Château d'Alteville

17 June 2015:  I am writing this post in the comfort and elegance of the Château d'Alteville.  Alteville is a collection of buildings and surrounding farmland with a history dating back to the 16th century.  It has belonged to the Barthélemy family since 1906.  They work the farm (raising beef cattle and various crops – with plans to add ducks and fish to the farm's production), and they offer chambres d'hôtes.  Margolis & Harmon stayed here during their hike on the GR5 in 1984 and warmly recommended it in their book, Walking Europe from Top to Bottom.  So we planned our itinerary to include a stop here – and to arrive early enough to enjoy the place and the hospitality of the owners.

Today's hike was actually a disappointment prior to our arrival at Alteville.  Most of the "trail" was on pavement.  In addition, the GR5 follows a new route away from a forest that it previously crossed and through the city of Dieuze.  That added kilometers as well as pavement.  The only benefit of the new route is that it brought us to the Étang de Lindre at a place where there is a large structure for storks.  We enjoyed watching the storks in their big nests during our picnic lunch. 

Needless to say, we were delighted to arrive at the Château d'Alteville!

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This morning, the GR5 left Blanche Église on the road:

The new route of GR5 began here, presumably because the forest route is now too dangerous. 

This structure is part of a program to protect and breed storks:

Back on the road after lunch:

Arrival at the Château d'Alteville:

Some of Alteville's farm buildings:

We enjoyed a chat with David, the friendly host of the chambres d'hôtes:

A delicious dinner: