Tag: Europe
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Photo du Jour: The Garden of Love at France’s Château de Villandry
Just a few days after Shawn and I got engaged, we visited the Château de Villandry and its enchanting garden, Le jardin d’Amour (The Garden of Love), for the first time. Villandry, a magnificent Renaissance castle, is located in France’s Loire Valley, a romantic region that’s castle-packed. Villandry’s Garden of Love has four sections, which…
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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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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,…
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Photo du Jour: Cat on a Cool Slate Roof in Amboise, France
A ginger and white-colored cat peeks out the window of a top-floor apartment in the Loire Valley town of Amboise. In the background, the spire of the Saint Hubert Chapel (Chapelle-Saint-Hubert) punctures the sky. The chapel is located on the grounds of the Château Royal d’Amboise. It’s believed that Leonardo da Vinci’s remains are buried…
