Advertisement
Published: April 6th 2018
Today, which marks the 50th-day of our journey, we finally enjoyed some Springtime weather, with comfortable temperatures and mostly blue skies throughout the day.
Vive la France! We struck out on foot at around 10:30 in the morning, with our first priority being to locate one of the stops where we could catch a public bus into the center of the city. After a 10-minute walk we found the bus stop, and a few minutes later boarded the #5 bus for a quick ride to the stop near the main train station and tourist information office, where we picked-up a few brochures and made some inquiries.
We paused for a few minutes at the plaza in front of the impressive, 19th-century train station, where fountains and Japanese cherry trees are in full bloom; then walked inside the station seeking to purchase bus tickets or passes for use during our stay. The inside of the station was relatively quiet, perhaps due to the nationwide rail strike that has been in the news lately; however, no luck with the bus tickets, as only train tickets were being dispensed by machines.
Following a brief visit at the tourist office across from the
station, we stopped at a nearby automated ticket dispenser for bus tickets, and then enjoyed our first glimpse at one of the pocket-sized green spaces (next to the convention center) which are so common in French cities and towns, with their trees, manicured grass and flower beds.
After walking a few blocks north on the semi-pedestrian rue Bernard Palissy, we reached another such oasis of greenery at Place Francois Sicard, and then the more formal gardens of the Musée des beaux-arts de Tours (Museum of Fine Arts of Tours).
This museum is located in the bishop's former palace, next to the Cathedral St. Gatien, where it has been since 1910. In the courtyard, there is a magnificent cedar of Lebanon tree, planted in 1804, that is over 93' high; and a stuffed elephant in a building in front of the museum. This elephant, named "Fritz", was killed when it went berserk during a circus parade by the "Barnum & Bailey" circus in the streets of Tours in 1902. The museum itself has over 12,000 works, of which about 1,000 are on display to the public. On the ground floor, the museum has a room especially dedicated to Tours
art from the 15th- and 16th-centuries.
At this point we decided to visit the interior of the museum on another day, and instead walked to the nearby Tours Cathedral (
Cathédrale Saint-Gatien de Tours). It was built between 1170 and 1547. In 1356, the cathedral was re-dedicated to Saint Gatianus, and its particularly slow construction led to a local saying: "... not until the cathedral is finished" (meaning something long and difficult to accomplish).
It also meant that the building presents a mixture of French religious styles of architecture from the 13th- to the 15th-centuries. For example, the tower buttresses are Romanesque, the decoration generally pure Gothic, while the tops of the towers are Renaissance in style.
Dee and I have visited many beautiful cathedrals in the past, e.g., Notre-Dame and Sainte-Chapelle in Paris, St.-Peter's Basilica in Rome, several cathedrals in Florence, and Milan, etc., but this one may now be at the top of our list. The stained glass throughout this cathedral creates images that are striking. Stained glass, as an art form, reached its height in the Middle Ages, when it became a major pictorial form used to illustrate the narratives of the Bible to a
largely illiterate populace.
The beauty of the mainly 13th-century stained glass windows of the choir area of this cathedral are reminiscent of the glorious windows of the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris. Sitting near the high altar, we were in awe of the stunning beauty of the windows in the choir and ambulatory areas (i.e., the "walking areas", or the processional route, around the east end of a cathedral or large church, and behind the high altar). The stained glass in the rose-shaped windows in the north and south transepts were equally impressive.
We were so taken with the cathedral we spent 1-1/2 hours inside, part of which time was devoted to an interesting conversation with a Frenchman who stopped to explain several details of the interior. However, the conversation soon turned to French, European and American politics, with the sad state of affairs on both sides of the ocean being topics of discussion. So it was 1:30PM, with our stomachs growling, when we left the cathedral to locate a lunch spot on the rue Colbert.
When we walked into Le Laurenty, a small restaurant serving traditional French cuisine, it was packed with a group of at least two
Dee's poached fish
Served with a white sauce, rice and vegetables at Le Laurenty.dozen ladies who were finishing their lunch, and starting to head for the door. We thought it might be too late to be served, but the proprietor happily wedged us into a table for two, where we proceeded to enjoy some gourmet-quality food.
As I later discovered, this place has earned a reference in the Guide Michelin, and we could soon understand why. Both of us ordered starters, mains and then shared a dessert, but I'll let the photos tell the rest of the story. We were also pleasantly surprised when the tab, with wine included, was less than we've paid for lunch anywhere on the trip!
After lunch we meandered into Le Vieux Tours, the medieval district of town, finally reaching the Place Plumereau, with its preserved half-timbered buildings and busy pubs and restaurants, whose open-air tables fill the center of the square.
We took some photos as we passed by the nearby Tour Charlemagne, a remnant of an ancient basilica dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours; and the Basilique St. Martin, the other large church in Tours that was built between 1886 and 1924 to replace the one built in the Middle Ages, but destroyed
during the French Revolution. We'll probably return to visit the interior of this basilica, but were pretty tired by this point, so we ended our day by catching the bus back to the villa.
Dee's comments: Bonjour everyone! What a beautiful day in Tours. The blue sky was brilliant as we left the villa; just a short walk to the bus stop and a ride into the old town. Our first stop was at a pretty park, and then the charming, well-manicured flower gardens and lawns at the museum; watched some school children and tried to speak with them, but they looked at us like "Who are you?"
Then to the cathedral...we've been in many churches during our travels, and I thought Notre-Dame-de-Paris was outstanding; but this one....WOW! The stained glass windows were over-the-top...and the history that lurks within its walls. Much to our surprise, a Frenchman gave us some pointers on the history of various decorations, the altar and organ...and then he and Mitch talked politics for a long time!
Walking into the old town we found a jewel of a restaurant, and we can tell we're back in France...the presentation and delicious taste of the
food is unmistakably French! Then a bus ride back home, where it was still light at 8PM. Oh--I'm trying for the umpteenth time to learn some French. I've been watching French TV (and cartoons) here because there are no English channels. Last night I started watching an old Eddy Murphy movie, in French, and I couldn't stop laughing!
Tomorrow it's supposed to reach 71 degrees---we'll see! It's so nice to see green, green grass and so many flowers in bloom, but most of all...blue skies!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.355s; Tpl: 0.015s; cc: 7; qc: 57; dbt: 0.1366s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb
joyce
non-member comment
My Goodness.... such a beautiful Cathedral... the stained glass windows and can imagine the history inside those walls!! Such a sight to see... blue skies and flowers and greens.... I hope this new trend continues forward. Food looked delish, and adore the entrance to your new "shack"... Cheers til' the next blog.... (lots to do tonight!)