Tuesday 30 June 2020

Le Regard de Saux


The Medici aqueduct, or Rungis aqueduct, was built on the orders of Marie de Médici, to deliver the water from the natural springs at Rungis, on the edge of Paris, into the centre of Paris itself. Commissioned in 1623, the aqueduct is still in operation. It is owned by the City of Paris and managed by Eau de Paris. 

The heavily graffitied Regard de Saux, with the Hôpital La Rochefoucauld behind.
The Regard de Saux, an access point on the Medici aqueduct, Paris. France. Photographed by Susan Walter. Tour the Loire Valley with a classic car and a private guide.

Along the course of the aqueduct there are a series of elaborate manhole covers, called les regards, which mark the route it follows.  They are access points to the underground galleries, via a staircase. At each regard, the water passes through a basin whose purpose is to promote the oxygenation of the water and the deposition of impurities. Some of them, originally constructed in what were open fields, have been enclosed in private properties. Most of them, however, are located on the public road. They are supplemented at much closer intervals by 258 more discreet inspection hatches. 

The Regard de Saux, an access point to the Medici aqueduct, Paris. France. Photographed by Susan Walter. Tour the Loire Valley with a classic car and a private guide.

This regard is number 25, in the grounds of La Rochefoucauld Hospital (an aged and palliative care facility), and visible from avenue René-Coty. The architectural style reference is to the Mausoleum of Cyrus at Pasargades.

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For details of our private guided tours of chateaux, gardens, wineries, markets and more please visit the Loire Valley Time Travel website. We would be delighted to design a tour for you.

We are also on Instagram, so check us out to see a regularly updated selection of our very best photos. 

Monday 29 June 2020

Apero dinatoire


We took a selection of delicious snacks and nibbles with us to share with our hosts when we went to the Charente-Maritime last week. A spread like this is known as an apéro dînatoire.


Apero dinatoire. France. Made and photographed by Susan Walter.

Clockwise from bottom left: a jar of tapenade; cherry tomatoes; a jar of chutney given to me by a French friend, whose parents had received it as a gift from some English people and it was too weird for them to consider eating; my homemade baba ganoush; my homemade dolmades; my homemade beetroot and walnut hummus; sliced baguette from a bakery in Saint-Agnant; artisanal heart-shaped raspberry flavoured biscuits from near Issoudun; Badoit fizzy mineral water; Charentais melon and strawberries; corn chips; a prize winning Sainte Maure de Touraine goats cheese from Limouzin frères, whose farm is just over the hill from us; rillons (slow cooked cubes of pork belly) from the charcutier in Preuilly; pork rillettes (slow cooked pork belly that is shredded into a paste) from the charcutier in Preuilly; my homemade pickled mini peppers, stuffed faisselle (fresh white cheese) that I had beaten finely chopped herbs into. Out of the picture was a jar of carp rillettes from Fish Brenne; some gherkins and some green olives. The sparkling wine is Milliard d'Etoiles from Domaine de la Garrelière near Richelieu.

Homemade beetroot and walnut hummus, with baba ganoush in the background.
Homemade beetroot and walnut humous, with baba ganoush in the background. Made and photographed by Susan Walter.

 Homemade pickled mini peppers stuffed with fresh cheese and finely chopped herbs.
Homemade pickled mini peppers, stuffed with fresh cheese and finely chopped herbs. Made and photographed by Susan Walter.

Recipes I used:

David Lebovitz's baba ganoush.

Instructions for preparing my own vine leaves on The Spruce Eats.

Ken's dolmades filling and method of cooking.

Clotilde Dusoulier's recipe for Beetroot Hummus, substituting ground walnuts and walnut oil for the tahini.

Instructions for pickling peppers.


The delightful setting for all of this was supplied by the Hays family. This is the table on the terrace by their back door. You may already be familiar with it, as it appears regularly in Susan Hays' blog Our French Oasis.



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For details of our private guided tours of chateaux, gardens, wineries, markets and more please visit the Loire Valley Time Travel website. We would be delighted to design a tour for you.

We are also on Instagram, so check us out to see a regularly updated selection of our very best photos. 

Sunday 28 June 2020

Bundanoon Station


Bundanoon railway station, New South Wales, Australia. Photo by Susan Walter.

Heritage listed Bundanoon railway station has been open and operating for more than 150 years. The main building is a very typical early 20th century Australian country railway station.

Saturday 27 June 2020

Celestine Goes to the Seaside


During the week we ventured out on a mini-break. We stayed with friends Susan and Roddy Hays, in their gîte (holiday accommodation), which they very generously offered to us for free. They live on the edge of the marshes around Rochefort on the Atlantic coast. The area is full of historic interest, and is a birdwatcher's paradise. We are not really birdwatchers, but we saw storks, stilts, sandpipers, purple herons, black kites, marsh harriers and black woodpeckers all without really trying.

