Vitre, Britanny, France 2018

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In 1598, Henry IV, King of France, visited Vitre and was so surprised by what he encountered he is purported to have said "If I was not King of France, I want to be bourgeois from Vitré!" A little over the top perhaps, but, we certainly enjoyed our visit despite there being many features we did not get to.
Vitre has a population close to 18,000 and is pretty much on the border of Brittany with Lower Normandy.  Designated by the Ministry of Culture as a town of artistic and historic significance, it is in the top 40 cities in France by count of historic buildings. The present Fairy Tale castle dates from the 13th century and currently houses a museum, although, we were disappointed not to see Rapunzel during our visit.
A former famous resident of Vitre, Mme de Sévigné, spent a lot of time at a Chateau on the outskirts of town that also now houses a museum. The main attraction there however, is the French garden which was designed by the creator of the gardens at Versailles. In all, a very memorable
experience. See Slideshow.