12 February 2023

Février 2003 (6)

I'm still backtracking a little this morning. I took these photos in Blois and at Chambord. Blois, an old royal city, is about half-way between Châteaudun and Saint-Aignan. It's only a short train ride or drive from Paris. Two famous figures in the town's history were the Renaissance kings Louis XII and François Ier. Louis was born in the château de Blois and was king from 1498 until 1515, nearly 17 years. His emblem was the porc-épic (porcupine). That's Louis on horseback below. His successor, François Ier, was king from 1515 until 1547, more than 30 years. He had a new wing added to the château de Blois (that's its monumental staircase in the photo below on the left). He was an avid hunter and had the château de Chambord built a few miles south and east of Blois as his hunting lodge.

   
   

That's my friend Jeanine on the left and me on the right. We made the obligatory stop at Chambord on our way from Rouen to Saint-Aignan. You can see the château in all three of the photos just above. The weather was beautiful, especially for early February.

8 comments:

  1. Judy is right. The photo of Chambord lit up with afternoon soon is so beautiful.

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  2. Great pictures. Chambord is such a fairy tale castle, love it.
    BettyAnn

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  3. Porc-épic...I did not know that word. That said, I would not choose it as my emblem, Ha!

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    Replies
    1. La devise de Louis XII, “Qui s’y frotte, s’y pique.”, est représentée par le porc-épic. Ce qui signifie, si on m’attaque, je me défends.

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    2. Les bons mots, chm! Merci! Je partagerai avec mes amis dans ma classe de français

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    3. Mary, you’re welcome (je vous en prie).

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  4. We visited the château de Blois and came away with the same three amusements (staircase, le porc-épic over the doorways, and the niche with Louis on the horse!) and photos! Terrific wallpaper I recall in the Master.

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