other interesting places. All activities mentioned are from 15 to 35 kilometers distance from the château   The swimming pool and Farmhouse Gîte at Château Juvenal  
View from Chambre Abricot in the
Apartment
Abricot Salle de Bain
Dinner is offered on Wednesday
evenings with advance booking, and a delicious breakfast is included in
the price of B&B rooms.
 And, remember that the proprietors of Château Juvenal produce wines primarily from grapes grown in their own vineyards. The Provençal climate and long days of sunshine are perfect for the production of several varieties including Ribes du Villat red, white and rosé, Terre du Petit Homme red, Perséides deep red Grenache, Cru Beaumes de Venise, Moment White apéritif wine, Muscat Beaumes de Venise sweet wine and the Gaia rosé.  Visit their lovely tasting room overlooking the vineyard and sample their wines. You will not be disappointed. Also, the Forestiers have mastered the art of creating exceptional olive oil. They say, "It is a high-quality artisan olive oil from our ancestral olive grove (some trees are over 300 years old). We have respect for the environment; olives are all handpicked, processed using cold extraction...in a local mill. Our olive oil is biologique and AOC de Provence . . ." 
For reservations or more
information contact
us at inquiry@au-chateau.com, and
we'll be happy to help. [Photos
© Bernard & Anne-Marie FORESTIER. All Rights
Reserved.]
Our Featured Rental:
Château de Servigny Elegant, historic Normandy château . . .  Château de Servigny The historic Château de Servigny can trace its roots to the early Gallo-Roman era, and the owner's family has owned the estate since the 14th century. Now, in the 21st century, you can enjoy all the modern conveniences at this elegant château while surrounded by the history and events that make it a very special Normandy holiday destination.   Accommodations are spacious and comfortable with a well-equipped kitchen and elegant dining room for your group's use while staying at the château. The swimming pool and tennis court are an extra bonus. All guest rooms have private en suite bathrooms with all the modern conveniences. There are sitting rooms, the Treaty Room for a private guided visit, and mountain bikes are available to borrow to explore the region. Chambre Général Collins  Visit Château de Servigny on our site today to learn all about this historic estate to rent for your special occasion or a holiday away with family and friends. We look forward to assisting you with your reservations or to answer your questions. Contact us at inquiry@au-chateau.com. [Photos
copyrighted by M. Arnaud de Pontac. All rights reserved.]
French Quiz 135 Where are we? Hint: founded in the 13th century
What
is this famous Paris landmark? a set of our au Château Notecards. Send
your answer
by email to newsletter@au-chateau.com
See the answer to the last issue's Quiz at the end of this newsletter. The answer to this quiz will appear in our Spring newsletter. [Photo
©
Cold Spring Press. All Rights Reserved.] COMING
IN SEPTEMBER . . .
Château
de Courcy
five minutes to
sandy beaches, 15 minutes to D-Day
beaches, 90 minutes to Le Mont Saint Michel, and three hours from Paris.This six-bedroom castle and two-bedroom
cottage can comfortably sleep 14 people. There are two kitchens,
a
games room, salons and both a swimming pool and tennis court for
guests' enjoyment.
The château is pleasantly situated on the east facing coast of Normandy's Cotentin Peninsula, only Be sure to visit our web site in September to find out more about this wonderful weekly rental in the lovely département of La Manche in Normandy. If you want to know more before that time and are interested in making a reservation, do contact us and we will make arrangements and answer all your questions.
Villes et Villages de France . . . we hope to tempt you to visit these marvelous placeswhen you are roaming through the French countryside.  Martel In
the years since we first visited medieval Martel it has grown with a
newer area springing up. We returned in recent years to find that
it is now a bustling village with children playing in the marketplace
and adults enjoying their afternoons at outdoor cafés or simply
wandering around the town. We do prefer the older part of town with its
18th century covered market and ancient buildings.
The
name of the town means "hammer", with three shown on its coat of arms. Charles Martel, who earned the nickname "hammer" after
his victory in the 732 Battle
of Tours in Poitiers against the Saracen Abdul Rahman Al
Ghafiqi who died in battle. Martel, Charlemagne's
grandfather, is credited
with founding the town. The victorious battle helped lay the
foundation of the Carolingian Empire and Frankish domination of Europe
for the next hundred years. Charles Martel was born in Herstal, Belgium in 688
and ruled the Frankish empire from 718 until his death in France in
741. He was laid to rest in the Basilica of St-Denis outside of
Paris. His grandson, Charlemagne*,
became Holy Roman Emperor and unified Europe during his reign. He
lived to be 72, quite unusual in medieval times. Next time you visit the Lot département, be sure to
spend some time in Martel.
 *Read more about Charlemagne in our sister publication, FRANCE On Your Own, with a click here. [Photos copyrighted Cold Spring Press. All Rights Reserved.]
