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An Afternoon in Cinq-Mars-la-Pile, France: Where Roman Mysteries Meet Renaissance Drama
In a region that’s home to world-famous châteaux, other worthwhile destinations can easily be overshadowed. But the French town of Cinq-Mars-la-Pile, with its enigmatic Gallo-Roman tower and its small, but atmospheric castle, also deserves a peek when you’re visiting the Loire Valley. One sunny spring day, Shawn and I did just that. Catching a train
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You Say Tomato, They Say Tomate: A French Château Celebrates 785 Varieties
Imagine strolling the grounds of a French château, surrounded by a kaleidoscope of tomatoes in every color, shape, and size imaginable. This isn’t a fairy tale meets cooking show mashup. It’s the annual Tomato Festival at the Château de la Bourdaisière in France’s Loire Valley. Since Shawn and I moved to France two years ago,
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Living “La Vie en Rose” in Amboise, France
The coiffeuse in our neighborhood hair salon softly sang “La Vie en Rose” as I darted past her open door. Though the hair stylist didn’t know it, her singing created the perfect soundtrack as I set off to admire a pair of nearby cherry trees’ blossoms before the sun set. France’s Loire Valley gets its
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Photo du Jour: A Hot Air Balloon Soars Over Leonardo da Vinci’s Resting Place in Amboise, France
A hot air balloon glides by the chapel housing Leonardo da Vinci’s tomb in the French city of Amboise. During the warm-weather months, sightings of colorful balloons (known as Montgolfière in French) are common here in the Loire Valley. And if you live in Amboise’s centre-ville, as we do, they’re even likely to wake you
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Feeling Festive in Amboise, France: Celebrating Noël in the Loire Valley
A rare, late-November snowfall unofficially ushered in the holiday season in Amboise, France this year. This delicate dusting of snow added flair to the town’s slate rooftops and cobblestone lanes for several brief, beautiful moments, and then it swiftly melted. Days later, Amboise hosted its annual winter parade—an imaginative affair with animated performers on stilts,
