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.
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Today we discovered a new walking path on the banks of the Loire opposite Chaumont. It was a crisp six degrees Celsius and very pleasant.
I’ve developed a heel spur which is literally putting a cramp in my walking. There are some great views of Chaumont from this side of the river, aren’t there?
How annoying! I am having orthopedic inner sole problems at the moment. We’ve always walked on the other side but we were looking for some sun yesterday.
We have been a few times though the gardens have not been great the last couple of times , and parking by the river its a long way up to the Chateau
I’m not that keen on the gardens but I love the chateau. You can park up the hill at the back of the chateau. It’s more convenient.
A splendid view!
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