Sunday 15 September 2024

Where in the Loire Valley Can You See Important Modern Sculpture?

Where in the Loire Valley is this piece of modern sculpture by a well known artist, displayed in public? And it is not the only piece of important 20th century sculpture in the public domain nearby. If you are interested in modern art or how historic towns stay relevant and are not just stuck in some randomly chosen time warp of the past, book a tour with us and we will include this town in your itinerary. Find out who the artists are and why their works are here, what their connection to the Loire Valley is and how it inspired them.

Crinkly, a stabile by Alexander Calder, Amboise, Indre et Loire, France. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.


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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. 

Sunday 8 September 2024

Finding Edible Snails 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 Escargots de Bourgogne roaming free and living their best life, let us know and we will include that chateau in your itinerary.

 

Roman/Burgundian Snail Helix pomatia, Indre et Loire, France. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.
Roman, or Burgundian Snail Helix pomatia, in the grounds of a chateau.


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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. 

Sunday 1 September 2024

Watch Skilled Conservators Working 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 carved 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 showing us the sort of material she is removing because it was plaster added in a poorly executed repair in the 19th century.

Conservator working on a sculpture, Amboise, Indre et Loire, France. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.


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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.