Live like a French aristocrat at Chateau de Colombieres in Normandy

Chateau de Colombieres traces its history back 1,000 years to the days of William the Conqueror  (Courtesy: Chateau Colombieres)

Normandy, France -- When it comes to the idea of European castles, there is something uniquely appealing to American travelers.

Visitors to France have two popular options to experience historic chateaux and both are equally beguiling.

Chateau Chenonceau Loire Valley
(Photo: www.all-free-photos.com)

In the Loire Valley, travelers can trace French history in the grounds and gardens of some of the most famous and largest castles in Europe; Chenonceau, Chambord, Chantilly, Cheverny, Chinon, Villandry, Blois and Azay-le-Rideau to mention a few.

Normandy, on the other hand, is an ideal spot to actually immerse yourself into the chateau experience by staying in centuries old fortresses and residences that literally ooze with the romance of French aristocracy.

It is also possible to do either form of chateaux-hopping in each of the two regions.

Bayeux is a charming city
(Photo: Taylor)

Thanks to the popular website WeLoveNormandy, it is even easier today than ever before to enjoy ten centuries of history in contemporary comfort while temporarily stepping back in time to embrace the lifestyle of French aristocracy.

Patrick and Nicky Hilyer are your guides through the wonders of the region with expert knowledge of gardens, little known historic sites, charming medieval villages and, of course, the D-Day Landing Beaches. Spend time reliving the French Revolution, the Crusades, the Hundred Years War, the Renaissance and more while using a chateau as a base for day trips that capture the imagination.

An ideal gathering spot...the salon at Chateau de Colombieres
(Courtesy: Chateau de Colombieres)

Chateaude Colombieres, with its massive stone walls and fairytale towers, is one such captivating property in Normandy where guests cross the ancient moat into a sunny courtyard that transports them back in time faster than Mr. Peabody and Sherman's Wayback Machine.

Add in the hospitality of Count and Countess de Maupeou d'Ableiges, whose ancestors became the custodians of the chateau in the middle of the 18th century, and you have the recipe for a travel experience that most people only dream about.

The famed Bayeux Tapestry tells the story of 1066 from the French point of view  (Courtesy: Bayeux Tapestry)

To truly understand the ingredients that comprise this unique journey, you must first consider its thousand year old military history beginning with William the Conqueror’s knights and ending during the weeks following D-Day when the United States Army’s PSYOPS headquarters were based at Colombieres.

Allied assault on fhe beaches of Normandy on D-Day
(Photo: Public Domain)

With its strategic location on the edge of the Isigny Bay marshes, Colombieres was once called the "Watchtower of the Marshes." In the past, much like Mont St Michel, the rising tide washed up onto the lands surrounding the fortress, thus enabling repeated invasions of the hinterland from the sea.

Nearly ten centuries later, on June 6, 1944, the “Allied invasion” took the same route from the sea through the marshes to the castle.

Re-enactment of the Battle of Hastings in 1066
(Photo: Public Domain)

Dating back to the 11th century, Colombieres was a fortress occupied by William, Raoul and Baudouin of Colombières, who were comrades in arms of William the Conqueror during the invasion of England in 1066.

The oldest parts of the present day castle date to the end of the 14th century when the wealthy Bacon du Molay built the fortress in keeping with the defensive architecture of medieval times.

Colombiere's cuisine is part of
the experience  (Courtesy:
Chateau de Colombieres)

Among  du Molay's designs, which are visible today, are a  quadrangle flanked by four huge towers with arrow slits and a 9ft-thick and 36ft-high surrounding wall topped with a gallery with openings in the floor through which stones or burning objects could be dropped on attackers. There is also a moat and a drawbridge.

During a visit in 1371, French King Charles V described Colombieres as a fortified castle that could withstand a siege.

The history of Colombieres is rich and diverse. In 1759, the impregnable fortress became the property of the Girardin family.

Related by marriage to the present owners, the Maupeou d’Ableiges family, it was during this period that the fortress was transformed along classical lines into a beautiful residence.

Today the beaches are hallowed
ground (Photo: Taylor)

On the morning of D-Day in June, 1944, a German motorized gun battery that had been hidden under the elm trees of the castle's drive suddenly left for Colleville followed immediately by the command post of the 1/352nd Panzer Division, which had also been stationed at the village of Colombieres.

Marching on foot across marshes which German forces had flooded to make them impassable, the American allies liberated the village on June 9, 1944.

In the process, a dozen German soldiers were captured. As a result, the castle became the center of all American press and radio communications as well as the headquarters of General Omar Bradley.

Today Colombieres is a place for exploration. After settling in, take time to climb the spiral staircase to discover the castle’s best kept secret – three impressive guestrooms.

Bedchamber at Chateau de Colombieres
(Courtesy: Chateau de Colombieres)

​Louis XVI with its queen-size double bed and 18th-century furnishings, has views of the moat and  the wild Bessin countryside.

The Suite de la Tour is a circular bedroom set within a 14th-century tower with a private sitting room. The Gothic stone lintels, exposed beams, baronial fireplace and period furniture create an ambiance of stately antiquity. The shower is even built in the original medieval latrines. 

Suite du Guetteur is named for its stone benches where sentries once kept watch against English invaders through mullioned stone windows and ancient arrow-slit "loopholes."

Breakfast is included with the accommodations and Chateau de Colombieres is centrally located to visit all the gardens and sights of Normandy, including the D-Day Landing Beaaches.

Chateau de Colombieres is even more stunning at night
(Photo by @anibasphoto -- Chateau de Colombieres)

In short, Chateau de Colombieres an the ideal place to step back in time in the 21st "sentry" to enjoy a good "knights" rest.