Blogs from Centre, France, Europe - page 31

France - Nice The spectacular natural beauty of the Nice area and its wonderfully mild Mediterranean climate came to the attention of the English upper classes in the second half of the 18th Century, when more and more aristocratic families took to spending their winter theres. The city’s main seaside promenade, the Promenade des Anglais (‘the Walkway of the English’) owes its name to the earliest visitors to the resort. The climate and breathtaking landscape are still what attracts most visitors today. The architectural diversity of Nice’s Old Town is bound to delight both architecture buffs and those who don’t know much about the history of art. The unique Hotel Negresco, with its famous pink dome, was opened by Henri Negresco in 1913, and since then delights visitors with a Baccarat 16,309-crystal chandelier in the lobby. ... read more

Last Friday June 20 we had a fabulous day in the Saumur area. All 3 visits were very unusual, even for France: first to the ABBAYE DE FONTEVRAUD. What a fascinating place! It was started in 1101AD by a "rebel" priest Robert d'Arbrissel who impressed the Pope with his fervour. Being a little too outspoken, he was sent to this wild place that had nothing but a resident bandit. His mandate was to found an order. Not only did he found a new order (that of Fontevraud), but he converted the bandit too! There were some really unusual things about this abbey. It was and still is the largest cloister in Europe. He decided early on to shelter men, women, and even lepers. His order was based on very strict rules: poverty, chastity, isolation, and silence. ... read more

A day of adventures. I invited others to join me but ended up going on my own (those young ones just can't keep up to me!). I arrived at the TOURS train station at 8.30 am in time to buy my ticket and find the platform. The train to CHINON consisted of only one car, but it was part of the Ter (Regional Train system) so I could put my bike on it. The trip to AZAY-LE-RIDEAU was a mere 30 minutes. I rode into town, got some local maps and had a guided visit of the chateau--small but delightful. Lots of tapistries and furnishings both from the Middle Ages and from the XIXth century. As with all castles, this one was built over time: starting in the early Renaissance and contuing until the XIXth century. ... read more

I know it's been 17 days since I wrote a journal. You know how it is; I've been busy visiting chateaux and drinking good wine and studying.... So, I will try to catch up, starting with today and working backwards. Today, we had a 1/2 day of classes, then met at the train station and took a 25 minute train ride to AMBOISE, a lovely little town with castle and Clos de Luce. We had a guided tour of the castle which is situated in the centre of the old town, but very high up with a commanding view of the Loire. The fascinating thing about Amboise is that King Francois I enticed Leonardo da Vinci to come and spend some time here. He gave him a large annual stipend and all the materials, accommodation comforts ... read more

On Sunday, 5 of us did a full-day biking trip from Tours to Villandry (about 50 Km return). The weather was perfect--not too hot, not too cold, no wind. The company which guided the tour and rented the bicycles arrived with about 15 bikes trailored behind a large van. They were very organized with tools, helmets, etc. After assigning each of us a bike, we set out from in front of the main train station in Tours and headed across the Cher River. The city of Tours is located in between the 2 rivers: Cher and Loire. We were able to stay on bike paths along the rivers for most of the day. Our first stop was at a communal vegetable garden. It was interesting to me to see how they had planted their vegetables, all ... read more