Place Jean-Jaurès, Tours — a quiet moment in the city.
In the heart of Tours, the benches of Place Jean-Jaurès offer a gentle pause.
Even in the bustle of the Loire Valley's largest city, there are places where you can catch your breath.
This bench, surrounded by winter plantings and the calm geometry of the square, is a reminder that stillness can be found anywhere, even at the centre of a city.
“Sometimes all you need is a bench, a square, and a moment to breathe.”
Part of the “Mon banc dominical” Series
Each post shares a quiet bench somewhere in the Loire — a small reminder that peace is often found where you simply stop to notice it.
Rue du Change, Tours — the charm of everyday Loire life.
November on Rue du Change in Tours, the half-timbered façades lean gently over the cobbles, as if keeping centuries of stories close and revealing that actually not much has changed.
In the morning, cafés set out their chairs and the old street slowly wakes. By afternoon, the light softens, slipping between slate roofs and timber frames.
“The streets here don’t hurry. They simply invite you to walk, to notice, to belong.”
Part of the “On the Streets of the Loire” Series
Each Saturday, we stroll through the lanes and cobbles of Loire towns and villages — places where every step feels like a story.
Place Plumereau, Tours — a calm pause between two lively weeks.
It's Friday, and here in the Loire Valley, the weekend begins gently, Place Plumereau holding its breath under pale autumn light. And yet the charm remains the same — the half-timbered houses watching over the square, the promise of cafés opening their terraces again soon.
Here, bon week-end isn’t just something we say — it’s a way of slowing down, noticing the details, and letting Touraine set the pace.
“In the Touraine, even the quiet moments shine.”
Part of the “Bon week-end from the Loire” Series
Each Friday, we share a simple Loire moment — a gentle start to your weekend.
Le Petit-Pressigny — the former mairie, now a gîte in Southern Touraine.
Every Thursday, we wander through the landscapes and villages of Touraine, where time follows the gentle flow of the Loire.
This week’s scene comes from Le Petit-Pressigny, where the former mairie — now a charming gîte, stands quietly at the centre of village life. Soft limestone, classic proportions, and a hint of early winter light give it that unmistakable Touraine calm.
Here, Touraine’s beauty is never hurried; it invites you to pause, breathe, and listen to the echo of its history.
“In Touraine, even the silence tells a story.”
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.
Tours — early Christmas dressing in historic Place Plumereau.
Today in Place Plumereau, Tours, the festive season arrives early, wrapping the old limestone façades in garlands, ribbons, and soft Christmas colour. Even in winter light, these windows carry a warmth that feels timeless, a quiet celebration of the Loire’s gentle rhythm.
“Through every window, the Loire breathes — calm, patient, and quietly luminous.”
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.
Place Jean-Jaurès, Tours — festive lights usher in the Loire’s winter season
Each Tuesday, we wander through the towns and villages that shape the Loire Valley, from riverside villages to lively city squares.
This was Place Jean-Jaurès in Tours today, getting ready for Christmas, festive decorations, illuminated sculptures and winter atmosphere in one of the Loire Valley’s most elegant city squares. Part of the “Towns & Villages of the Loire” Tuesday series.
Part of the “Towns & Villages of the Loire” Series
Every Tuesday, a new corner of the Loire Valley — market squares, riverside streets, quiet chapels, and vibrant neighbourhoods.
Every Monday, we begin the week among the châteaux of the Loire, each a masterpiece of stone, history, and imagination.
This week we visit Château de La Guerche, where an autumn sunset burns softly behind its riverside towers, casting warm light across the Creuse and deepening the colours of the surrounding valley.
The Loire châteaux are more than monuments; they’re the poetry of an age carved in tuffeau stone, reminders of beauty, ambition, and the passage of centuries.
“Each château tells a story — of kings, of artists, and of the dream of France itself.”
Part of the “Châteaux of the Loire” Series
Every Monday, we explore one of the Loire Valley’s legendary châteaux — from royal residences to riverside retreats — each revealing a different chapter of the region’s story.
Our bench today sits outside the Mairie in Preuilly-sur-Claise, which slows to a whisper and the empty bench awaits the reawaking of the town.
“In the Touraine, even silence has a landscape.”
Part of the “Mon Banc Dominical — Loire” Series
Each Sunday, we find a quiet bench somewhere in the Loire Valley — in a village, by the river, or beneath old stone walls — to capture a moment of stillness.
Saturdays are for wandering, for letting the streets of the Touraine lead wherever they please. Here, every doorway, street and quiet lane feels like a gentle conversation with time.Here we are looking down Rue de la République in Preuilly-sur-Claise in Southern Touraine which once formed part of the Gallo-Roman road from Tournon Saint-Pierre to Le Mans with the original ford over the river Claise being at the bottom of the hill.In the early afternoon autumnal light, little stirs on the street that perhaps once witnessed marching centurions and now plays host to the town’s Salle des Fêtes.
