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Spring/Summer 2018 In this issue . . .  Our
Featured
B&B: Château
des Monthairons Welcoming our Newest
Member: Château Sentout
Our Featured Rental: Château
d'Hattonchâtel Coming Soon: Relais des Trois Châteaux Commemorating the
100th Anniversary of the end of WWI News &
Offers from our Membersand More! Last-minute bookings are still possible . . . You can still book for 2018 ~ and get ahead of the crowds for 2019.. We hope this newsletter gives you some ideas. 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 des Monthairons in the département of the Meuse ~  Château des Monthairons Château des Monthairons is
a 19th century fairytale castle that has been welcoming guests for many
decades, providing beautiful, spacious en suite bedrooms and a fine
restaurant ~ all set on a 35-acre estate on the banks of the River
Meuse.
As we found when we were last there, Monthairons is the ideal base for exploring the region ~ visits to Verdun, the Memorial Museum, and the Ossuaire at Douaumont with its cemeteries for soldiers from many nations. The Meuse was the center of "the Great War", and Verdun was its capital. But, your stay at Château des Monthairons will bring you much brighter experiences: take advantage of its spa and sauna, stroll the vast lawns down to the River Meuse that silently drifts by, or try to decide what to choose for dessert from its exceptional restaurant menu!    For reservations or more information contact the château directly by phone at 33.3.29.87.78.55 or email at acceuil@chateaudesmonthairons.fr [Photos
© Famille Thouvenin. All Rights
Reserved.]
Our Featured Rental:
Château d'Hattonchâtel also in the Meuse of the Lorraine region  Château d'Hattonchâtel One of our most popular rental destinations is Château d'Hattonchâtel in the Meuse. It is the perfect venue for a wedding offering lovely grounds for amazing photographs, a fine Gala Reception room for sit-down wedding dinners, and luxurious guest rooms for the wedding party and immediate family members. There are many nearby accommodations for other guests, so every detail can be arranged in advance. And, if available, the Bishop of Verdun will perform the marriage ceremony at the village church.  The history of the château goes back to the 9th century and it was rebuilt in the 16th century with Gothic windows and superb architecture. In 1634 it was partially destroyed on the orders of Cardinal Richelieu in his quest to destroy the Duke of Lorraine. But, following World War I, Belle Skinner, an American, fell in love with the village and bought and restored the château. You will be quite impressed with all it offers guests. As Lorraine (now in the newly-named
region of Grand Est) is the only region of France bordering three
countries (Luxembourg, Germany and Belgium, it is very convenient for
people from those countries to travel into France.
Visit Château d'Hattonchâtel on our site today to learn all about this elegant 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 C. Agerskog. All rights reserved.]
French Quiz 133 Where are we? Hint: a very popular, bustling town on the
Normandy coast
Please
provide the name of this town. one-year subscription to FRANCE TODAY magazine! 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.] Welcome
our Newest Member: Château
Sentout  Château Sentout
Rent this
château exclusively for your family gathering or wedding
celebration or seminar ~ your hosts can welcome up to 100 people
and sleeping accommodations for 50 in six villas, an apartment and a
very special en suite guest room.
Completely self-catering, guests will have the use of their own modern kitchens, enjoy comfortable salons and terraces, and spend time in a beautiful swimming pool. Set on 40 acres of parkland with amazing panoramic views, Château Sentout is the perfect venue for relaxing holidays or destination weddings. Visit it today on our site where you can contact the owners directly with your questions or to make a reservation. 
Villes et Villages de France . . . we hope to tempt you to visit these marvelous placeswhen you are roaming through the French countryside.  Riquewihr and its vineyards Alsace is comprised of two départements, the Bas-Rhin and Haut-Rhin, the latter shown on this map and where Riquewihr and the town of Colmar can be found.  
[Photos copyrighted Cold Spring Press. All Rights Reserved.]
Centenary
of the end of World War I 1918-2018
The region of Lorraine, which we most often
associate with Alsace ~ bouncing
back and forth between Germany and France from the end of the Franco-Prussian War until the end of World War I ~ is a most beautiful and peaceful part of France today. The war ended with a hastily drawn armistice at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month: November 11, 1918.  Along with the 100th anniversary of the end of that war this year, Lorraine and Alsace celebrate the same 100th anniversary of their reunification with France. Soon he faced the challenge of the
last major German offensive in the Spring of 1918, and fearing defeat
both Britain and France agreed to put Ferdinand Foch in charge of
coordinating their armies. The Battle of Amiens, also known as the Third Battle of Picardy (3ème Bataille de Picardie), was the opening phase of the Allied offensive which began on August 8, 1918. It became known as the Hundred Days Offensive, and ultimately led to the end of the First World War. Clemenceau, nicknamed 'The Tiger', remained in office after the Armistice to become an architect of the controversial Versailles peace settlement, together with his British, American and Italian counterparts. He was Prime Minister until 1920.Visit World War I battlefields - These special small-group and private tours take you to visit the most famous World War I French battle sites, museums, and memorials. Aisne, Marne and Belleau Wood - Explore sites of these important American battles, the Museum of the Great War in Meaux, and cemeteries. Verdun and Meuse-Argonne - Tour these famous battlefields as well as the Fort of Douaumont, Château-Thierry, the Romagne War Museum, the Trench of Bayonets, and cemeteries Events in France
Pay your respects to those who died or were injured during war - almost 1.6 million French soldiers died during World War I and II combined - on Armistice Day, November 11. Armistice Day was established on November 11, 1918 as combat ended during World War I - called the Great War and the "war to end all wars." In
a somber ceremony at the base of the Arc de
Triomphe, French
President Emmanuel Macron inspects the
troops and lays a red, white, and blue wreath near the eternal flame at
the Tomb of the Unknown
Soldier, which honors all
French troops who died in war. When:
11AM, November 11,2018 Of
course, accommodations we recommend in the region are
Château des Monthairons and Château d'Hattonchâtel as
described above, both in the Meuse département where so much of
the battles took place.
