The Apprentice Stone Cutters – Les tailleurs de pierre apprentis

These apprentice stone-cutters are making the most of the sun at the Maison des Compagnons in Saumur which trains the best atisans in France. Ces tailleurs de pierre apprentis profitent d’une journée ensoleillée à la Maison des Compagnons à Saumur qui forme les meilleurs ouvriers de France.

Pink Camellias – Camélias roses

As we drove past these camellias, I thought I was seeing roses but even with such an early spring I knew it was impossible – so we went back for a closer look. Aren’t they wonderful? Lorsque nous sommes passés devant ces camélias en voiture, je pensais que c’étaient des roses mais même si le …

Slate among tiles – Ardoise parmi tuiles

The little square next to Saint Pierre d’Ouchamps is very clean and tidy but the façades, with the exception of the one in the corner are somewhat delapidated. I was intrigued to see that the roof has been renovated using slate while the neighbouring roofs are tiled. La petite place à côté de l’église Saint …

The Line-up – Tout aligné

Even the power lines are part of the line-up in the cemetary at Monthou-sur-Bièvre. They are a somewhat more ambitious version of Stuart’s spherical shrubs on Amboise Daily Photo. Les lignes haute tension et les topiaires sont tous bien alignés au cimetière de Monthou-sur-Bièvre. C’est une version un peu plus ambitieuse des arbustes sphériques de …

Charm on the other side – Le charme de l'autre rive

View of Saint Vincent and Saint Radegonde’s (16th century) and Cour-sur-Loire château (15th century) from the south-east bank of the Loire on a beautiful sunny day in early spring. Vue de l’église St Vincent et Ste Radegonde (XVIème), du château (XVème) de Cour-sur-Loire depuis la rive gauche de la Loire par une belle journée ensoleillée de …

The Mystery Animal – La bête mystérieuse

  It’s difficult to know whether these two animals are one and the same. The top one is a fountain at the foot of the steps leading up to the castle, on Place Louis XII, just opposite the Pierced Swan, while the bottom one is in the castle grounds. The top one has a crown …

Risqué Chapel Windows – Vitraux de chapelle osés

I don’t know what to think of these stained glass windows in the royal chapelle at Blois Castle. The woman on the left looks demure enough although her bodice is somewhat revealing but it’ the one on the right that is surprising. She doesn’t look like chapel material to me! Ces vitraux dans la chapelle …

Renaissance medallion – Médaillon renaissance

This is one of two medallions about 50 centimetres high, found in the attic at Hôtel d’Alluye built in Blois by Florimond Robertet in about 1505. They are early samples of this type of medallion made of patinated limestone. Florimond Robertet (1458-1527),  secretary of state for Charles VIII, Louis XII and minister of finance for François …