Category Archives: Loire Valley

Architecture, Art, Loire Valley, Loire Valley châteaux, Restaurants

Easter Sunday in Château country

April 1, 2013 Rosemary Kneipp 7 Comments

It hardly seems like a year ago that we got the keys to Closerie Falaiseau, our 400-year-old Renaissance house in Blois in the Loire Valley. We decided to take the weekend off and visit some more châteaux. We thought that if we went to Azay-le-Rideau around noon on Sunday, there wouldn’t be many people. Well, that was a big mistake!

Front entrance to Azay-le-Rideau on Easter Sundy

It turned out there was an Easter egg hunt for the kids. In France, there is no Easter bunny – the church bells bring the eggs. I’m not sure how they are then supposed to get hidden in the château and gardens but the kids were obviously keen. The whole family seemed to be there, including all the grandparents and great aunts, which didn’t make it easy to take photos, to my great regret.

Reconstruction of Renaissance bed at Azay-le-Rideau

I’ll write another post on the château itself but would just like to say that there is the most wonderful exhibition in one of the bedrooms. A Renaissance bed and its covers and trimmings have been reconstructed, based on paintings of the time and using traditional methods. The walls are covered in braided rushes and a video explains how all the different elements were made. Fascinating!

We had a little trouble finding somewhere to eat afterwards because everyone else seemed to be on the same timetable as us! We finally found a pizzeria cum brasserie doing a brisk business and had the set menu (entree + main course) at 13 euros. Nothing remarkable but quite edible with an unlimited buffet entree. The Orangerie in the château grounds offers salads and an amazing variety of quiches for 7 or 8 euro but the room is entirely open with no heating and at 4°C, we were not tempted. I’m sure it’s wonderful in summer though.

I had seen a sign saying brocante but we could see not sign of it. We went to the tourist office and were directed towards the river. It was in a lovely setting and the sun was out. We wandered around looking for a metal bucket for our fireplace ashes. We happened across two old engravings of Blois at 25 euros a piece that Jean Michel got for 40 euros for the two. I then proceeded to drop the bag containing the framed engravings but fortunately it didn’t break!

Sellers at Azay brocante on the 5th Sunday of the month

We found a copper bucket and also some wide lace sold by the metre to use as a table runner. The sellers were very friendly and explained that the brocante is held in Azay on the 5th Sunday of the month, which works out to about 3 times a year. They also go to the one in Blois on the 2^nd Sunday of the month that we went to last Easter Sunday. I had actually seen the lace the last time we were here in March.

Suspension bridge over the Loire in Langeais, built in 1849

After debating about whether or not to visit Château de Langeais because of the possible crowds we decided to at least go and take photos of the outside since there was such brilliant sun. After crossing the suspension bridge over the Loire, built in 1849 and rebuilt no less than 4 times, we drove straight to the parking lot we knew from our previous visits and there didn’t seem too many people. When we got to the front of the château, we checked that our favourite tea room/pâtisserie was open and were distracted by loud laughter.

In front of the castle keep was a guard in full mediaeval regalia – codpiece and all. I called out and asked him if he was real. After being reassured that he was not a wax model, we mounted the steps and Innocent le Bel explained, in mediaeval French (well, more or less) that there was a special event going on the castle – the wedding of a young lady called Raoulette and a man whom she had never seen, chosen by her upwardly mobile parents for his wealth.

Inside, other actors were interacting with the public and we were able to watch the wedding ceremony and reading of the marriage contract. After seeing the portrait of her new husband after the ceremony, Raoulette burst into tears and stormed off. We came across her later on in an upstairs bedroom, where her mother was trying to explain to some young visitors why Rahoulette couldn’t choose her own husband!

After a stroll around the grounds, we finished off the visit in Langeais at La Maison de Rabelais with some excellent pâtisseries that had far too many calories. Oh well, we don’t go there often …

Architecture, Art, Loire Valley, Travel photos

Monday’s Travel Photos – Château de Langeais

March 31, 2013 Rosemary Kneipp 5 Comments

The Royal Castle of Langeais in the Loire Vallely, built in 1465 by King Louis XI, is an excellent example of a late mediaeval fortress, with a drawbridge in working order and a parapet walk open to visitors. The interior furnishing is typical of the period, with sculpted wooden chests and fine tapestries. Fifteen wax figures give a lifelike representation of the secret marriage of Charles VIII and Anne Bretagne in 1491 when Charles was 21 and Anne only 16. A large park behind the château offers an excellent view of the Loire and even has (reconstructed!) mediaeval scaffolding.

