Orchid about to take flight – L'envol de l'orchidée

At the Halle aux Grains exhibition hall in Blois on Saturday, I had the pleasure of visiting the Orchid Exhibition and discovering this surprising creature. Ce samedi à la Halle aux Grains de Blois j’ai eu le plaisir de visiter l’exposition d’orchidées et de découvrir cette surprenante créature.

Sunny terraces overlooking the Loire – Terrasses au soleil avec vue sur la Loire

Seen from the foot of Foix Tower in the grounds of Blois Castle, these lovely sunny terraces seem to be beckoning to us even though you may notice there aren’t any deck chairs at the beginning of March. Vues depuis le pied de la tour du Foix au château de Blois, ces belles terrasses bien …

The Free Hugger – L'homme à calins gratuits

Yesterday, I published the first of the four photos above for the CDP theme day with the question “Who am I”?  After seeing the collage published by Lynette on Portland Daily Photo, I thought I would give the answer in a similar way.  I can only assumed he’s a free hugger! Below are the four …

CDP Theme Day – People in the street: Who am I? Qui suis-je ?

Help me tell the story! The only clue is that the man in the red and yellow outfit has sign on his back that says “Qui suis-je?” – Who am I? Today is theme day in the City Daily Photo community, where City Daily Photo blogs all over the world can post a February theme …

Hailstorm – Coup de grêle

A hailstorm is always great to see but not so good for budding nature when spring is already upon us in late February this year in Blois. [Translator’s note: not nearly as poetic as Jean Michel’s but I don’t seem to be very inspired tonight!) Beau décor de grêle pour les yeux mais mauvais pour …

The Sitting Bull's Eye – L'oeil de boeuf assis

I was intrigued to see this bull’s eye outside the Vendôme town hall which used to the the Lycée Ronsard. All I can imagine is that it was possible to monitor the comings and goings of the school boys sitting down. J’étais intriguée de voir cet oeil de boeuf très bas à l’extérieur de l’hôtel …

Fifteenth Century Wash House – Lavoir du XVème

The system that enables the washerwomen to be level with the water can be seen in this washhouse, built in the 15th century on the Saint Jacques branch of the Loir River in Vendôme. It is one of the rare examples of a two-story washhouse, designed exclusively for a community, in this case the Cordeliers …

Water Gate – Vendôme – Porte d'eau

The mediaeval town of Vendôme lies at the foot of a hill  flanked by the Loir River, 35 km from Blois. This gate, fortified in the 13th to 15th centuries, is also called the Big Meadow Arch after the surrounding countryside. In the Middle Ages, the amount of water from the Loir River was regulated …