Christmas Eve 2019

Holiday lights in the main square (Place Debré) with the château in the background.

wading for lunch

It won't be long.

I'm grateful for beautiful sunsets

Especially when I can shoot them from outside my front door.

a recurring theme

Fog is definitely a recurring theme in my neighborhood since we are right next to the Loire River.  Of course it's also a recurring theme on this blog, and this view of the empty market place especially.

pearls

last sunlight on the bell tower

the sunsets are back

After several years of a sunset "drought", they seem to be back this year, the good ones that is.

we take off at dawn

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On my way back from the boulangerie this morning.

no autographs

Oh well.  At least I got his picture.

old yeller

Another beauty from one of the public flower beds in Amboise.

Noah's vacation ark

I've not seen a boat like this around here before but it's been moored up across from the Ile d'Or for awhile now.  A perfect parking place right at the foot of the château.

14 juillet 2019

Another great celebration yesterday commemorating the storming of the Bastille in 1799.  For this reason, Americans tend to call this Bastille Day but in France it's simply called quatorze juillet (14th of July).  It may appear that the rockets are emanating from the château but they were actually launched from the little island in the Loire in front (Ile d'Or).

Crinkly by Alexander Calder

This Calder mobile-stabile has returned from its "road trip" where it was on display in the Netherlands.  On its return earlier this year it was installed in a space behind a new art center in central Amboise.  In the background you can see the château including its famous chapel on the left.

from Amboise, it's Saturday night

Criterium d'Amboise 2019

In this annual race, the cyclists make 40 loops around a 1.85 km course (about 46 miles) on the boulevard that parallels the Loire.  It was a perfect evening for it and the golden sunset on the château and the riders made it even better.

the marketplace

This vaulted parking area is where the Friday and Sunday markets are held in Amboise.  Of course, this is just a fraction of the total area.  The Sunday market is one of the largest in France and today it's filled with locals and tourists on a day when the heat wave has receded a bit.

golden guy

I'm not expecting to see this street performer out on the streets this week.  It's the first heat wave to hit this Summer and it's predicted to be record breaking.  While more and more businesses and restaurants are air conditioned, most people's homes are not.

another peaceful day in paradise

sunset on Spring

The solstice was yesterday and it's officially Summer!  Note that this shot was taken a 10:15 pm.  We are at the same latitude as Newfoundland.

water under the bridge

Shot from bridge Leclerc over the Loire, this shows how shallow the waters are now as they flow under the arches.  Only kayaks and canoes can navigate this part of the river while at its Atlantic mouth sea-going tankers can pass under the great bridge at Saint-Nazaire.

poppies on the Loire

The poppies are in full bloom here and these down by the river Loire have the perfect view of it.

drumbeat

Another view on the recent Brass Band festival orchestral finale.  This time a focus on the drum section.

rockin' reflections

This reflecting pool is at nearby Château Chaumont which specializes in outdoor works of art on a large scale.

youth orchestra on the plaza

The big finale to the 25th annual Brass Band Festival in Amboise was actually a full orchestra of youthful musicians.  Throughout the day, the smaller brass bands competed for top honors and also strolled around town entertaining the locals and tourists alike.

the bandstand in early spring

The area around the bandstand was renovated not too long ago and it now looks better than ever.

deserted

Walking around the streets of Amboise yesterday was a bit surreal.  It was the 500th anniversary of the death of Leonardo da Vinci at his home Clos Lucé here.  His tomb is in the little chapel you can see in the background on the grounds of the château.  The presidents of both France and Italy came for the commemoration ceremonies.  So due to security concerns, the entire central area of the town was closed to traffic and parking.  And the routes taken by the presidents were even closed to pedestrians.  As a result, Amboise became a ghost town for much of the day in spite of this once in lifetime event.  Shops and restaurants were closed and everyone stayed home.  I find it sad that these days even a small town cannot get together to celebrate, participate in a foot race, or be able to see our elected officials without being overwhelmed by fears of terrorism.

E pluribus unum

There was a long row of fabulous trees like this in the parking lot at the Amboise train station.  As with most panoramic subjects, I just couldn't get them all into one shot.  So I decided to focus on this one.

Yowza, Colza !

The fields around Amboise are exploding with colza (the French word for canola).  To me, this field looks to be a roiling sea of yellow.  Click on the image to see a larger version of it.

Amsterdam comes to Amboise

On the outskirts of Amboise is a field where tulips are grown by the Rotary Club to raise money for community service.  I luckily managed to capture them just before they were harvested a few hours later.