“The streets here don’t hurry. They simply invite you to walk, to notice, to belong.”
Part of the “On the Streets of the Loire” Series
Each Saturday, we stroll through the lanes and cobbles of Loire towns and villages — places where every step feels like a story.
Bon weekend from the Château d’Ussé — where the Loire takes its time.
It’s Friday, and here in the Loire Valley we slip gently into the weekend. Light softens, the river steadies, and the hours stretch out just a little further.
Fridays here aren’t about rushing toward the weekend but stepping into it slowly, one glass raised, one laugh shared, one breath at a time.
“In the Loire, the weekend begins with stillness — and ends with gratitude.”
Part of the “Bon week-end from the Loire” Series
Each Friday, we share a quiet moment from the Loire — a region that invites you to unwind, one beautiful weekend at a time.
Every Thursday, we wander through the landscapes and villages of Touraine, where time follows the gentle flow of the Loire.
This week’s scene comes from Preuilly-sur-Claise, where the Abbey is reflected on the river Claise and the willows fall like curtains. A quiet moment suspended between reflection and sky.
Here,Touraine’s beauty is never hurried, it invites you to pause, breathe, and listen to the echo of its history.
“In Touraine, even the silence tells a story.”
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.
Rue du Petit-Saint-Martin, Tours — a window that now opens only into imagination.
Each Wednesday, we look more closely at the windows of the Loire the quiet details that hold the region’s character in stone, timber, and memory.
On Rue du Petit-Saint-Martin in Tours, this window no longer opens to light or air. Instead, its shutter has become a canvas, transformed by a delicate mural of a woman emerging from the old wood as though she belongs to the history of the street.
Here, a window is not a window at all but a story painted onto a forgotten frame. In the Loire Valley beauty has a habit of appearing where you least expect it.
“Sometimes even a sealed window offers a view.”
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 unexpected stories.
In Langeais, the soft evening light touches the tuffeau stone, warming the bridge, the château’s towers and the tall church spire that watches over the rooftops. Below, the lanes wind gently between gardens, workshops, and calm façades that carry centuries of quiet stories.
“Every village in the Loire tells its story softly — in shutters, in bells, in the scent of bread and morning air.”
Part of the “Towns & Villages of the Loire” Series
Each Tuesday, we visit one of the Loire Valley’s towns or villages — their streets, stories, and quiet beauty.
Château de Sully-sur-Loire sits like a storybook keep, its rounded towers mirrored in the calm moat. The grey stone and crenellated silhouette hold centuries of history, while the soft afternoon light and drifting clouds give the scene a quiet, leisurely mood.
These châteaux are more than architecture, they are placekeepers of memory. Walk the ramparts and you can feel time layered in the stones, battles, banquets, and long river days folding into one another across the Loire.
“Un lundi au bord du donjon — l’histoire reflétée dans l’eau”
Part of the “Loire Mondays” Series
Each Monday we visit a château of the Loire — its light, its stones, and the stories reflected along the riverbank.
Bench beside the cemetery wall, Barrou — waiting, watching and oddly hopeful.
Waiting for Godot? A lone bench outside the old cemetery of Barrou, watching over the stone wall and the wide fields beyond. It’s the sort of place where time slows and memories hangs in the air. There is a tenderness in its emptiness, a gentle invitation, holding its breath between the past and the present.
“A bench is a modest theatre of patience.”
Part of the “Sunday Bench — Loire” Series
Each Sunday we find a bench in the Loire — a simple place to pause, reflect, and listen to the slow rhythm of the region.
In Blois, this little street tilts toward the river like a quiet thought. light slips between shutters, a florist opens early and someone carries the day’s first basket of errands down the slope. Above it all, a pink umbrella, a remnant from 'Octobre Rose', hangsgiving a splash of colour against the limestone calm.
Blois is a city of layers: medieval passages, Renaissance façades, and traces of kings and revolutions woven into everyday life. On a Saturday morning, none of that is evident, what you feel instead is the gentleness of a place that still moves at a human pace.
“In the Loire, even the quiet streets know how to welcome a weekend.”
Part of the “Streets of the Loire” Series
Each Saturday, we explore a moment from the Loire Valley — its streets, its textures, and its quietly unfolding stories.
It’s Friday in the Loire Valley and the week eases into a gentler pace, id that is possible! Behind the ancient stone walls of Chateau de Chaumont-sur-Loire, time seems to settle and the château watches the seasons turn as they have for centuries.
From the winding rivers to the quiet villages, Friday here feels like a soft exhale, a moment to breathe, wander and let the world slow down.
