morning has broken

 

the grand illumination

 

La Tour d'Or Blanc

 

This "tower of white gold" was inaugurated this weekend along with a festival of local food and wine. It stands almost 50 feet high at the end of the bridge leading into Amboise.  It pays homage to the white grape (Chenin Blanc) that fuels the white wines of the Loire Valley.  It also honors the wine makers themselves who worked closely with the artist Jean-Michel Othoniel to create this monumental work that overlooks the town and the river like a golden lighthouse.