Thursday, April 30, 2015

le marronnier - the chestnut tree


The chestnut trees are in full bloom in Amboise now.  And with the nice sun yesterday it was the perfect day to capture them.

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

la faïence au château d'Amboise


2015 is the 500th anniversary of François I becoming the king of France.  Francis I, as he is called in English, is largely credited with bringing the Renaissance to France.  This included convincing Leonardo da Vinci to spend his last years in Amboise at Clos Lucé.   Francis led a fascinating and influential life and you can read a summary of it here.

In honor of Francis and the Renaissance, a fascinating collection of ceramics is on display until November at the château.  Pictured here is one of my favorites which depicts the emblem of Francis I (which is explained in the link above).  The ceramics (faïence in French) are provided by famous French manufacturer Gien (here is a link to a video about Gien).

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

les voûtes de la tour Heurtault


These vaults line a spiral ramp of the tour Heurtault of the château at Amboise.  The ramp allowed horse-drawn carriages to climb from street level up to the level of the grounds of the château.  After some recent renovations, tourists now exit the château via this tower so this was the first time I have seen it.  Here it is as seen from the outside.


Monday, April 27, 2015

on the right track


While waiting at the Amboise train station, I noticed these nice lines and subtle colors.

Saturday, April 25, 2015

Spring arrives at Saint Denis


Bon dimanche!

le coeur de la ville est par là


"The heart of town is this way."  If you click on this image to enlarge it, you can see that that is what the sign indicates.  Normally, I would find an angle to avoid street signs but this was too good of a coincidence to pass up for this week's version of "Saturday sunset".

Friday, April 24, 2015

Thursday, April 23, 2015

la passerelle - the pedestrian bridge


This is the pedestrian bridge leading to the keep at Chinon.  Of course, to me, it's another abstraction opportunity.

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

spring on Place Debré


These folks ascending the ramp are likely headed to the entrance of the château on this beautiful spring day.  It was quite the different scene when I took this shot from the same location several winters ago.

Monday, April 20, 2015

the tulip parade - le défilé des tulipes


It was a gorgeous day in Amboise yesterday.  And these tulips on top of the levee were happily catching some rays.

Sunday, April 19, 2015

the wisteria is back - la glycine est de retour !


I went to visit the château in Amboise yesterday.  It was a glorious spring day and I was pleased to see this wisteria in bloom.  Expect to see more as I'm seeing it everywhere now.  Bon dimanche!

Saturday, April 18, 2015

live from Amboise, it's Saturday night


The fair has come to town and it has all the rides and games and junk food you'd expect to find at a fair in the US.  I glad I was not on this incredibly fast ride when I captured it in a very short time lapse (0.8 second) last night.

Friday, April 17, 2015

through a glass darkly


Well maybe not all that darkly but this window does have an interesting view from the château at Chinon.  Bon weekend!


Thursday, April 16, 2015

a peeling door


Well you may not find this so appealing but I thought this door makes for an interesting abstraction.  Maybe it conjures up some images for you as it does me.

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

a spring bouquet


I've posted this vase before but it changes every time I visit Chenonceau.  I think almost always the flowers come fresh from the gardens there.

Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Tuesday morning mist


On this Tuesday morning in March, the mist was very heavy but at the same time a bright full sun was quickly emerging.  The resulting image of these buildings and their reflections on the Loire had not the usual foggy grey but instead a somewhat brighter, gauzy look.

Monday, April 13, 2015

Monday - time to get in gear


These are some of the gears that operate the clock and its bell in the keep (tower) at Chinon.

Sunday, April 12, 2015

the Cathedral at Orléans in spring


The cathedral was in full bloom last week when I went there with our family visiting from the States.  They have gone home now and we are missing them.

Saturday, April 11, 2015

cruising up the Vienne


The Vienne flows into the Loire not too far from Amboise.  I presume this is a boat for tourism as it was filled with people.  It was a beautiful day for a cruise.

Friday, April 10, 2015

reflecting on spring


The trees still appear to be stuck in winter, but that should change soon.

Thursday, April 9, 2015

l'hôtel


This charming hotel's web site says it dates to the sixteenth century.  The exterior is certainly in wonderful condition.  And the design is classic.

Wednesday, April 8, 2015

the fire escape


It was a gloriously sunny day yesterday at Clos Lucé where I snapped this steel and stone abstract.

Tuesday, April 7, 2015

l'asperge - asparagus


The white asparagus is a specialty of this area and they are in full swing now.  These are from the Sunday market in Amboise.  Miam!

Monday, April 6, 2015

l'oie à tête barée - the bar-headed goose


It's a holiday in France today (the day after Easter), but the geese are still on duty at château Chenonceau.

Sunday, April 5, 2015

Pâques


Here was the scene at the Easter service last night at St Denis.  Joyeuses Pâques!

Saturday, April 4, 2015

embellishments


Even the stairwells at château Chenonceau are embellished with finely carved stone.

Friday, April 3, 2015

the Chancellery gets a haircut


Our family is visiting from the States this week, so in spite of the threatening rain we visited the château at Chenonceau.  It was interesting to see the Chancellery in the garden of Diane de Poitiers where the wisteria had been trimmed significantly.  Of course it is quite bare in winter anyway, but compare with this photo from June.

Thursday, April 2, 2015

the cedar of Lebanon


This majestic tree presides over the grounds of the Amboise train station.

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

CDP Theme Day - "My camera shy self-portrait"


The first of every month is Theme Day for the bloggers of City Daily Photo.  Click here to see how the others interpreted today's theme.

I took this selfie on Place Debré in front of a store display of Easter candy.  Peep peep.