Angers- the Western Gateway to the Loire Valley is Close to our Hearts
Angers will always be close to our hearts. We have spent several summers studying French here at UCO and as a result, made some lasting friendships. As we walked to our rented appartement, my husband voiced my thoughts exactly: its like coming home. We love it here! We've seen all the lovely places first time visitors ...
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10 reasons to Explore Tours France-Why we Came Back
10 reasons to explore Tours France and discovering all of its delights was something we failed to do on our first visit many years ago. At that point in time, Tours served us as a jumping off point for exploring the châteaux of the Loire Valley. As I revisited our travel photos during the 2020 pandemic when travel was not ...
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My 10 Favorite Chateaux and Cool Sites within a 40 Minute Drive
My 10 favorite châteaux within a 40 minute drive (of what you ask) ? If you ask me which place I prefer to vacation in France, you will be surprised to learn the location ! The place is, possibly, a bit unknown but it is at the very center of a large selection of châteaux in the Loire Valley. These 10 sites are within a 40 ...
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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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Château de Montreuil-Bellay- a Lovely Afternoon Visit
Château de Montreuil-Bellay is privately owned and only 10 miles from Saumur. What a lovely way to spend the afternoon, but being privately owned, only guided tours were allowed. Photography was restricted in many areas. [caption id="attachment_5299" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Entrance to the Château, via the ...
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Langeais, A Lovely Sunday Excursion Exploring the Town , its Château and its Market
We planned our visit to Langeais around the outdoor market and the château, two of my favorite things to do in any country! Every Sunday Langeais has a wonderful market, part of which is under a covered pavilion and the rest sprawls over a huge parking lot. [caption id="attachment_5223" align="aligncenter" width="600"] ...
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Bourgueil Abbey of Saint-Pierre Includes a Remarkable Collection of Artifacts
The Bourgueil Abbey, officially known as Abbaye Saint-Pierre de Bourgueil-en-Vallée, was founded in 990. The Comtesse de Poitiers (Countess of Poitiers) Emma of Blois founded it as a Benedictine Abbey. We visited Bourgueil for the first time in 2014 but the Abbey was not open on the days we were there. It was nice to plan ...
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