'Est-ce que le salamandre crache le feu, les enfants?' asks the guide slyly, as we pause in front of a large trompe l'oeil specimen in the great hall at Azay-le-Rideau. He traces the fiery breath of the dragon-like creature with his laser penlight for good measure, but the little ones are hesitant.
'Oui?' ventures a boy at last, unable to deny the visual evidence before him.
'Eh ben non,' dismisses the guide breezily, 'ta mère t'explique!'
I do not get to see if youngster is crushed, but he is in good company. At the tender age of ten, François 1er, believing in the mythical powers of the salamander, elects to have it as his emblem, along with the motto: Nutrisco et extinguo – 'I nourish (the good) and extinguish (the bad)'.
This weekend being Easter, there is an Easter egg hunt on the grounds of the Château. The programme tantalisingly involves 'Œufs, Enigme et Chocolat', but is only for the under-12's. Our game young answerer needs to swot up on his biology, but I find myself hoping he manages to discover some chocolatey consolation in the meantime.
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