There is a three keys street, a three keys pharmacie, a three keys restaurant and a three keys grocery stone in Blois but the only information I can find on the origin of these three large keys is that several locksmiths lived in the street.
Nous avons la rue des Trois clés, la pharmacie des Trois clés, le restaurant Les Trois Clés et le Primeur des Trois clés à Blois mais les seuls renseignements que j’ai pu trouver concernant l’origine de ces trois grandes clés est que plusieurs serruriers auraient habité la rue.
9 replies on “The Three Keys – Les trois clés”
Lovely architecture, and what wonderful sculptures!
Fortunately, Blois still has some old buildings despite the bombings during WWII.
Dear Rosemary,
I have been reading your blog for a long time and would like to thank you so much for all the information and pleasure it gives. In today’s photograph my heart sank when I saw all the steps going up to the Chateau in Blois. We are visiting next week for the first time and are, hopefully, walking from Parking du Mail on Quai Saint Jean. Google advises a route up from rue Saint Lubin but, of course, you can’t see the steps! Would you be kind enough to tell me which way you would go with the shortest amount of steps! I have wanted to ask you for some time now but this seems a good opportunity! We are in our seventies and quite agile but get a bit puffed – especially if it is as hot as promised! Thank you so much if you can help! I know there is an underground car park near the Chateau but I am ashamed to say I think I’d rather climb a hundred steps!!
Hello Nina. Yes, a lot of châteaux are built on hills and Blois is among them. I’m happy to answer your question. There is street parking (parking meters) up behind the château on the same level as the château underground car park where you can usually find parking (I am not a fan of underground car parks either but the château one is actually quite open if you suffer from claustraphobia. I’ve tried identifying the street from the map but I’m not sure exactly where it is. It’s alongside Pavillon Anne de Bretagne and further up from Saint Vincent. The next time I take the car (before next week) I’ll find out the name of the street and get back to you. From there, you will walk slightly downwards to the château approaching it from the rear. The view from next to Saint Vincent is excellent. Then you will just have to go up a short flight of stairs to the château. You can have lunch at Forges du château which I’ve described on my other blog Aussie in France: http://www.aussieinfrance.com/2012/09/a-tapestry-shop-and-a-tea-room-in-blois/. I hope you enjoy your stay!
That is very kind of you and extremely helpful. Please don’t go out of your way as I think I can see where you mean on Google street view! Thank you also for your lunch suggestion. I have enjoyed reading your Aussie in France blog since you were in Paris – our favourite city which we try to visit each year. But we also love the Loire and try to stay in a different part each June. There is still so much that we haven’t seen but your blogs let me have a lovely ‘virtual visit’ each day so thank you again! Nina
The Loire in June is certainly lovely! I hope you enjoy Blois.
I forgot to mention that the steps in The Three Keys are not the steps up to the castle! They can be seen in another photo though: http://www.loiredailyphoto.com/2014/08/at-the-top-of-the-stairs-en-haut-des-marches/. Not nearly as long.
The ‘keys’ are intriguing, but it is the bed of flowers set in the slope of the stairs that caught my eye.
I’ll have to remember to go and take a photo when the flowers have come out more. I’ve walked down those stairs but never up!
The steps would be good exercise for bush walking!