This is my regular once-a-month photo of Amboise where the Loire Connexion, a group of like-minded Anglophiles meets at Le Shaker on Ile d’Or with this stunning view. The 28°C temperature is most unusual for the beginning of September. Voici ma photo mensuelle d’Amboise où la Loire Connexion, un groupe d’anglophiles sympathiques se retrouve au …
Author Archives: avril
Sign of Peace? – Signe de paix ?
My peace roses are doing better than ever this year. I’ve never had so many roses at once. Could it be a good sign? For a short history of the peace rose, click here. Mes roses de la paix sont plus belles que jamais cette année. Je n’ai jamais eu autant de fleurs en même temps. …
The Double Wash-House – Le lavoir double
It’s the first time I’ve seen a double wash-house. We came across it on one of our Châteaux à vélo bike routes. In 1831, Brouat fountain in Montlivault, which had been used as a public wash-house for several centuries, was in a state of ruin. Renovation was scheduled to start in 1831 but the road leading down to …
CDP Theme Day – Library
I had to say that I was somewhat dismayed when I saw the theme for this month’s City Daily Photo because the first time I saw the public library in Blois, I was very disappointed. It was a cold grey day and the very severe modern building constructed in 1997 seemed out of place next to the …
The Healthy Vending Machine – Le distributeur automatique santé
We came across this fruit and vegetable vending machine on the bike route in Cour Cheverny just as it was being refilled. What a clever idea! The photo below shows the inside. It’s open 24/7 and is refrigerated. The prices are very reasonable with a selection of several items and the produce looks very fresh. Cool. …
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Joan of Arc Illuminated – Jeanne d'Arc illuminée
We finally went to the sound & light show at Blois Castle. We were a little disappointed overall but I particularly liked this sequence concerning Joan of Arc departing for Orléans after being made a warlord. Nous sommes enfin allés voir le son et lumière au château de Blois. Nous étions un peu déçus dans …
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Transparency – La transparence
222éé22We often have dragonflies in the garden but they whizz around so quickly they I can’t even attempt to photograph them. This one was sitting still on the bamboo stake used to support our tomato plants today so I ran off to get my iPhone. I can only assume it was on its last legs …
Foix Fountain – Fontaine du Foix
Blois once had a very complex system of fountains. In front of Saint-Nicolas church can be seen a fountain built into the wall of the cloisters of the old Saint-Laumer Abbey. Foix or Saint-Laumer Fountain was the only one not supplied by the Gouffre, a reservoir gouged out of rock to which a 529-metre long aqueduct …
Rochechouard Mill – Le moulin Rochechouard
This is another watermill in Suevres. Built on the Tronne in 1393 the Rochechouard Mill belonged to the Chapter of St Martin of Tours until the Revolution when it was sold to Mr and Mrs Bourguignon-Bergevin who added an upper storey in 1817. It has two sets of millstones. Faustin Rabier, whose family has owned it since the …
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The Mill on the Stream – Le moulin à eau
After we first visited the little town of Suevres with its many water mills and wash houses last September, we promised ourselves we’d go back in the summer. We cycled there from Blois last weekend. This one is known as Moulin Pont (Bridge Mill) for obvious reasons. Après avoir visité la petite ville de Suevres avec …