News
from Our Members . . .  35560 Bazouges la
Pérouse
Tél: +33 (0)2 99 97 47 86 Festival de Danse contemporaine "Extension Sauvage" - 7ème édition - 29 juin et 1er juillet 2018 au Château de La BallueDu 29 juin 2018 au 1 juillet 2018 L'extraordinaire aventure chorégraphique d'Extension Sauvage dans les Jardins de La Ballue continue en 2018 pour sa 7ème édition.Evènement de notoriété nationale, le festival rencontre un très grand succès depuis 2012 : créé par la chorégraphe et danseuse Latifa Laâbissi, cette aventure chorégraphique en milieu rural invite la danse à se mêler aux paysages de la Bretagne romantique. Telephone for your reservation!
We bid adieu
to
some dear friends ~ owners of two châteaux who have been with us
for many years and one more recent member ~ all closing their chambres d'hôtes due to
health problems.
We wish them all the best for speedy recoveries and improved health in the future.  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. Coming Soon !
au Château will be welcoming Relais des Trois
Châteaux, an elegant and inviting 4-star boutique
hôtel and
restaurant in Cour-Cheverny (Loire), in the next few weeks. It's
owners are Bernard and Véronique Gattolliat, formerly of
Château du Breuil in the same village. They've owned the
Relais for many years, and only recently decided to make it their
priority.
 Thirty-five beautiful rooms are offered from €113 to €173 per night with WiFi, air conditioning, flat screen TVs, safes, hair dryers and mini-bars in the rooms. The Relais has elevators and can accommodate people with reduced mobility. Of course, there is the gourmet restaurant! All of these conveniences in a classical building in the heart of the Loire near the royal châteaux of Blois, Chambord, Chenonceau and Amboise make it an ideal destination.  Come back to our site soon to visit
its pages and make your reservation!
 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 Amuse-Bouche Recipe: Cardamom Carrot 'Verrine'  We are sharing this recipe directly
from Susan's newsletter. If you are not a subscriber, please sign
up! We wait for the next one to arrive in our email box with
its
news of daily life in her Normandy village, what produce is now in
season, and all those wonderful recipes to try at home. Of
course, you can also join Susan for her cooking classes when she is in
Normandy, Paris or back home in the US! We've substituted Greek
yogurt for regular yogurt to avoid having to drain liquid out.
Turn
yogurt into a small bowl, add the cardamom stir, and let sit for at
least 1 hour, and up to 8 hours, refrigerated. Place
the carrots in a medium-sized saucepan and just cover them by 1-inch
(2.5cm) with water. Add the lemon zest, the sugar, the bay leaves, the
thyme, and the salt and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce
the heat to medium, cover the pan and cook until the carrots are
completely tender through, 20 to 25 minutes and most, but not all, of
the water has been absorbed. Remove the carrots from the heat. Remove
the bay leaves and the thyme from the carrots. Transfer the carrots and
the lemon zest, without the cooking liquid, to the work bowl of a food
processor and puree. If the carrots won't puree, add a bit of the
cooking liquid to help them along. They won't ever be silken smooth,
but will be a fine blend. Taste the puree for seasoning and adjust with
salt if necessary. Reserve. Place equal
amounts of carrot puree in four glasses (see photo). Top with equal
amounts of the spiced yogurt. Garnish with equal amounts of pistachios,
and serve while the carrots are warm, or at room temperature, with
cherry tomatoes. Serves
4.
Bon appétit! Cooking
in Paris
- Join me for intimate hands-on cooking
classes in
Paris, where we will Upcoming
Classes July 9, 2018 (Paris
Morning Class)
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 132- Where are we? from our Winter issue The beautiful, bustling city of Montpellier is home to the University of Montpellier established in 1289, one of the oldest universities in the world. This vibrant city's Antigone district shows off its wealth of neoclassical architecture as the River Lez makes its way through the city on its way to the Mediterranean. Our winner was a subscriber from New Jersey, and we were happy to send her our notecards. We appreciate everyone who participated.
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