Best bench view at Château de Chambord.

From here the grounds of Chateau de Chambord feel almost private. The famous forest of chimneys stand in the distance while this simple wooden bench offers the best seat in the house. The light moves slowly across the façade and for a moment the vast royal hunting lodge feels less like a monument and more like a quiet companion for anyone willing to sit and simply look.

“On Sundays the Loire Valley speaks softly — and you have time to listen.”

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Part of the “My Sunday Bench” Series

Each Sunday, we share a quiet bench somewhere in the Loire — a small reminder that peace is often found where you simply stop to notice it.

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A street named for a medieval poet...

Rue Jehan de Meung runs through the historic centre of Meung-sur-Loire, carrying the name of one of the town's most famous sons. Jehan de Meung, born here around 1240, was the medieval poet who wrote the much longer second part of Le Roman de la Rose, adding some 18,000 lines to the work begun by Guillaume de Lorris.

Today the street is a much more practical affair, with shops and local businesses lining the route through the town. But the name keeps Jehan de Meung firmly present in the town he came from.

A street named after a 13th-century poet, a traditional half-timbered building housing a boulangerie, and even the town's primary school carries the name Jehan-de-Meung. Meung-sur-Loire clearly hasn't forgotten its literary son.

“The streets here don’t hurry. They simply invite you to walk, to notice, to belong.”

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Part of the “On the Streets of Touraine” Series

Each Saturday, we stroll through the lanes and cobbles of Loire towns and villages — places where every step feels like a story.

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Bon week-end from Place du Martroi, Orléans

Place du Martroi is the principal square in the centre of Orléans, and at its heart stands the city's famous equestrian statue of Joan of Arc, created by Denis Foyatier and inaugurated in 1855. The square itself is considerably older, although it did not exist in its present form when Joan came to Orléans in 1429.

The name Martroi comes from martyrium, and the site has a long and rather varied history. It was once associated with a cemetery, later became a grain market and during the Revolution the guillotine was erected here. Today it is a largely pedestrianised meeting place, with the tram quietly crossing the square. 

Part of the “Bon weekend from the Loire” Series

Each Friday, we share a quiet moment from the Loire — a region that invites you to unwind, a beautiful weekend at a time.

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Quiet waterway in Beaulieu-lès-Loches.

This peaceful waterway is a medieval canal dug by the monks of the great abbey founded by Fulk Nerra in the early 11th century.

It diverted the Indre to power a series of mills and still runs gently through the heart of this Petite Cité de Caractère, just across the meadows from the royal town of Loches.

“In Touraine, even the silence tells a story.”

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Part of the “Taken in Touraine” Series

Every Thursday, we pause somewhere in Touraine — a village, a vineyard, or a quiet riverside — to capture the spirit of this timeless Loire region.

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Windows & Balconies of the Loire: Inside Out at Château de Chambord.

Inside out at Château de Chambord. Usually we look through a window to see inside a building, but here the view works just as well in reverse. The leaded glass frames Chambord's formal French gardens, drawing the eye along the central axis towards the château's grounds.

The gardens themselves have a long history. Planned under Louis XIV, completed during the reign of Louis XV, and laid out in their 18th-century form in 1734, they eventually disappeared beneath simpler lawns. The formal gardens were restored and replanted in 2016–17, reopening to visitors in March 2017.

A rather good example of how, at Chambord, the view from a window can be as carefully composed as the view of the building itself.

“Through every window,the Loire Valley breathes — calm, patient, and quietly luminous.”

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Part of the “Windows of the Loire” Series

Each Wednesday, we share a glimpse of the Loire Valley through its windows — small frames of everyday beauty and quiet reflection.

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Quiet Morning on Place du Marché aux Fleurs, Loches

On a non-market day the Place du Marché aux Fleurs in Loches feels almost suspended in time, wide open cobbles, long shadows from the trees and just the soft echo of footsteps where the stalls usually stand.

Part of the “Towns & Villages of the Loire” Series

Exploring the towns and villages of the Loire Valley — their streets, stories, and quiet beauty.

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