Bench with chest — Sculpted wood bench doubling as a chest

One of the castle's many tapestries — One of the castle’s many tapestries

Stone floor with fleur-de-lys and ermine cape

Wedding of Charles VIII and Anne de Bretagne in 1491

View of town from rampart walk — View of town from parapet walk

Château from the gardens — Château de Langeais from the gardens

Closerie Falaiseau, French language, Loire Valley

Friday’s French – chien assis

March 28, 2013 Rosemary Kneipp 20 Comments

Whether you’ve heard the term chien assis – literally sitting dog – or not, you probably don’t know its correct meaning. I didn’t until a couple of days ago although I thought I did. The windows in the photo below have always been referred to by the people I know as chiens assis, but I’ve never been able to fathom why.

Our "capucine" windows — Our “capucine” windows

It’s because they aren’t chiens assis at all – they are lucarnes à croupe or capucine. What we call dormer windows in English are lucarnes which comes from the Latin word for “light” and they all have different names in French. The chien assis which, it seems, is a word used in the Loire Valley, is actually quite rare and so far, I haven’t found any! Below is a photo from one of my very favourite dictionaries – Dicobat by Jean de Vigan – and it’s full of lots of wonderful definitions and sketches. You may wonder why I have such a dictionary but it’s because I do a lot of translations in the field of building.

Lucarnes in Dicobat by Jean de Vigan, Editions Arcature

So you can see in the photo above, second from the left, what the real chien assis looks like and it does sort of look resemble a sitting dog. The one of the left is a chien couché or lying down dog. It’s also called a lucarne rampante, meaning “creeping” or “crawling”. Below is an example in our street in Blois.

Most dormer windows are capucines, but we did find quite a few examples of “lucarne-fronton” on the more bourgeois houses in Blois.

In one of the little towns in Sologne called Mur-de-Sologne, I found examples of pignon and meunière dormer windows.

And this house, which we came across in a forest area in Sologne, has a lucarne rampante à jouées biaises which literally means a “crawling light with sloping reveals”. What a mouthful!

Now just in case you tried to click on the link to my competition post on the Top Ten Châteaux in the Loire Valley yesterday and it didn’t work, you can try again here. All comments welcome!

France, Loire Valley, Sightseeing, Travelling

Introducing Célestine, Susan & Simon of Loire Valley Time Travel in France

March 27, 2013 Rosemary Kneipp 5 Comments

You no doubt read Susan’s description of a country “Charcuterie” in yesterdays’s bloggers’ round-up. But she doesn’t just spend her time buying “persillé” – she also runs a business. Susan and Simon and Célestine, their 1953 Citroen Traction Avant vintage car, who has just acquired a little sister called Claudette, take visitors on luxury tours of the Loire Valley, visiting châteaux and tasting wine. What more can you ask of life? My post on My French Life this month gives all the details!

Now before you go any further, I’d just like to tell you about a competition I was invited to enter recently. You may remember that I received an honour award from Expat Blogs last year thanks to your help. They are currently running an expat contest. You’ll find my entry, “Ten Top Châteaux in the Loire Valley, if you click here. Please feel free to make a comment and twittter the post if you enjoyed it. You might help me win a prize.

And now for Susan, Simon and Celestine!

Introducing Célestine, Susan & Simon of Loire Valley Time Travel in France

What better way to visit the beautiful French châteaux of the Loire Valley than in a shiny black 1953 Citroën Traction Avant!

When I learnt that Loire Valley Time Travel is run by two fellow Australians, I was curious to hear their story and learn more about their tours.

Susan and Simon lived in England for many years before coming to the Loire Valley. Susan, the tour leader, worked in one of the world’s leading heritage organisations and has a particular interest in textiles and costume. Having originally trained as a hotel manager, she is passionate about the food and recipes of the Touraine region.

Simon, the driver, was formerly a professional musician and teacher. He loves Célestine and thinks that 80 km/h is the perfect speed to cruise through the countryside. He’s very willing to stop and have visitors take photos or just soak up the scenery. After all, none of the historical sites in the area will disappear “if we take 10 minutes longer to get there,” he says. Read more

Architecture, Art, Food, France, Loire Valley, Paris, Sightseeing

Chateauneuf, my secret hill village – La Charcuterie – Musée Nissim de Camodo, Paris

March 26, 2013 Rosemary Kneipp 7 Comments

Some more Australian connections for this Wednesday’s Bloggers’ Round-up, starting with Phoebe from Lou Messugo, who takes us on a visit to Châteauneuf in the south of France; Susan from Days on the Claise who describes her local charcuterie in Touraine and Carolyn from My Sydney Paris Life who gives us a very moving description of the beautiful Nissim de Camondo museum in Paris. Enjoy!

