Loches, France

For one weekend of every year the French government opens the doors of all national museums, monuments, and buildings for free tours and special events. It is called "Les Journees Des Patrimoines," or Heritage Days. Essentially, it forces cheapskates like us to utterly exhaust ourselves over two days by trekking all over creation wearing out our shoes and tires. It was great!

For Saturday, we visited the nearby (45 minute drive) village of Loches. The center of the city is enclosed in walls with only one or two ways in:
Little did we know, we parked on the opposite side of the "city" from the entrance, which meant we enjoyed a lovely walk around the perimeter, taking in the enormity of it all.

Once we made it inside, we were tickled pink with all we discovered. In fact, this town quickly became a place we hope to frequent. It was simply lovely.


I just loved this courtyard. It is just someone's house - which just blows my mind.

The entry way and main chapel of the Collegiale Saint-Ours - of which sections date as far back as the 1030's.


The Royal Lodge - construction began in the 1300's. It has provided housing for Charles VIII, Louis XII, Charles VII and Ann of Brittany. It was here that Joan of Arc met with the Dauphin for he second time and convinced him to go to Reims to be crowned King of France in June of 1429.


The Keep, or "Donjon" as the French call it: a military fortress from the 5th Century:

Photo courtesy of http://www.visite-au-chateau.com/loches.htm

Carvings inside a room of the Keep. Soldiers would create these images to record special victories or events. At the top right of this one, you can see a church with a crucifixion scene.The Louis XI Tower. Look closely for David and Vivi who provided my "scale" perspective.The interior of the tower - you can see the fireplaces and floor/ceiling lines which have not survived the times, I'm afraid. Each level had a steel walkway, which of course scared the pants off me.
Nevertheless, David still convinced me to walk all the way to the other side so he could snap this shot of the kids and I from the top of the tower.
Overall an absolute GEM of a place which we plan on spending LOTS more time in, so I am guessing there will be more photos to come!