Beautiful Boulogne Absolutely Stole my Heart
Read my story in French » Boulogne, also known as Boulogne-sur-Mer, is one of several walled or fortified cities in France. Unlike Saint-Malo and Guérande, Boulogne-sur-Mer is quite hilly. Arriving at the Tintelleries train station meant I was about half way between the walled old-town and the coastal attractions. Walk ...
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Saint-Aignan- Medieval Frescoes Plus a Renaissance Château
We made a brief stop in Saint-Aignan several years back to see the medieval frescoes in the Collegiate Church of Saint-Aignan. I re-discovered these photos while searching for another photo over the holidays so I decided to share them in a brief post. This is a lovely little town with cobblestone streets. Saturday is a good ...
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Waddesdon Manor – A Delightful French Château in Buckinghamshire
Waddesdon Manor Estate was merely farm land in 1874 when the land was purchased by Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild (1839-1898). De Rothschild was born in Paris of a French mother and English father. His mother died when he was just 19 and in 1860 he moved to England to be close to his mother’s relatives. [caption ...
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Parc de Bercy and the former Château de Bercy
Parc de Bercy was our picnic destination this summer before touring the Musée des Arts Forains. This park in the 12th arrondissement is one of Paris’ newer parks but the area itself has a super interesting history. But first, a little clarification. This area called Parc de Bercy is not the same park land that was part ...
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Villevêque – a Small Town That Thinks Big
Villevêque - Quelle histoire! What a story ! You can arrive by bike, car or bus. We chose the bus since we didn't want to rent a car and because it was on the city bus-line out of Angers, France. We wanted to visit the Château de Villevêque. It is connected to the Musée de Beaux Arts in Angers so we thought it might be ...
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Château de Brissac is a Picturesque Giant of the Loire Valley
Château de Brissac, originally a medieval fortress, bears the name le géant du Val de Loire as it is the highest château in the Loire Valley. It is the current residence of the Duc du Brissac, the 13th duke! The Cossé-Brissac family is one of the oldest in France. [caption id="attachment_5381" ...
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Chauvigny – the Best Made Plans Sometimes Go Awry
Chauvigny was our last stop before leaving the Valley of the Frescoes and returning to the Loire Valley. We had such great plans for the sights we were to see here and the frescoes were only a minor part of those plans. As Robert Burns said, “the best laid schemes of mice and men go oft awry”. Being as it was ...
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