Châteauneuf, my secret hill village

by Phoebe from Lou Messugo, a traveller, francophile, expat, mum and foodie now living in Roquefort les Pins where she runs a gîte after many years of travelling and living in Asia, Eastern Europe and Australia.

The Alpes-Maritimes is bursting with a multitude of pretty hill villages, called “villages perchés” in French, built during the middle ages in strategic spots on mountain tops and hill sides. There are at least 15 within half an hour’s drive of Lou Messugo, all with their own charm and more or less renovated/developed for tourists or left in an authentic untouched state. But there is one so close and yet so hidden that many people visiting the area wouldn’t even realise it exists. (I’d be prepared to bet a significant amount of local residents don’t realise there’s a medieval “perched” bit either). I’m talking about the village of Châteauneuf de Grasse on the outskirts of its famous neighbour, Grasse. Read more

La Charcuterie

by Susan from Days on the Claise, an Australian living in the south of the Loire Valley, writing about restoring an old house and the area and its history, and running Loire Valley Time Travel.

The charcuterie in Preuilly is well patronised and they have a good range of products. Most are made in house, some brought in. French charcuteries focus mainly on value added pork products — often cured, but sometimes simply cooked and ready to eat. They also do salads and prepared dishes. This is because many of them, like the one in Preuilly, are also traiteurs (caterers). Read more

A Legacy of Beauty and Remembrance: Musée Nissim de Camondo, Paris

by Carolyn Barnabo from My Sydney Paris Life, writing about global families and change and life in special geographic places that have captured her heart

Earlier this week, Clive and I visited Paris’s Musée Nissim de Camondo. In the days since then, we’ve often found ourselves returning to the story of the family whose sad, horrific history shaped our experience of spending time in what was once their home.

The first time I read about Musée Nissim de Camondo was in Edmund White’s ‘The Flâneur’ (2001). I know little about ‘decorative arts’ and tire quickly of stately homes brimming with historic furniture and all manner of objects — I’d rather explore the gardens and grounds outside. But White’s recounting of the de Camondos’ personal story grabbed me and I’ve had this museum on my Paris to-do list ever since. Read more

Architecture, Art, Loire Valley, Travel photos

Monday’s Travel Photos – Angers Castle, France

March 24, 2013 Rosemary Kneipp 7 Comments

We had passed the castle in Angers on many occasions on our way to Nantes before finally visiting it during a cycling trip. The impressive ramparts of the 13th century fortress built on a spur overlooking the Maine River enclose several buildings, including the Royal Logis and 15th century Chapel. However, its greatest claim to fame is the Apocalypse Tapestry produced between 1377 and 1382, the oldest French mediaeval tapestry to have survived. It consists of six sections, each 24 metres x 6 metres, comprising 90 different scenes, focussing on the heroic aspects of the last confrontation between good and evil. Definitively worth a visit.

Angers Castle from the side of the ramparts

Small building — Logis Royal next to the chapel

View of the Loire from the castle ramparts

Overhead view of ramparts (photo taken from poster)

France, History, Loire Valley, Loire Valley châteaux

The Many Faces of Joan of Arc

March 18, 2013 Rosemary Kneipp 5 Comments

I don’t know how much you know about Jeanne d’Arc, as she’s called in French, but most people probably remember that she was a peasant girl who heard divine voices, then, disguised as a man, led the French army to several victories during the One Hundred Years’ War after which she was sold to the English and burnt on the stake for heresy in Orléans at the age of 19.

Tapisserie de la Reconnaissance: Joan of Arc recognises the Dauphin Charles

Chinon, on the western tip of the Loire Valley, is where she first gained access to the royal court in 1428. She was 16 at the time. I won’t go into any further history because it’s a bit complicated and isn’t really my thing. Suffice to say that historians do not agree on her real participation. Some believe she was mainly a mascot while others maintain that she was a skilled tactician and a successful strategist, although it hardly seems possible when you consider her background and age.

