Beauvoir Tower – Tour Beauvoir

The 12th century Beauvoir Tower belonged to a vassal of the Count of Blois before it was purchased to form part of the town ramparts which date from the 13th century. In the 15th century, the keep was reduced in height by one third. Rebuilt in 1970, the oldest prison in France (14th century) is …

Spires of Saint Nicolas – Flèches de Saint Nicolas

The spires of Saint Nicolas, more recent than the rest of the church, were built in the 19th century by Louis Delton and Anatole de Baudot. Les flèches de l”église Saint Nicolas, plus récentes que le reste de l’église, sont construites au 19ème siècle par Louis Delton et Anatole de Baudot.   

Cathedral and bridge late afternoon – Cathédral et pont fin d'après-midi

We were coming back from the industrial park on the Vineuil side of the Loire when I took this slightly fuzzy photo from the car. It’s my favourite view of Blois. On revenait de la zone industrielle côté Vineuil lorsque j’ai pris cette photo un peu floue depuis la voiture. C’est ma vue préférée de …

Saint Laumer Steps – Degrés Saint Laumer

I was not familiar with the term “degré” for “steps” until I came to Blois but the name is used for several staircases. Note the red and white bars under the name of the steps indicating that it is part of the French national hiking trail or “Grande Randonnée” often abbreviated to GR. Je ne …

Rooftops and antennas – Toits et antennes

What a pity that so many TV antennas mar the horizon of an historic city such as Blois! Photo taken from the Jardin de l’Evêché (Episcopal Garden). Quel dommage que les antennes de télévision omniprésentes gâchent l’horizon d’une ville historique comme Blois ! Photo prise depuis le Jardin de l’Evêché.

Gabriel Bridge – Pont Gabriel

Jacques Gabriel Bridge, designed by architect and lead engineer, Jacques V Gabriel, 70 metres downstream from the previous 11th century bridge, was built between 1716 and 1764. Le pont Jacques Gabriel, conçu par l’architecte et premier ingénieur Jacques V Gabriel à 70 m en amont du pont précédent du 11ème siècle, fut construit entre 1716 et …

Bike Path in Summer – Piste cyclable en été

The bike path you can see on the right is part of the Loire à Vélo network of 800 km of shared or dedicated cycle routes from Saint Nazaire on the Atlantic Coast to Nevers. It is part of a much longer cycle route – about 4000 km – called Eurovelo 6 from the Atlantic …

Sunset in Summer – Coucher de soleil en été

This photo is taken from the Vienne side of the Loire looking across at Blois and the Church of Saint Nicolas, the city’s most interesting church, built in the 12th and 13th centuries, and a combination of Romanesque and Gothic. Cette photo de Blois est prise du côté Vienne de la Loire avec l’église de Saint …