One of the charming features of the old centre of the medieval town of Loches are artisan made painted metal hanging signs above many of the shops. Each of them is unique and a quirky take on the goods sold within. You could easily spend a couple of hours on the trail, photographing them all. When we take you to Loches we'll be sure to point out the really good ones to you.
We participate in events dedicated to promoting the old RN10, once a major route from Paris to Bordeaux, and before that, a medieval pilgrim route from France to Spain. This is a short video made by us as we drove home in our classic Citroen, Célestine, along the D910 (as it is now designated on the maps). If you would like to indulge in a bit of nostalgic motoring along classic routes in a classic car, book a tour with us.
To enquire about our private guided tours of chateaux, wineries, markets and more email us or use our contact form. More tour ideas can be found on the Loire Valley Time Travel website.
The Loire Valley is particularly rich in old concrete pillars with enamel plaques, placed at intersections to tell you where you are. From the end of the First World War to the beginning of the Second World War responsibility for road signage was taken up by those interested in promoting private motorcar touring. Michelin is the most well known, but the early motoring clubs, like the Automobile Club de l'Ouest, who run the famous 24 hour races at Le Mans, also sponsored road signs. If you have an interest in motoring history then book a tour with us.
This memorial to 'Groupement 34 des Chantiers de la Jeunesse' (Group 34 of the Youth Public Works) members who died in the Second World War is fixed to a building in the market place in Mezières-en-Brenne, a small town in central France.
Les Chantiers de la Jeunesse Française (CJF) was a paramilitary organisation which existed between 1940 and 1944. It was intended as a means of training and moulding young French men. The armistice between France and Germany in 1940 ended compulsory French military service and the CJF was quickly set up as a sort of subsitute for those in the Zone Libre and North Africa. The young men joined initially for a voluntary 6 month stint (later for a compulsory 8 months) and lived in camps under quasi-military rules. The officers were serving military or demobilised reserves. They performed community service work, especially forestry.
If you would like to hear more about the heroism and suffering of these young men, book a tour with us. To enquire about our private guided tours of chateaux, wineries, markets and more email us or use our contact form. More tour ideas can be found on the Loire Valley Time Travel website.
Valençay cheese is a goats milk cheese that comes from the Berry, in the area around the town of Valençay. Like the other goats cheeses of the Loire Valley it is a raw milk cheese, coated in ash and salt and eaten at about three weeks old.
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| Pure white inside. |
To enquire about our private guided tours of chateaux, wineries, markets and more email us or use our contact form. More tour ideas can be found on the Loire Valley Time Travel website.
‘Castles’ in France fall into three broad categories: Medieval fortresses ie proper defensive castles; Renaissance luxury country houses built by the aristocracy, and what most people call ‘chateaux’; and 19C luxury country houses, often closely mimicking their Renaissance forebears, but built by wealthy industrialists.
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| Chateau de Forges. |
Black Truffle Tuber melanosporum (Fr. Truffe noire) is native to the Loire Valley, but has long since disappeared from the wild. According to my expert botanist friend François the best place to find truffles was under isolated oak trees in the middle of wheat fields, but fifty years of modern farming practices and fungicides sprayed on wheat crops have destroyed the habitat for truffles. Nowadays they are cultivated, in orchards planted with inoculated oak trees. Black Truffles fruit in the winter, and over winter there is a series of specialist markets in the otherwise undistinguished village of Marigny-Marmande.
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| Me buying a truffle at the market. |
The chateau of Rivau, near Chinon, was built in 1420 so when Joan saw it would have been quite shiny and new. She came here after her meeting with Charles VII, as the Chateau supplied the war stallions she had been granted. The existing stables at the chateau are several centuries later though, so she definitely would not recognise those. Nevertheless, it is a lovely place to visit, with a
fairytale 15th century castle in a charming blend of decorative and defensive styles, and an extensive and beautiful garden.
To enquire about our private guided tours of chateaux, wineries, markets and more email us or use our contact form. More tour ideas can be found on the Loire Valley Time Travel website.