The Loire Valley and especially Blois
As you may have guess if you’re familiar with Blois, Jallanges Castle near Vouvray, built in 1465 by Louis XI for his first Superintendant of Finance, is almost contemporary with the Louis XII wing of Blois Royal Castle erected in 1498 to 1500. The façade has been beautifully restored but the inside is hardly worth visiting. …
Continue reading “A Brick Castle – Un château tout en brique”
Meslay Farm near Vouvray, built by the Abbey of Marmoutier in 1220, is a somewhat rare example of a fortified monastic farm. The monumental square gatehouse forms the entrance to the domain. It consists of a ground floor with a vaulted passage leading into the courtyard and an upper floor which was originally the guard room. The barn …
The first time we went to Lavardin, we couldn’t go into the Romanesque church of Saint Genest but this time it was open. It has a spectacular set of murals and two frescos. This panel has a phoenix in the centre (symbol of the resurrection); below is a pelican feeding its babies with its own …
We discovered this Renaissance porch which was built in 1555 quite by accident on the cycle route along the Loir River (not the Loire) between Montoire and Vendôme. Château de la Mézière belonged to the Taillevis family for many generations. Raphaël de Taillevis was a physician and friend of the King of Navarre, Antoine de …
Continue reading “A Renaissance Porch – Un porche Renaissance”
We don’t seem to have seen many hot air balloons this year but when we were driving to Amboise on Friday we saw no fewer than eight! The photo is taken through the car windscreen with Château de Chamont behind. Nous ne semblons pas avoir vu beaucoup de mongolfières cette année mais en nous rendant …
Continue reading “The Balloons are Up! – Les mongolfières sont de sortie !”
When we arrived at our monthly Loire Connexion anglophile get-together Ile d’Or at in Amboise last night, the light was extraordinary. And just as I was about to take a photo of the castle, this cat ran past along the wall in front of me! Lorsque nous sommes arrivés à la soirée mensuelle d’angophiles de la Loire …
Continue reading “The Cat and the Castle – Le chat et le château”
Jean Michel got very excited when he saw this white heron as he has only seen grey ones along the Loire up until now. You can see how big the sandbanks in the Loire are at the moment. Their presence is what makes the Loire unnavigable and even dangerous to swim in. Jean Michel était …
I have already posted photos of other post mills,particularly the Saint-Jacques mill, but the Agrémonts windmill is my favourite. It’s just near Bléré and not far from château de Chenonceau. This type of windmill is called a cavier in French because the miller was also a winegrower with a wine cellar (or cave).. Agrémonts was built between …
Continue reading “My Favourite Windmill – Mon moulin préféré”
The church in Seur on the bike path to Cellettes, is dedicated to Saint Pantéleon. It was built in the 16th century and refurbished in the 19th century. I don’t know when the tower was buillt though. Next time we’ll have to go in because I have since discovered it has a “churchwardens’ bench” which I had …
Continue reading “A Church with a Tower – Une église avec une tourelle”
I think this is a great alternative to regular chlorine-filled pools. The “natural bathing” pool in Mont Près Chambord which is on the bike path uses a natural filtrering process to keep the water clean and in constant movement. For more information (in Freau nch) click here. Je trouve que cette alternative aux piscines au …