The Loire and city of Blois
The Loire River is the longest river in France, covering more than 1,000 km from its source in the Massif Central to its mouth in the Bay of Biscay in the Atlantic Ocean. The main towns are Nevers, Orleans, Blois, Tours and Nantes. It is famous for its châteaux, particularly Chenonceau, Chambord, Chaumont and Cheverny, and its vineyards. The Loire Valley, a World Heritage Site, spanning about 300 km, is located in the middle stretch, 2 to 3 hours south of Paris.
Blois, where I live, is a town of 50,000 people ideally located for visiting the area. Although much was destroyed during the war, it still has some lovely old streets winding up the steep banks of the Loire. It was once the centre of the French Renaissance with a prestigious castle. Louis XII, king of France in 1498, was born there in 1462. One of its citizens, Denis Papin, invented the steam engine in 1647 and the illusionist Louis-Eugène Roubert-Houdin, born in 1805, is celebrated in the “House of Magic” just opposite the castle.
Guest photos
If you would like to contribute a photo, please contact me at rosemary.kneipp @ gmail.com. I would be happy to publish it under your name.
Considering that François Ier , the owner and perhaps the design of Château de Chambord was born in 1494 and died in 1547, this door with his emblem, the salamander, must be about 500 years old.
Amazing! And it looks in good shape.
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So difficult to comprehend that it has opened and shut for 500 years. How many people have walked through?
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And how many kings and queens among them?
I especially love how the salamander looks as though its had something for dinner that disagreed with it.
I hesitate to say that it looked to me as if it had just sneezed.
A sneezing salamander! I am still waiting to see a real salamander. No luck yet.
I was going to say that sounded like a Lesley comment then I saw she had replied!