The weekend arrives not with rush, but with calm.
In the Loire, bon week-end is a small ritual of beauty, history, and restorative peace.
“Have a good weekend from all of us here in Centre-Val de Loire.”
Part of the “Bon week-end from the Loire” Series
Each Friday, we share a quiet moment from the Loire — a region that invites you to unwind, one beautiful weekend at a time.
Château d'Amboise wears autumn well, warm stone set against a sky of soft cloud, the terraces and towers softened by the season’s palette.
The château sits like a memory made visible, turrets caught between late leaves and the light that turns every roof and garden into a study in amber. The town at its feet slowly gathers the day’s tasks while the château watches over the valley, patient and unchanged.
This is Touraine in slow motion, a landscape of history and the quiet costume of autumn.
“Thursday in the Loire — Taken in Touraine”
Part of the “Taken in Touraine” Series
Each Thursday we share a view from Touraine — châteaux, villages and the quiet corners that shape the Loire Valley’s character.
Night falls in Tours and the windows of Printemps glow softly against the quiet street — reflections of elegance, light, and a little history in glass.
“Through every window, Tours breathes — calm, patient and quietly luminous.”
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.
Aubigny-sur-Nère feels like stepping into a storybook. Cobblestone streets, halftimbered houses, whisper tales of its Scottish past, a legacy of the Stuart family and the historic Auld Alliance.
The town has a strong attachment to the Scots, due to its 400 years of French-Scottish history and still celebrates this long association each year, on Bastille day with a parade of bagpipes ,tartan and more.
“.Aubigny-sur-Nère: history, charm, and a little bit of Scotland… all in one enchanting Loire town”
Part of the “Towns & Villages of the Loire” Series
Each Tuesday, we visit one of the Loire Valley’s towns or villags of the Loire Valley — their streets, stories, and quiet beauty.
The formidable Château de Montpoupon stands between forest and field, its towers softened by time and light. Though perhaps less known than its royal neighbours, it’s a place that tells quieter stories, of hunting lodges, noble families and a France that balanced elegance with endurance.
Inside, the rooms still echo with the rhythm of daily life table settings, riding gear, and portraits that look back with composed familiarity. Outside, the round tower leans slightly, watching centuries of seasons drift by the forest edge.
Montpoupon reminds us that not all châteaux need grandeur to impress, although grand enough some win you over with intimacy, craftsmanship, and a sense of continuity.
“Each château tells a story — of kings, of artists, and of the dream of France itself.”
Part of the “Châteaux of the Loire” Series
Every Monday, we explore one of the Loire Valley’s legendary châteaux — from royal residences to riverside retreats — each revealing a different chapter of the region’s story.
Sunday in the Loire Valley asks nothing of you, only to sit, to look, to breathe.
The world slows here, as if time itself rests on a quiet bench near a church.
This bench in Saché offers cold comfort on an autumn morning.
“On Sundays, the Touraine speaks softly — and you have time to listen.”
Part of the “Mon banc dominical” 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.
Tours — where the glass of Les Halles meets the stone of the old town.
In the heart of Tours, the old and the new simply walk side by side. Here the modern lines of Les Halles meet the stone bell towers and domed silhouettes of the historic centre, a small, everyday conversation between eras.
On a Saturday morning the street gently stirs: market stalls beginning to arrange their colours, café tables waiting for the first espresso, and locals passing with the steady rhythm of errands and plans. The Tour de l'Horloge and thedome of the Basilique de St-Martin keeps watch behind it all, a reminder that history is never far from daily life in Touraine.
This is a view that asks you to look twice, not because the contrast is startling but because the city wears its layers lightly. Modern purpose and old charm coexist here with a kind of quiet acceptance - the past remains visible, the present keeps working, and both find their place in the street.
“Tours — where continuity and change meet on the pavement.”
Part of the “Streets of Touraine” Series
Each Saturday we wander through the streets of Touraine — where everyday life and living history meet.
River Indre, Loches — where autumn softens the light and the reflections linger like a quiet sigh.
It’s Friday in the Loire Valley, and the week slows to the rhythm of the river.
Along the Indre at Loches, the water mirrors a sky of soft gold, and everything seems to pause just long enough to breathe.
In the narrow lanes of this medieval town, shutters open to the afternoon light and the air carries the first notes of weekend calm.
Here, life unfolds at the pace of conversation, slow, warm, unhurried.
In the Loire, bon week-end is more than a wish, it’s a ritual of rest, reflection, and quiet joy.
“By the Indre in Loches, time drifts as gently as the water itself.”
Part of the “Bon week-end from the Loire” Series
Each Friday, we share a quiet moment from the Loire — a region that invites you to unwind, one beautiful weekend at a time.
