….thanks to Sue W and GC for hosting Weekly Prompts Wednesday Challenge https://weeklyprompts.com/2022/10/05/weekly-prompts-wednesday-challenge-room-with-a-view/
Last spring while travelling in France and London, England we had multiple rooms with spectacular views.
….thanks to Sami for hosting Saturday Sculptures and Marsha for hosting Photographing Public Art https://alwayswrite.blog/2022/05/20/ppac-47/
….thanks to Jez for hosting I’m a fan of…..https://jezbraithwaite.blog/2022/05/16/susan-fan-of-156/
The hardest part of this challenge will be choosing which pieces of art to display here. I’ll choose art from our trip and try to limit it to one painting from each gallery we visited.
….thanks Jez for hosting Water, Water Everywhere….https://jezbraithwaite.blog/2022/05/09/canal-reflections-water-water-everywhere-125/
“The longest river in France is the Loire. It is 634 miles (1,020 kilometers) long. The Loire Valley is a popular tourist area known for its châteaus (French for “castles”). The scenic valley is sometimes called the Garden of France.
The Loire River begins about 4,500 feet (1,370 meters) above sea level in the Cévennes mountain range of southern France. It is fed by melting snow from mountain peaks. The Loire flows north through central France before swinging in a great curve past the city of Orléans and turning westward. It empties into the Atlantic Ocean near the city of Nantes.” Sourced from kids.britannica.com
We saw the Loire in Tours and then again on our castle visits in Amboise and Blois.
On our visit to the Royal Chateau Amboise, we saw the river from the top of the castle, overlooking the Loire Valley.
On our last castle tour in Blois we saw the Loire River again from the lookout on the castle grounds and then again at street level.
….thanks Jez for hosting I’m a fan of…..https://jezbraithwaite.blog/2022/05/09/coots-fan-of-155/
This year I experienced three spring seasons. The first was in France where the blooms were out in early April, then in London where the trees were flowering in mid to late April and now in Toronto in early May.
…thanks to Jez for hosting I’m a fan of…..https://jezbraithwaite.blog/2022/05/02/ducks-fan-of-154/
Ducks are everywhere and I can’t help but take photos when I see them.
In France, Duck is a very popular food item and at Easter we treated ourselves to a roast of duck stuffed with prunes. I couldn’t bring myself to buying the whole bird at the market. The heads were still attached.
In London we went Clissold Park, in the Highbury Islington area. Here we saw ducks in the pond.
On my first walk when we arrived back in Toronto I walked to the Rotary Peace Park and found this lovely female Mallard who had absolutely no fear of me.
…..they’re everywhere…..on and in churches and castles
Did you know that gargoyles are more than decorative motifs on the sides of buildings? Most serve a very practical function.
Gargoyles are designed to allow rainwater to run off from the roof, usually through the mouth of the creature, man or animal that it is fashioned after. They were the precursor to gutters and rain spouts.
Historians also say that gargoyles were designed to protect a location and the people therein from negativity and unwanted spirits.
…..April 21, 2022
Today was our last day in Tours. We had a wonderful two weeks in France and our home in Tours was exceptional. Here are four doors from the 19th century bourgeoise neighbourhood in Tours and the last three were on public buildings like the Opera House and City Hall.
Thanks to Dan Anton from No Facilities for hosting Thursday Doors https://nofacilities.com/2022/04/21/two-mills-then-now/
….I know there are bigger trees in the world
This Lebanese pine is growing in the middle of the city in Tours, France. It sits on the grounds of the Musée des Beaux Arts. It is so large that some of the lower branches have to be held up with upright logs that have been secured to the ground.
Mama Cormier 