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.
We went to our monthly meet-up in Amboise last night and it was dark by the time we got there. Extraordinary to be sitting outside comfortably in November!
Very dramatic by night!
William Kendall recently posted…Journeying Through The Country
I just love the variations on this view.
The moon here last night looked very similar, but there wasn’t any magical chateau in the foreground!
Helen recently posted…Three Peaks in 6 Hours
Well that would be hard!
Super photo and in B/W so dramatic.
Has the Chateau gone through any lighting colour changes?
Yes the photo isn’t black and white but it could have been.
We’ll see next month what colours it is.