Stuff of legends...

While the the ladies (and some gentlemen) were joining in 'the mix' of the August meeting of the Loire Valley Clandestine Cake Club (CCC) Mike and I decided to head over to the chateau at Chinon to see the 'Knights Templar' exhibition which centres around the appropriately named document,'the Chinon parchment'

The advertising promised much: "Come and discover the Knights Templar through an interactive exhibit and trail set up in the park and towers of the fortress. Like kings and queens, embark on a fantastic adventure towards the East and discover the dire fate of the Grand Masters of the Knights Templar.

The interactive exhibit turned out to be a slide show plus 'listening cubicles'... 

...and one-dimensional information boards, 

A bit like the knights themselves who at first glance looked quite impressive as they stood on the ramparts - but they turned out to be cardboard cut-outs. Couldn't they have given some unemployed people or students a summer job to bring the characters to life?

Templar buffs, who have been captivated by Dan Brown's stories might want to add this piece to the jigsaw but they may come away feeling disappointed.

You can check out the original BBC article on discovering the Chinon Parchment here.