The castle is now owned by M. Terry, a Cuban gentleman, who has spent large sums of money on its restoration.
Much of the beautiful furniture has always been in the castle, and the decorations bear the monogram of Henri II. and Diane de Poitiers. The blue-and-orange enamelled tiles on the floors of some of the rooms add to the feast of colour and detail.
BLÉRÉ,
to which one returns after seeing the castle, is an old but disappointing little town, for the bridge built by Henry II. of England in 1160, and in use until quite lately, has been replaced by a modern stone structure of no interest. The Church of St. Croix has a Romanesque apse with grotesque corbels. There are three parallel naves; the central one is fifteenth-century work, those north and south of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries.
From Bléré to Tours the road keeps near the Cher, and the scenery is pretty.
ALTERNATIVE ROUTE DIRECT TO THE RHONE AND THE RIVIERA—ORLEANS TO BRIARE, 43½ MILES
(70 KILOMETRES)
DISTANCES ALONG THE ROUTE
(Along the north bank of the Loire)
| Kil. | Miles. | |
| Orleans to Chécy | 9 | 5½ |
| Chécy to Châteauneuf-sur-Loire | 15 | 9½ |
| Châteauneuf to Ouzouer-sur-Loire | 22 | 13½ |
| Ouzouer to Gien | 15 | 9½ |
| Gien to Briare | 9 | 5½ |