Signs of art

A good wintertime activity: go through several years' worth of pictures you've taken, in France or elsewhere, and organize them by theme. Amazing how much time you can spend.

So here's a theme : interesting street signs seen in France.

Provence. The village is Venasque, if I remember correctly, and
this inn is on the main square. We were there in September 2001.

Vouvray, nears Tours in the Loire Valley. This old wine jug is in the Vallée Coquette,
where several Vouvray wine producers are located.
Vouvray wines are made with chenin blanc grapes and come
in dry, semi-dry, and sweet styles — still or sparkling.

Langeais, east of Tours in the Loire Valley. Sign at the château.

Vouvray. Moncontour is a wine château. In the 19th century,
the novelist Balzac wanted to buy it but he could never
come up with the money. If you go, ask José about Saint-Martin...

Montpoupon, south of Montrichard in the Cher river valley.

Paris, 7th arrondissement, near les Invalides and the Eiffel Tower.

Paris, 7th arrondissement. I think this is on the avenue de la Motte-Piquet.

Paris, 7th arrondissement. Sign in a shop on the rue du Champs de Mars, just off
the rue Cler. It says "Our award-winning poultry is guaranteed grain-fed."

Paris, I think. A sign you see frequently in Paris and other towns in France.

Vouvray, on the main road through town.
A shop specializing in wines and local products.

Azay-le-Rideau, west of Tours. Advertising products of the region.

Azay-le-Rideau, a gift shop.

Amboise, east of Tours and 30 km (20 mi.) from Saint-Aignan.
The sign advertises a gift shop.
Amboise, population 15,000 or so, is a major tourist stop on the Loire River.
It has its own château, along with the house where Leonardo da Vinci
lived out the last few years of his life.

Amboise, a real estate office sign. The British "invasion" has started in our region,
by the way. We have a new British friend who is getting ready to open
a realty office in Montrichard, 10 miles south of Amboise.

Amboise, a shop that sells locally made glass items.
Amboise is one of the nicest towns on the Loire river.
Other sites, including the Vouvray and Montlouis wine areas
and the châteaux at Chenonceaux, Blois, Chaumont-sur-Loire,
and Chambord, are close by.

Amboise, a restaurant sign. There are dozens of restaurants in the town.

Amboise, a shop selling luxury grocery items.

Amboise, a builder's office, I believe.

Amboise, a good restaurant in the street below the château.

Amboise, the Midi au Soleil gift shop sign with window boxes
of wooden tulips on the front of the old building.