Anyway, the reason I’m writing about her here is that, when we visited the Castle of Chinon a couple of weeks ago, there was a whole room devoted to her, with many illustrations showing various faces of the Maid of Orleans. I only regret that I didn’t note the dates and artists. I found it quite amazing to see how differently she was depicted.

Joan of Arc hearing the voices in a pastoral setting

Joan of Arc no longer disguised as a boy

But the one I liked best was at the end. It’s a poster by William Haskell Coffin to encourage Americans to buy war saving stamps during World War II. This time, I thought to take a photo of the information as well. Isn’t she just what you’d imagine a 15th century peasant girl to look like!

Joan of Arc held up as an example to American women!

Closerie Falaiseau, Flowers & gardens, Loire Valley, Renovation

Making the Most of Spring in Blois

March 12, 2013 Rosemary Kneipp 13 Comments

I don’t know how it got to be 10th March when just a couple of days ago, it was still February. All that R&R we were supposed to have this week doesn’t seem to have happened. Even though the fireplace smoked, we still could have spent time stretched out on our new sofa or relaxing in our armchairs reading.

The Pierre Ronsard rose bush after pruning

So what did we do? Well, we made the most of spring. When the weather suddenly got warmer – 15°C – and the sun came out, we dashed into the garden where we discovered we were late with most of our pruning. We cut back the Pierre Ronsard and Meilland roses which already had new buds sprouting. We pruned the grape vine (not that the grapes are edible), the wisteria and honeysuckle.

We cut back all the hydrangeas in the hope that they will flower again as well as they did last year. The timing seemed to be right in any case. We cut down the remainders of the tall-stemmed daisies. I’d already pruned the hollyhocks in the autumn and they all seem to be doing well.

Jean Michel planted potatoes, onions and garlic in the rain by himself this year while I was upstairs working. But it’s OK, I didn’t really feel I was missing out on anything …

We couldn’t resist a visit to the nursery though. Our aim was to buy a clematis for the wall you can see on the other side of the front yard when you’re having breakfast. We nearly didn’t plant it because it turns out there’s a lot of water under that flowerbed but there was absolutely nowhere else to put it so we’ll see what happens. The lavendar and Saharan rose seem to be doing OK.

I spent a couple of hours trimming back all the geraniums we’d left inside the little house for the winter. When Jean Michel saw them the day we arrived in Blois, he said I was going to be disappointed because they were all dead. Not so. After only a week, there were new bits of green sprouting everywhere. However, since it’s going to get cold again this week, with temperatures below freezing, I cut them back, gave them a bit of water and let them in the little house until our return.

We also wanted some peonies. I love pink peonies.The man at the nursery said to plant them in pots and put them with the geraniums. That way we can plant them in garden when we come back in a month’s time. I’m not really sure where though. We really do seem to be running out of room.

Our little wood full of daffodils and primroses

In the meantime, the little wood is a mass of daffodils so we were very sad to leave. There are two lilacs we should have pruned in the autumn so I don’t know it we’ll get many blossoms. That’s another flower I love. We’ve started a garden book so we’ll do all the pruning at the right time next year. I’m looking forward to seeing the native Touraine orchids bloom in May.

A native Touraine orchid with spotted leaves

All the bulbs I planted in autumn are starting to come up and last year’s fuschias are just sprouting as well. However, we decided not to plant any gladiolis. They look a bit messy when you aren’t there to look after them all the time. I’ll wait until we live there permanently. The little pansies came right through winter without batting an eyelid.

We’re supposed to be going down to Blois again in a month’s time, but I don’t know if we’ll be able to resist that long. I just love watching everything coming out of the ground in the spring! Driving back to Paris, we’ve just learnt that we’re in for a very cold week, with snow expected tomorrow. The temperature has already dropped from 8° to zero. I’m glad we made the most of spring in Blois!

Architecture, France, History, Loire Valley, Travel photos

Monday’s Travel Photos – Château de Chaumont, Loire Valley, France

March 10, 2013 Rosemary Kneipp 7 Comments

When I first visited Château de Chaumont in 1997, I found it very delapidated. Last summer we spent a wonderful afternoon there during the annual garden festival. I discovered yesterday that it has been totally renovated inside and is now quite stunning! The château as it stands today was rebuilt by Pierre Ier d’Amboise en 1468, then by Charles II d’Amboise from 1498 to 1511. The construction was continued in 1562 when Diane de Poitiers was ousted from Chenonceau by Catherine de Medicis. It was restored by Prince de Broglie between 1875 and 1900 at which time the stables were also added.

