Where in the Loire Valley Can You See This Carving?

Where in the Loire Valley is this intriguing carving, and what does it mean? If you would like to know more, ask us to include it in your Loire Valley tour with us.

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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. 

Escargots in the Loire Valley

Famously, French people eat snails. You may or may not want to try them and these days they don't appear on that many menus, but they aren't especially difficult to find if you know the right restaurants. What you may not know is that the species of snail which is the most prized lives in the wild in the Loire Valley, and if we are in the right place at the right time we may see some. They are a protected species, so only certain people can gather them and only for a limited time during the year. But if we encounter any while we are with you, we will be sure to point them out. One of the lesser known chateaux that we visit with clients has them in the grounds, so if you are very keen to see real Escargot de Bourgogne roaming free and living their best life, let us know and we will include that chateau in your itinerary.

Roman, or Burgundian Snail Helix pomatia in the grounds of a chateau. They are often white like this and nicknamed 'les gros blancs' ('big fat whites') in French.

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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. 

Meeting the Florists of the Chateau de Chenonceau

One of the best kept secrets of the Loire Valley are the extraordinary floral arrangements in every room of the Chateau de Chenonceau. Our clients have rarely heard about the flowers, but once they've seen them they are blown away by how impressive they are. The Chateau employs two full time florists and grows the flowers in the cutting garden. Whenever possible we introduce our clients to the florists, who are happy to chat about their work to interested visitors. In this photo they are in the cutting garden in the late morning in early autumn, selecting blooms for their next creations.

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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. 

Stag-gering Skills in the Loire Valley

We always try to show clients how the heritage of the Loire Valley is maintained by professional conservators, curators, architects and artisans. Wherever possible we try to offer a behind the scenes look at how the famous chateaux are managed so they can continue to receive visitors. A good example is our encounter with a young stone conservator working on the repair of the iconic limestone stag from the frieze of the beautiful Chapel of Saint Hubert. She was very happy to tell our clients what she was doing, what had caused the damage in the first place and how she would repair it. In this photo she is carefully removing plaster from a poorly executed 19th century repair using a dental drill.

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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 Review From Kathy

Kathy and her family from the US took a 3 hour tour of the Chateau of Chenonceau with me in July 2023. She was kind enough to leave a terrific review for me.

"Susan was wonderful. She has a vast knowledge of the history of the era and will answer questions with candor. She was able to draw in our two grandchildren ages 11 and 13 and they enjoyed the 3 hour tour very much. We are happy to recommend Susan and would jump at the chance to tour with her again!! She didn't waste a minute and even walked backwards to the château so that she could share information as we walked up the lane. Thank you Susan!!"

Catherine de Medici featured quite strongly in this tour, through popular request.

 

For my part, I enjoyed spending time with Kathy and her family very much. Their engagement and interest was very rewarding and I was impressed with how much they wanted to get into the subject.

 

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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.