The Loire Valley and especially Blois
French shops often choose names that are plays on words. La Caf’ Thé sells coffee and tea, as its name suggests, but cafeter means to tell tales (tattle or sneak). It is also a brûlerie, which means they roast the coffee themselves. They also sell all sorts of coffee and tea-related items. Here it is …
Continue reading “La Caf'Thé in its Christmas finery – La Caf'Thé décorée pour noël”
Living next to several very large forests means that we can buy our firewood directly from the sawmill. However, it means sorting and loading it ourselves. In France, firewood is sold by the stère which is equal to one cubic metre. Our trailer can take 2.4 stères. In most of the United States, the standard measure …
The leaves have fallen, the days are short and sunny and the reflections of the sun setting over the Loire are a source of infinite pleasure. Les feuilles sont tombées, les journées sont courtes et belles et les reflets du coucher de soleil sur la Loire nous ravissent toujours autant.
I was mystified when I saw lots of banners along the Loire saying DES LYRES D’HIVER which literally means Winter Lyres. Then I saw this sign advertising the town’s Christmas and New Year festivities. Des lyres d’hiver is the same pronunciation as délires d’hiver means winter delirium i.e. craziness or madness. J’étais perplexe de voir …
The well-restored town hall in the town of Mer which, despite its name, is not on the sea. In fact, “mer” is derived from “mera” or “marais” meaning marsh. The Loire is 2 kilometers from the southern tip of the town with its population of about 6,000 people, 25 kilometers from north-east of Blois, on …
The pretty little town of Montrichard is about 30 kilometers south of Blois and stands on the Cher River, beneath the ruins of its 11th century mediaeval castle. La jolie petite ville de Montrichard se trouve à une trentaine de kilomètres au sud de Blois sur le Cher, dominée par les ruines de son château …
Continue reading “Montrichard in Winter – Montrichard en hiver”
There is an island opposite the Royal Castle of Amboise called Ile d’Or or the Golden Island. Today it shone under the combined effect of sun and frost. Juste en face du château royal d’Amboise il y a l’île d’Or. Aujourd’hui, l’île brillait sous l’effet du soleil et du givre.
I usually leave photos of Amboise to Stuart on Amboise Daily Photo, but I couldn’t resist this one of the very frosty community gardens on our way from the butcher in Chaumont to the Amboise market. Normalement je laisse à Stuart de Amboise Daily Photo le soin de prendre des photos sa ville mais je …
Continue reading “Community Gardens in Amboise – Jardins ouvriers à Amboise”
Winter officially starts on 21st December. Autumn is finishing with a flourish of beautiful sunny days. L’hiver qui démarre officiellement en France le 21 décembre est presque arrivé. Nous jouissons de belles journées ensoleillés.
Sologne is a vast area of about 5,000 square kilometers that starts slightly south east of Blois and is bound on the north by the Loire River and on the south by one of its affluents, the Cher. It includes château de Chambord and is known for its many lakes, ponds, marshes and forests. Its …