The entrance to the château with its stone frieze

The bedroom of Cosimo Ruggieri, one of Catherine de Medicis' astrologists — The bedroom of Cosimo Ruggieri, one of Catherine de Medicis’ astrologists

Catherine de Medicis' bedroom — Catherine de Medicis’ bedroom

A view of the Loire showing an allegorical bas relief

The main staircase with its beautifully sculpted central pillar

The dining room with its Gothic fireplace

The library with its Aubusson tapistries

The inner courtyard with its Renaissance staircase

Stables built by Prince de Broglie in 1877

Closerie Falaiseau, Loire Valley, Renovation

Four Fireplaces, Two Fire Starters and No Fire

March 6, 2013 Rosemary Kneipp 4 Comments

Last Friday night when we still thought we might be able to have a fire in the renovated fireplace upstairs in Closerie Falaiseau, we thought we would order a fire starter on-line. We first became acquainted with the Cape Cod fire-starter, under the name of pierre à feu (fire stone) when staying in Valérie’s beautiful gîte in Mesnil Jourdain, which incidentally is no longer available for rental.

The principle is simple: a pumice stone soaked in lamp oil is placed under the logs in the fireplace and lit with a match. After 15 to 20 minutes, the stone is removed using a special hook and set aside. When it’s cool, it’s returned to its ceramic (or cast iron) pot. This eliminates the need to use newspaper (which is now coloured and no longer burns properly), small firewood or briquettes. Neither of us had ever heard of it before. I thought it might be French but Jean Michel couldn’t imagine rural France coming up with such an invention so I’ve tracked it down and discovered that it’s an American invention.

We found an on-line store (Roncier) and ordered one which we found quite expensive at 69 euro including shipping but when we tried to pay, my Visa card was refused. I tried another one card and it didn’t work either. After checking my emails to make sure the order hadn’t gone through, we went searching for another website. It turned out there is actually a huge choice of fire-starters and Roncier is among the most expensive! This time we chose a Turgis which costs 33,46 euro plus 10 euro shipping. The whole process must have taken about an hour!

Next morning, I received an email from each of the websites saying my order had been registered. However, since Roncier said it would only be shipped when payment had been accepted, I wrote and cancelled the order. On Monday, I again received emails from both sites saying that the order had been processed and was on its way.

This morning, both turned up within a half an hour of each other, one by carrier and one by post. When we didn’t answer the door bell straight away (do I dare admit we were both asleep?), the delivery man climbed halfway up one side of the fence, put the parcel over the top with one hand then used his other hand to lower it as far as he could on the other side, before letting it drop to the ground. Fortunately it didn’t break! By the time the postman arrived, I was dressed and could go and open the gate for him.

We can’t quite work out the 23 euro price difference although the more expensive one has a wooden handle which Jean Michel rather favoured until I pointed out that it looks remarkably like another type of recipient I know, so we’re going to put the one with the iron handle upstairs and the wooden handle downstairs where it will be less conspicuous.

So now we have four fireplaces, two fire starters and no fire.

Aussie in France

Category Archives: Loire Valley

Easter Sunday in Château country

Monday’s Travel Photos – Château de Langeais

Friday’s French – chien assis

Introducing Célestine, Susan & Simon of Loire Valley Time Travel in France

Introducing Célestine, Susan & Simon of Loire Valley Time Travel in France

Chateauneuf, my secret hill village – La Charcuterie – Musée Nissim de Camodo, Paris

Châteauneuf, my secret hill village

by Phoebe from Lou Messugo, a traveller, francophile, expat, mum and foodie now living in Roquefort les Pins where she runs a gîte after many years of travelling and living in Asia, Eastern Europe and Australia.

La Charcuterie

by Susan from Days on the Claise, an Australian living in the south of the Loire Valley, writing about restoring an old house and the area and its history, and running Loire Valley Time Travel.

A Legacy of Beauty and Remembrance: Musée Nissim de Camondo, Paris

by Carolyn Barnabo from My Sydney Paris Life, writing about global families and change and life in special geographic places that have captured her heart

Monday’s Travel Photos – Angers Castle, France

The Many Faces of Joan of Arc

Making the Most of Spring in Blois

Monday’s Travel Photos – Château de Chaumont, Loire Valley, France

Four Fireplaces, Two Fire Starters and No Fire

from the Tropics to the City of Light