Hotel Moderne

Azay-le-Rideau

by tiabunna

On our way to Azay-le-Rideau, the coach driver told the salutory story of the original chateau on this site. It seems that, in 1470, one of the chateau’s guards made some derogatory comment to the future King Charles VII about his big nose, during a royal visit. Chuck lacked a sense of humour, so he sent in his private army who wiped out everyone they could find in the area then trashed the chateau and adjoining village. It didn’t pay to upset French royalty, even when they were not yet King!

The current chateau was built in the 16th century. It is now owned by the Government and, unlike many chateaux, actually has some reasonably furnished rooms and interesting tapestries. (photos 2,3) The best though, is what you see from the outside: here, in the landscaped grounds, the little river forms a moat around the chateau, which seems to be floating. The small village outside the grounds (photo 4) is full of shops hoping to sell everything from wine to trinkets to the tourists.

Plumroe Square

by Kuznetsov_Sergey

Picturesque Place Plumerau and Place du Grand Marche are the center of the Old town.
Walking along the old city is rather pleasant.
It is possible to find there a cosy cafe and to drink a cup of coffee, enjoying an atmosphere of the medieval city.

St. Martin

by Sharrie

I must admit, I know nothing about most saints. But a lot people do & most of them share that knowledge on the internet. So, here are some facts I found:

St. Martin:
--- Also known as Martin the Merciful.
--- Memorial Day - Nov. 11.
--- Apotre of Gaules.

To read more about St. Martin, proceed to these websites:
http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/saintm07.htm
http://www.francebalade.com/tours/stmartin.htm
http://www.stfrancisvernon.org/stmartintours.htm
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09732b.htm

IN AND AROUND TOURS

by lmkluque

"SEE THE OLDER PART OF TOURS!"

Welcome to my Tours page,

A freind lives in Tours and naturally, I came to visit for a few days.

He picked me up from the train station and took me to meet his parents--no, not that kind of meeting--I was a married woman and he was just a friend. So, we went to Noyant--his hometown.

On the way we stopped at Saumur and visited the castle. By the time we arrived at his parents it was about 9 pm. He wanted to take me to a place to have savory crepes but, his favorite restaurant was closed as were several other places.

Finally, we discovered one little cafe open and two of his friends joined us to eat. The crowded dining room was warm and cozy, but my friend assured me that the crepes were TERRIBLE! Since this was my first encounter with a savory crepe I enjoyed it, ham, mushrooms, tomato and cheese, it was delicious! I can only imagine how delectable a crepe he approved of would be.

We spent the next two days exploring his town and driving around Noyant seeing the old chruches, castles and the beautiful country side.

We then went back to Tours to explore his "new" home town.

My friend is a funny kind of guy and very little in his life was normal, making the whole visit amazing.

Part of Tours is just like any city with unremarkable streets and big square buildings lacking in charm. However, the older section was ancient and bfantastic to see.

He had just lost his flat--because the landlord wanted to sell the building which was located in this beautiful, charming old section--and though the inside of the building was partially torn down my friend took me up to his first floor flat---a dangerous climb--to see the view of the square below his window.

The scene below was worth the peril . The view was exactly what one might expect to see in a French town square.

I Hope You Enjoy Your Visit,
Linda