Blois is just 25 miles (40 km) north of Saint-Aignan. It's two hours from Paris by train or by car. Blois is the administrative capital, la préfecture, of the département called Loir-et-Cher, one of the most rural départements ("counties") in France. It is the site of several famous châteaux — at Blois, Chambord, Chaumont-sur-Loire, and Cheverny, among others. The population of Blois is about 50K, and its urbanized zone has a population of 125K. Tours, Orléans, and Chartres are larger cities.
Le pont Jacques-Gabriel was built in the 18th century under the reign of Louis XIV after an 11th-century stone bridge across the Loire at Blois collapsed. The existing bridge suffered war damage several times in the 19th and 20th centuries and had to be rebuilt.
The église Saint-Nicolas de Blois was built in the 12th century.
Very nice quiet, moody tones in these pictures.
ReplyDeleteBettyAnn
It would be nice to walk around that church area.
ReplyDeleteIt's a nice sized town with a lot of history. Big enough that you wouldn't be bored and small enough to be manageable.
ReplyDeleteImagine the pointed roofs (rooves ?) of St Nicolas on the towers of Notre-Dame de Paris!
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