A Very Fine Vintage in the Loire Valley

Many of our clients are much the same age as we are and are delighted to hear that 1959 was an exceptional vintage in the Loire Valley. For real wine lovers such as the client in this photo we try to make sure we visit a winery that can offer you some of this special vintage. You won't get to taste it, as the winemaker cannot afford to open a bottle for that, but you can still buy it, for a surprisingly reasonable price. The wine in this photo is about €300 a bottle, and for anyone who wants to celebrate a special anniversary, it makes a great gift (to yourself, or a loved one!).

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For details of our private guided tours of chateaux, gardens, wineries, markets and more please visit the Loire Valley Time Travel website. We would be delighted to design a tour for you.

We are also on Instagram, so check us out to see a regularly updated selection of our very best photos. You may also like to check out our YouTube channel. 

A New Expert Mechanic on the Loire Valley Time Travel Team

We are fortunate to have a new expert mechanic on our classic car maintenance team, and Célestine and Claudette are very happy. Dominique worked for more than forty years for the marvellous Dufresne, home to the most amazing collection of mostly mechanical and historical objects in the Loire Valley. Now he's retired he takes on clients or projects that he likes. He's a friend of Bernard, one of our relief drivers, and so we were lucky enough to engage him when Claudette needed her brake drums skimmed. He also discovered she needed new drive shaft bolts and dealt with that. So we are very happy too.

Dominique working on Claudette's brake drums.

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For details of our private guided tours of chateaux, gardens, wineries, markets and more please visit the Loire Valley Time Travel website. We would be delighted to design a tour for you.

We are also on Instagram, so check us out to see a regularly updated selection of our very best photos. You may also like to check out our YouTube channel. 

Photo Session in the Loire Valley

In the Chateau Royal d'Amboise the king's room is on the second floor of the royal apartments. In addition to the famous painting by François-Guillaume Ménageot "The death of Leonardo da Vinci" (1781), there is also a four-poster bed. 

Mark Playle, from Photograph France [link], doing a photoshoot with one of our clients in the King's Chamber in the Chateau Royal d'Amboise.

If you come in the low season (2 January to Easter) we can arrange to have a special photo session in the Chateau Royal d'Amboise, with a professional local photographer and access to the heart of the historic displays, behind the barriers in the rooms open to the public. This is a unique opportunity only offered to our clients. Email us to book this experience.

Canopied beds appeared at the end of the 15th century. Whilst obviously being a way of displaying gorgeous textiles and carved wood, they also have a utilitarian dimension. The curtains allow occupants to keep the heat inside the bed, despite the chill of the castle interiors. The curtains also ensured a relative intimacy and privacy to the bed's occupants. At the time, everyone, even the King, shared their room with several other people.

A Review From Taylor

Taylor and family did a half day walking tour of the Chateau of Chenonceau in July 2022, which was extended to include lunch at a nearby restaurant that is very popular with the locals, and somewhere that tourists might not find. We are always very grateful to get positive reviews like this and appreciate that clients take the time to write them.

"Our tour with Susan was lovely. She is so knowledgeable and experienced. She was able to relate to adults and kids alike so we all learned a great deal. To end the tour she took us to a fantastic local restaurant for more conversation and unbelievable local food."