The first stop was at Château de la Rochepot, a 12th century castle originally owned by the Pot family. It was abandoned after some time but then the Carnot family decided to buy it for their son. I imagine it went something like this:
Father: "Hey son, whaddup, we bought you an entire stinkin' castle, no biggie."
Son: "Ugh, geeze you practically bought me ruins. That kid down the street François VII's dad built him an entire castle and bought him a 13 year old virgin wife, but whatever I guess I'll restore it. Thanks for nothing."
This castle is still inhabited by the family though it is in a little bit of a limbo as the past duke who seemed to take most care of the grounds has passed and the current duke is in university. That's right, ladies, there is a single duke of marriageable age who has his own castle, get on it*.
* The author of The Inexperienced Expat will not be held liable for any stalking or further suspicious/illegal activities that may occur due to the knowledge given in this article.
In 1457 the duke of Burgundy bought the castle as a gift for his adviser, Philippe Pot. Yes, the Philippe Pot from the first castle we saw. His heirless death ensured that the castle got passed around a few more times before ending up in the hands of the Comarrin family where it remained for 150 years. It was passed around a few more times and gravely defaced during the French Revolution before it ended up being donated to the state where it and its neighboring village were declared protected historical monuments.
From here on out I don't have many pictures as my camera died.