A quiet moment by the bridge at Azay-le-Rideau — Taken in Touraine.
Some scenes in Touraine ask for silence and this is one of them.
The stone bridge at Azay-le-Rideau has seen centuries of reflections drift by and still the water keeps its calm, holding both time and light.
In autumn, the ivy deepens to crimson, the leaves float past like small thoughts and even the air seems slower.
Moments like these remind us that beauty here isn’t only in the châteaux it’s also in the pauses between them.
Part of the “Taken in Touraine” Series
Every Thursday we share quiet moments from the Loire Valley — glimpses of life, light, and landscape.
Front-to-back light at the Château d’Oiron — where Renaissance geometry meets airy transparency.
At Château d’Oiron, the rhythm of windows becomes a quiet form of storytelling. This Renaissance façade, refined, symmetrical, perfectly measured, feels alive with light. Each tall window opens a frame to the next, creating a corridor of transparency that runs straight through the building, front to back.
Standing in the courtyard, you can sense how light was as essential to Renaissance design as stone itself. The alignment of windows, the delicacy of their wooden frames, and the repetition across floors speak of balance, proportion and a certain joy in precision.
Behind these windows and the graceful façade lies a host of curiosities. Built in the 16th century by the Gouffier family, the château was intended for pleasure and display rather than defence. Today it houses the exceptional contemporary-art collection Curios & Mirabilia, where installations and objects play against the historic rooms in a quietly compelling dialogue.
Imagine stepping from one of those long, tall windows into rooms that surprise and provoke, works of art that use sound, scent or unexpected materials, all set within stone chambers designed centuries earlier. At Château d’Oiron, architecture and modern curiosity meet: every doorway invites discovery, every corridor suggests a new surprise.
So when you pause your gaze on that façade of repeating windows and arches, remember: each opening is both literal and metaphorical , a space for light, a historical portal, a frame for the unusual. Here, the past and present converse, and the visitor is invited to listen.
“At Oiron, windows are not just for looking — they are invitations to enter the unexpected.”
Part of the “Windows of the Loire” Series
Each Wednesday we share a glimpse through the Loire’s windows — the architectural rhythm and quiet poetry of light in stone.
From the edge of the fields, Le Grand-Pressigny reveals itself in layers, the church, the château, the medieval tower, all gathered above the quiet village below. The château’s Renaissance wing sits beside the remains of its older fortress, a blend that tells centuries of stories in stone.
Here in the southern Touraine, the pace is unhurried, the air carries a trace of autumn and the past seems just a little closer.
Part of the “Towns & Villages of the Loire” Series
Each Tuesday, we explore the towns and villages of the Loire Valley — their streets, stories, and quiet beauty.
This morning’s château is the Château Royal de Blois, a masterpiece that tells the story of French architecture in one sweeping glance. Gothic solemnity, Renaissance grace, and Classical symmetry coexist here, as if centuries have simply agreed to share the same address.
From its terraces, kings once looked out over the Loire, and history itself seemed to pause on the steps below. Today, the same light plays across its stone, soft and golden, carrying whispers of royal intrigue and quiet grandeur.
“Every façade in Blois is a chapter — together, they tell the story of France.”
Part of the “Château Monday” Series
Every Monday, we visit a château in the Loire — not just to see its walls, but to feel its stories.
Today's benches sit beneath the soft amber glow of a streetlamp in Tours, quiet witneses to the city’s slower hours and adding even more of an autumnal feel. Yet not so far away, younger revellers are only just making their way out into their favourite haunts.
“Every bench tells the time differently — this one counts in quiet moments.”
Part of the “Mon Banc Dominical / My Sunday Bench in the Loire” Series
Every Sunday, we share a moment of stillness somewhere in the Loire — a bench, a light, a view — where time slows and the spirit of the valley lingers.
There’s something timeless about a walk through the old streets of Chinon. The cobblestones seem to remember every step, and the timber-framed façades lean gently toward one another, as if sharing stories from centuries past.
Here, life moves at a gentler pace. A café terrace catches the afternoon sun, the scent of wine and roasted coffee drifts through the air, and conversation flows as easily as the Loire itself.
Every corner offers a new vignette,shutters half-open, a bicycle against a wall, laughter spilling from a doorway. In Chinon, history and daily life intertwine so naturally you forget where one ends and the other begins.
“The streets of Chinon invite you to wander — slowly, curiously, and always with a glass waiting at the end.”
Part of the “On the Streets of the Loire” Series
Every Saturday, we wander through the streets and lanes of the Loire — from cobbled hill towns to riverside villages, where life still flows at an easy pace.
.jpg "Cobbled street with medieval façades and café terrace in Chinon")