A Sunday in Blois

March 12, 2006. Chris and Tony were taking the train back to Paris. We drove them up to Blois and took a walk around the town. It was Sunday lunchtime, so there weren't many people or cars on the streets.

Click on the pictures to see the full-size image.

This is the kind of thing that Chris called a "ghost sign."
This must have been a department store at one time.
Does it look modern to you?

In the streets of old Blois, there are courtyards you can look into along the way. This one had a nice old staircase in it.

At the famous château in Blois, there's this statue of an equestrian Louis XII (1452-1516). His reign ushered in the Renaissance. He was a popular figure and was known as "the father of his people."

In old town Blois, the Pigier secretarial school occupies a fine old building and has a nice old sign.

At the Hôtel de Ville — city hall — there's a display of posters explaining the rights of children in France. This one lists the responsibilities of parents and the State.

Looking down on the rooftops of Blois and the Loire river from the rose garden at the Hôtel de Ville.

You still see quite a few of these old Citroën 2CV (Deux Chevaux) cars here in the Loire Valley. I think they stopped manufacturing them more than 20 years ago.

This is a picture of the rooftops of Blois, the rose garden, and the Hôtel de Ville. You can see the steeple of the cathedral on the right, the steeples of the Eglise St-Nicolas in the distance, and the Loire river on the left.

At the Hôtel de Ville there's this statue of Joan of Arc on horseback. It was donated by an American philanthropist and francophile.