Chambord Grand Canal

We discovered a new view of Château de Chambord today while we were cycling. Wewere delighted when we found this view from the bridge at the end of the Grand Canal. Nous avons découvert une nouvelle vue du Château de Chambord aujourd’hui en faisant du vélo. Nous étions ravis de trouver cette vue depuis le pont …

Snails at dinner – Escargots à la fin du dîner

We were just finishing dinner al fresco when I spied these enormous snails (the shell was about three fingers wide) among the weeds after the rain. Nous étions à la fin de notre repas dans le jardin lorsque j’ai vu ces énormes escargots (la coquille mesurait environ trois doigts) parmi les mauvaises herbes après la pluie.

Doomed mullions – Des meneaux condamnés

Mullion windows (the ones at the top divided into four by a stone cross) appeared well before the 10th century and are typically seen in Renaissance buildings. I’ve just discovered that many French property owners destroyed their mullion windows after a new door and window tax was instigated in 1798 which was based on the number of …

The Little Town Hall – La Petite mairie

To tell you the truth, I can’t remember where this was taken, but it was in a little village on a bike route. I think it must be the perfect place to work! A vrai dire, je ne me rappelle pas où j’ai pris cette photo ; c’était dans un petit village sur un itinéraire de …

… open the doors and here's all the people

Well, not exactly all the people, but we did see a number of murals. When it was built in the late 11th century, the Church of Saint Martin de Crouy originally included a nave, a narrow chancel and an apse which was made into a sacristy n the 17th century. During the 16th century, the chapel was elevated …

Here's the church and here's the steeple – Clocher d'église fait battre le coeur

We came across this little church with its tall steeple as we were cycling from Muides to Chambord. Many churches in the area are dedicated to Saint Martin, who was born in about 316 and died in 397. The Saint Martin de Crouy church was built in the late 11th century. Above the door you can see a …