Dans les rues de Bourges

The Michelin green guide for the historical Berry and Limousin provinces of France says of the old town of Bourges:

Tout le centre de la ville a été sauvegardé et restauré avec goût. Les maisons à colombages (beaucoup date des 15e et 16e siècles) sont bien mises en valeur et ont retrouvé leur éclat d'autrefois. La promenade dans le quartier ancien au nord de la cathédrale est particulièrement agréable.* [Translation below.]

   

These are some more of the photos our friend Cheryl took in Bourges in 2003. Towns along the Loire river prospered in the centuries following the French Renaissance and thus lost some of their historic character. Bourges was less bustling. And in the 20th century, nearby cities like Tours and Blois were bombarded and fought over during the second world war by both German and Allied forces. Bourges was slightly off the beaten path and suffered less wartime destruction.

   

* The whole center of the city has been preserved and tastefully restored. The town's old half-timbered houses (many date from the 15th and 16th centuries) put on a nice show, displaying their centuries-old beauty. A walk around the old quarter north of the cathedral is very pleasant.