this says it all

This restaurant sign on Place Debré summarizes in icons the pillars of the local cuisine... wonderful food, superb breads, and fine wines all served in royal tradition.

not Hollywood

With dark clouds looming, this photo turned out a bit more brooding than I expected.  But I couldn't resist the angle on these three very disparate elements despite the weather.  The bandstand appears to be sheltering a model of the château of Amboise but it is in fact the real thing at a distance.  The old sign advertising the camping on the Ile d'Or reminds me of the old HOLLYWOOD sign in LA.  Which seems fitting for this film noir image.

look out!

Now here's a warning you don't see every day.  I snapped this shot on a recent bike ride on the pavement of a back road through the forest of Amboise.  The triangular shape (as well as the exclamation point!) is a warning of a dangerous situation upcoming. I'm wondering if there are also little warnings on the side of the road for the frogs that have a car in the triangle.

le manège des contes

Here is a mystery to be solved, I hope, by one of my local readers.  This charming sign could be translated literally as the merry-go-round of tales.  It is attached to a building in which the current business occupant would appear to have nothing to do with this sign.  So I am guessing it was left behind by the previous owner.  Since the background looks like a book, maybe it was a book store for kids?  In any case, I'm glad it's still there.

Voici un mystère à résoudre, j'espère, par un de mes lecteurs locaux. Ce signe de charme pourrait être traduit littéralement à l'anglais comme the merry-go-round of tales. Il est attaché à un bâtiment dans lequel l'occupant d'affaires actuel semble ne avoir rien à voir avec ce signe. Donc je devine qu'il a été laissé par le propriétaire précédent. Parce que l'arrière-plan ressemble à un livre, peut-être ce était un magasin de livre pour enfants? En tout cas, je suis content qu'il est toujours là.

la borne d'angle Michelin

As we approach another milestone of a new year, I thought it appropriate to post this road marker near one of my favorite bike paths.  Starting in 1910 and continuing until 1971, the tire manufacturer Michelin installed a variety of road signs throughout France.  Corner markers (see the title for the French translation) like this one started in 1918.  These markers made of concrete reinforced with steel will be around for a long time I suspect.

I confess to a bit of tinkering with this shot to make it a bit more interesting.  I used an infrared filter (on the computer) to change much of the rather dull green foliage in the photo to white.