News
from Our Members . . .  Château d'Agel, a beautiful Medieval château in the Hérault near the Canal du Midi, has June 4 to 9, June 25 to July 5, July 12 to 20, July 20 to 27 as well as August 24 to September 7 available at this time. They will also consider booking a wedding in late August / early September if a full week (Saturday to Saturday) is booked. But, don't wait too long as these openings won't last. Château de
Servigny, our featured rental, will be celebrating
the 75th anniversary of the end
of World War II ~ and especially the anniversary of the D-Day
landings in June ~ honored by the presence of Susan Eisenhower who will
inaugurate
the liberation route. A stay at this beautiful château will
allow your group of friends or family to visit to the landing beaches,
famous sites such as Ste-Mère-Eglise where the first American
paratroopers landed, the museum in Caen and so much more. Contact
us today for your
reservation!
2020 Bordeaux Wine Tours with
your host Ronald Rens (M. Sc., Wine Master) are now open for
booking.
Here is information about what is included in each tour:
We can personally vouch for having a wonderful time with Ronald and Margaret as we stayed at their château learning all about the regional wines and enjoying the lovely Bordeaux region.  Their
château is beautiful with a swimming pool and shaded terrace
surrounded by lovely gardens.
The
Tours for 2020 are as follows:
We will be happy to provide you
with all the details of any of the above tours.
Just send us an email to tours@au-chateau.com. We'll get right back to you! [Photos copyrighted Ronald Rens. All Rights Reserved.]  Château
de Sommesnil
Château de
Sommesnil in
Normandy has made some changes this year, one of which is to now offer
bed and breakfast accommodations for guests. Weekly rentals will
still be occasionally possible. The big news is the personalized
tours guests can enjoy with the owner as their knowledgeable guide. All
tours are customized to your specific
requirements. They include: Escorted
Tours of the local area to châteaux, monasteries, gardens,
Étretat, Rouen and Dieppe and day trips to Monet's gardens and
Honfleur. WWII Tours regarding
the battle for France and the 51st Highland Division in the area in
1940, and tours regarding the Canadian forces raid at Dieppe
1942.
Longer Tours can
be arranged to WWI battlefields and WWI American/Canadian/Australian
and UK cemeteries.
Other D-Day
Tours to all beaches and an overnight stay in Bayeux, home of
the
famous tapestry. Contact
us today for more information, availability and reservations.
 FOR SALE: A fine Domaine near the Canal du Midi and the walled city of Carcassonne is for sale. Set on two and a half beautiful acres of parkland, this much-loved home offers 3 guest rooms/suites and a self-catering gîte ~ perfect for continuing its successful bed and breakfast business. To learn more, contact us for details, photos and asking price. Be sure to visit our Special Offers page often to see what properties are discounting their rates or offering guests a special bonus for booking through au Château.  Rememberau Château gives every inquiry personal, prompt attention ~ and we are here to answer your questions, unlike the automated online booking services. [Contact us at inquiry@au-chateau.com for availability or reservations at any property on our site or mentioned in this issue. Please be sure to put the property name in the subject line.] Easy Recipe: Lebanese Tabbouleh An easy recipe, although not French,
is one of our favorites coming from a country that has seen 21 ruling
dynasties, from the Phoenicians and Persians to the King of Jerusalem
and the Ottoman Empire, since 2500 You
will need 2/3 cup medium
bulgur wheat, 2 large ripe red tomatoes, a bunch of flat leaf parsley,
a large bunch of fresh mint, 3 sliced scallions, 2 tablespoons of extra
virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, sea salt
and freshly cracked black pepper. Soak
the bulgur wheat in water for 20 minutes, then drain. Peel, seed
and chop the tomatoes, then chop the parsley and mint. Put the
tomatoes, herbs, scallions and bulgur wheat in a bowl. Sprinkle
with olive oil and lemon juice and toss well. Season to taste
with salt and pepper. Serve with lemon wedges, pita bread and any other appetizers Serves 4. Bon appétit!
We adapted this recipe from
Elsa Petersen-Shepelern's
book Salads, published in 2001 by Ryland Peters and Small, Inc. New York, New York. ISBN 1 84172 164 6 We hope you have enjoyed au Château News. If you have, please forward it to friends and encourage them to subscribe by email to newsletter@au-chateau.com. It's FREE! Answer to Quiz 134- Where are we? from our Autumn issue The popular tourist destination of Saint-Malo on Normandy's channel coast. There were several correct answers, but our winner was a reader from Yorkshire, England ~ his second win in a row! We appreciate everyone's participation.
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BC! From 1917 to 1920, a
combination of British and French forces occupied the country, and then
in 1920 it was under French control which lasted until 1943 when
Lebanon came under self rule. The Lebanese have Arabic as their
official language, but most Lebanese speak French and English.