The Loire Valley and especially Blois
Today we planned to return to the Garden Festival at Château de Chaumont but when we saw the number of cars in the parking lot we decided to go for a walk in the village of Thenay instead. After our walk, We had our first outdoor table experience since October – house-made ice-cream and cider …
Continue reading “An Outdoor Treat – Une gourmandise en terrasse”
I really like this garden at the Château de Chaumont Garden Festival but I find the explanation somewhat pretentious. “This garden celebrates the extraordinary artistic perfection of plant fractals.” For those who are not familiar with the term fractal, it means any of various extremely irregular curves or shapes for which any suitably chosen part …
Our yearly passes to Château de Chaumont have been waiting for us since New Year! But at last the grounds are open. The rhododendrons did not disappoint. Nos passes pour le château de Chaumont nous attendaient depuis le 1er janvier mais le parc est enfin ouvert. Les rhododendrons ne nous ont pas déçus.
This 13th century tower is the oldest part of Château de Montpoupon, initially a mediaeval castle built by a Germanic clan at the time of Charlemagne which has been converted over the centuries into a château. The main entrance is under scaffolding which explains why I didn’t photograph the castle itself as I did last …
Not everyone knows that there is a walking/bike path behind Château de Chenonceau, open to the public even when the grounds are closed. This was taken on Monday, our first day out of lockdown. Tout le monde ne sait pas qu’il y a un chemin qu’on peut emprunter à pied ou à vélo derrière le …
Continue reading “Chenonceau from the Bike Path – Chenonceau depuis la piste cyclable”
A superb Renaissance castle (1495) according to the website but if you know anything about Renaissance architecture it’s hard to believe. It looks suspiciously like a 19th century pastiche. Apparently there are more original features on the other side but it’s closed for Covid. April Fool! And by the way, my married name is Avril, …
It was incredibly warm this afternoon – 18 degrees Celsius – so we couldn’t resist getting our bikes out. Nearly three hours in the saddle and 45 km were probably a bit much for our first bike ride this year. The last time I took a photo of this 18th century chateau (Domaine de Seillac), …
When we first saw this château, we thought it was Renaissance but in fact it was built in the 19th century. Previous owners included Annette de la Rochejaquelein and the Chauvelin family but today it belongs to the regional authorities and is used as a residential medical centre. The second photo shows a circular dovecote …
Continue reading “Younger than it looks – Plus jeune qu’il ne paraît”
This is Mick Jagger’s next door neighbour in Pocé-sur-Cisse. His château is set so far back from the road that my iPhone could only just see it. This house is more in the style of an early 20th century holiday home in France than a main residence but the troglodyte cellars are obviously from an …