This afternoon we visited yet another of the châteaux for which this area is famous, thanks to the generous offer of our lovely and charming hostess, Sophie. She insisted upon driving us to the village of Azay-le-Rideau, located about 15 miles southwest of Tours, so that we could visit one of the most beautiful Renaissance buildings in the Loire Valley, the Château d'Azay-le-Rideau. We arrived at the entrance to the château at 3 o'clock, and Sophie would return to collect us at 4:30, telling us she would do some shopping in the village. But I suspect she parked nearby, and then passed the time on her smart-phone, while sitting in the car, until it was time to rejoin us! Dee and I cannot even begin to express our gratitude for all the kindnesses Sophie has extended ... read more

Under cloudy skies and intermittent rainfall, today we enjoyed a full-day, semi-guided tour of three famous châteaux in the Loire Valley. We met our driver/guide, a very pleasant and knowledgeable young French lady, and a retired couple from, Vancouver Canada, in front of the tourism office at 9:00AM. In a matter of 20 minutes or less, we'd reached our first destination, the Château de Villandry. The Loire Valley, often referred to as the "Garden of France”, is studded with over a thousand châteaux, each with distinct architectural embellishments, from the early medieval to the late Renaissance periods. The châteaux were originally created as feudal strongholds, over the course of centuries past, during the power struggle between southern and northern France. Initially built for defensive purposes during the upheavals of the Middle Ages, the Loire châteaux gradually ... read more

Spring has finally sprung! The temperature in Tours reached 73 degrees by mid-afternoon, under mostly sunny skies, and we made the most of our good fortune. We decided to walk to the nearby Botanical Garden, and afterwards ride the #4 bus to reach the Château de Tours on the south bank of the Loire river. The Jardin botanique de Tours is a municipal botanical garden and arboretum, established in 1843, that occupies a plot of land along the western side of the Boulevard Tonnellé. Admission is free, and it turned out to be quite a bargain, because we spent more than an hour admiring the diverse array of flowers and plants, representing some 2000 taxonomic groups, which are spread out over 12 acres of lush lawns and gardens. There are also more than 150 kinds and ... read more

It was a long day, but our trip from Bruges to Tours went according to plan, without any surprises along the way. Our pick-up at 7:00 AM in Bruges, the drive to the Brussels airport, and the flight from Brussels to Nantes were uneventful and on-schedule. We were met by our taxi driver at Nantes, who delivered us to our apartment in Tours following a 2-hour drive through the countryside of the Loire Valley. Unfortunately, the wet weather that dogged us in Belgium followed us into France, as it rained throughout the drive to Tours. However, the rain did not dampen the warm welcome we received from our charming hostess, Sophie, who greeted us with fresh flowers and a bottle of champagne! After entering the gate into the grounds of her property, named by a previous ... read more

Today turned out to be a Belgian national holiday, with many small shops and restaurants choosing to close their doors. The crowds in the street were sparse during the morning hours, but as we would discover later in the afternoon, much of Bruges remained open for business as usual. Once again, however, a light drizzle made for some dreary conditions until around 2:30 PM, when the temperature actually rose to the mid-50s--a veritable heat wave! After eating Dee's fabulous lunch of tuna salad, avocado and cucumbers, we decided to take advantage of the warmer weather by walking to Queen Astrid Park (Koningin Astridpark). This park, which was once a monastery garden, is an oasis of peace and greenery within walking distance of the center of Bruges. It offers a gazebo, and a picturesque pond with a ... read more