C - Le Château de Cornebarrieu

http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/p/a-to-z-challenge-sign-uplist-2014.html

Cornebarrieu France, is where my parents-in-law (beau-parents in French) live and where I love to wander whenever we visit. I've met many a soul doing the same on the myriad paths and walks that twist about like a maze through the older parts of the town. A small town, it's growing very fast and some of the "village" feeling is starting to liquidate, but the charm is still there if one looks for it. One day we were invited to tour the old chateau (a manoir is a smaller chateau) that sits atop the hill overlooking the town and surrounding countryside. I've always looked up to see it from down below and now had the chance to not only walk through the grounds and view the chateau up close and personal, but to go inside as well. You now get to see what a "smaller" historical chateau/Manoir looks like. My photos don't do the house the justice it deserves, but the grandeur of the place still comes through...
http://www.cornebarrieu.com/la_mairie.html

Old image of the Chateau in Cornebarrieu

Approching the chateau from the side entrance

View from the front, down on the grounds used for festivals

The side entrance with open door

A view of the front from the outdoor staircase

The side entrance door

A strange architectural feature so one doesn't lose the view out the window.

The rooms all open onto one another in this part of the house.

Archways and doors, tile flooring. All has been restored.

Out the bathroom window on the second floor

Picturesque "french door"

The hallway on the second floor

Notice the doorknob in the middle of the door

The grand stair outside in front of the chateau

A view of the surrounding area

The inner staircase from the third floor

The light blue painted shutters against the red brick are typical of this region

A view overlooking the church and its bell tower

The pump house

These shutters are white on the inside, blue on the outside

This type of brick/stone work is very typical of this area

Daffodils were in bloom when we were there, everywhere!