Langeais

One of the schools I work in is in a small town called Langeais, about 20 minutes by car from the center of Tours, and right along the Loire River. The town itself has fewer than 4,000 residents, so the collège also serves many of the even smaller neighboring villages.

Like most French schools, Collège la Champ de la Motte has a classroom building and a separate cafeteria, a large playground, and a separate gymnasium. The whole complex is surrounded by a fence so students can't escape. Kids go to school from 8:30 until 4:30 every weekday except Wednesday, when they only go in the morning. You aren't allowed to bring a bag lunch, so kids either go home or eat the school meal, which is typically very good. There are no school buses, so city buses or tour bus companies provide transportation.

The town of Langeais is primarily residential, with a small downtown, and a large medieval castle, notable as the location of the marriage of Charles VIII and Anne de Bretagne. The homes and shops in the downtown are also quite old, but the area around the collège has only been developed in the last decade or so.

A view of the town from above.


The castle of Langeais seen from the main street.



The Mairie, or Town Hall.



The street leading up to the castle entrance is lined with small shops, including a tea room and chocolaterie.


The cultural center with Christmas decorations out front.


The castle in Langeais is the only one in the region with a drawbridge.


The remains of a dungeon constructed by Fulque Nerra (who you may remember from a previous post as architect of the Donjon of Montbazon and wife-burner). Langeais and Montbazon are apparently locked in a feud over whose dungeon is older.


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Chateau de Chenonceau

The Loire Valley is known for its many castles-- there are more than 300. Generations of kings and noblemen were attracted to the area because of the fertile land and mild climate. We took advantage of our time off to visit several of the most beautiful castles the region has to offer. Tours is a great central starting point as many of the chateaux are situated on the banks of the Loire.

Chenonceau is surely one of the most spectacular castles. Constructed over the rushing water of the Cher, this Renaissance era castle also has beautiful gardens, woods, and lush lawns. When Brendan and I visited, the castle was all decked out for Christmas, with bouquets, garlands, and even Christmas trees adorning its many rooms. Unfortunately, winter is the season for restoration, and much of the front of the castle was covered in scaffolding. There is still a magical air about this place, though.

There isn't much more to the town of Chenonceau than its train station.


Two sphinxes stand guard over the castle entrance.


The River Cher runs under the castle. During the WWII occupation, people used the castle to cross the river from Nazi controlled France into the free zone.

Tours in the Snow

On Monday it snowed in Tours-- something that doesn't happen every year. As of today (Friday) schools in the countryside, like Langeais are still not getting bus service, even though the snow has mostly disappeared, and there was only about 3 inches of accumulation in the first place. There is no system in place to deal with inclement weather in France. Schools don't even officially close when there's snow, they just don't run the buses, meaning most students don't show up. Even city bus service was suspended for two days. Brendan and I are enjoying the extra time off after a busy vacation with my family, who were lucky enough to escape on Tuesday morning. By Wednesday, all the trains out of Tours had been canceled due to the cold.

On Monday afternoon, Mom, Meg and I took a walk and got some great shots of the city in the snow.


Rue des Halles.




Meg with the Tours Monster.


Mom and Meg in front of our favorite crèperie.

Azay-le-Rideau

Azay-le-Rideau is one of the closest castles to Tours and one of the most recognizable. Seemingly floating in the middle of a pond and surmounted by turrets, it looks like it came out of a fairy tale.

Chateau d'Amboise

The castle's chapel, where Leonardo da Vinci is buried.



The chateau of Amboise is one of the most famous in the region. It is perched on a hill and offers spectacular views of the town below and of the Loire. The castle seems huge until you learn that it is only the remains of a massive fortress. Leonardo da Vinci spent his final years in Amboise, and you can visit his house and workshop.

New Year's in Paris

A few days after Christmas we left for Paris to spend New Year's eve and a few days in Paris with Meg, my mom, and my aunt Julie. We had a lovely apartment in the St. Germain neighborhood right near the Seine and Notre Dame. We spent our time walking in the Marais, a trendy neighborhood with lots of boutiques and cafes, visiting museums (the Pompidou museum of modern art, and the Cluny museum of Medieval history), eating well, and seeing the sights. The city was packed, and lines to get into the Louvre and the cathedral were prohibitively long. But we had very nice weather for the first few days, and at the end of our trip we had snow. For me it was nice being back in Paris, recognizing all of the places I'd been when I was studying there for a semester, and spending some quality time with my family.



New Year's Eve at the apartment.

Blois Blois Blois

Blois is a small city of 50,000 about forty minutes away from Tours. It has a real medieval feel, as if very little has changed since about 1400. The city is built on a large hill, with many winding alleyways that snake through the center. It has a nice castle in the downtown area, and several large churches. We visited on a Sunday, and even by French Sunday-morning standards, it was very quiet.

The castle in Blois.

The front of the castle in Blois.



A look down one of Blois' many winding streets.


The porcupine is the regal symbol of Louis XII, who was born in Blois.

We were surprised to find this brasserie on the banks of the Loire.