Crossing the bridge from the mainland to the Ile d'Oleron.
Crossing the bridge from the mainland to the Ile d'Oleron, Charente-Maritime, France. Photo by Susan Walter.

 Célestine parked with the characteristic Charente-Maritime fishing huts along the foreshore.
Citroen Traction Avant, Charente-Maritime, France. Photo by Susan Walter.

 Two Susan's enjoying champagne and nibbles in front of the holiday cottage.
Enjoying an aperitif at a holiday cottage, Charente-Maritime, France. Photo by Susan Walter.

 Stork watching on the Moëze-Oléron Nature Reserve.
A stork nest, Charente-Maritime, France. Photo by Susan Walter.

Home again.
Preuilly sur Claise, Indre et Loire, France. Photo by Susan Walter.

Susan and Roddy also run a property finding and hand holding service, as well as an online French antiques shop. Some of you may already 'know' them because you read Susan's blog Our French Oasis.

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For details of our private guided tours of chateaux, gardens, wineries, markets and more please visit the Loire Valley Time Travel website. We would be delighted to design a tour for you.

We are also on Instagram, so check us out to see a regularly updated selection of our very best photos. 

Friday 26 June 2020

Wednesday 24 June 2020

Tuesday 23 June 2020

Orchid Walk From Chaumussay


Our friend David is in charge of organising a regular Monday five kilometre walk for a group of us. He asked me to lead one so we could look the orchids at Chaumussay on 15 June. It was a bit late in the season, but of course, we've lost a lot of social walking time. The weather wasn't great, but we avoided getting drenched and finished with a picnic in the excellent sheltered tables at Chaumussay (now with new wheelchair access for two new tables). Here is a selection of photos from the outing.

Charolais beef cows, ready to defend their quite new calves from us.
Cows and calves.  Indre et Loire, France. Photographed by Susan Walter. Tour the Loire Valley with a classic car and a private guide.

 Old farm cottage.
Old farm cottage.  Indre et Loire, France. Photographed by Susan Walter. Tour the Loire Valley with a classic car and a private guide.

 Sulphur Clover Trifolium ochroleucon (Fr. Trèfle jaunâtre), a plant that is becoming rare because of the loss of flower rich meadow pasture on chalky clay.
Sulphur Clover Trifolium ochroleucon.  Indre et Loire, France. Photographed by Susan Walter. Tour the Loire Valley with a classic car and a private guide.

 View down the Claise Valley to Chaumussay.
View up the Claise Valley to Chaumussay.  Indre et Loire, France. Photographed by Susan Walter. Tour the Loire Valley with a classic car and a private guide.

 Walking through Chaumussay.
Walking through Chaumussay.  Indre et Loire, France. Photographed by Susan Walter. Tour the Loire Valley with a classic car and a private guide.

Red Helleborine Cephalanthera rubra (Fr. Céphalanthère rouge).
Red Helleborine Cephalanthera rubra.  Indre et Loire, France. Photographed by Susan Walter. Tour the Loire Valley with a classic car and a private guide.

Fragrant Orchid Gymnadenia conopsea (Fr. Gymnadénie moucheron).
Fragrant Orchid Gymnadenia conopsea.  Indre et Loire, France. Photographed by Susan Walter. Tour the Loire Valley with a classic car and a private guide.

Marbled White Melanargia galathea (Fr. le Demi-deuil).
Marbled White Melanargia galathea.  Indre et Loire, France. Photographed by Susan Walter. Tour the Loire Valley with a classic car and a private guide.

Bee Orchid Ophrys apifera (Fr. Ophrys abeille).
Bee Orchid Ophrys apifera.  Indre et Loire, France. Photographed by Susan Walter. Tour the Loire Valley with a classic car and a private guide.

This male Lesser Purple Emperor Apatura ilia (Fr. le Petit Mars Changeant) joined us for our picnic.
Lesser Purple Emperor Apatura ilia. Indre et Loire, France. Photographed by Susan Walter. Tour the Loire Valley with a classic car and a private guide.

Monday 22 June 2020

Italian Cherry and Walnut Cake


Italian Cherry and Walnut Cake. Made and photographed by Susan Walter.

When she realised it was cherry season here and I was on the hunt for delicious things to do with the cherries from our orchard, our friend Christine sent me an unusual Italian cherry and walnut cake recipe. She said she had just made it for a dinner party (their first since lockdown eased in Australia) and it had been a great success. Since it used not one ingredient that I can grow myself, but two, I was right on it. We enjoyed it and thought it was very Italian with its rather macaronadish texture.

Italian Cherry and Walnut Cake. Made and photographed by Susan Walter.

Ingredients
2 eggs, beaten with a fork
1 cup castor sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
2 cups stoned cherries

Method
  1. Heat the oven to 180C.
  2. Line a 24cm springform tin.
  3. Put the eggs, sugar and vanilla in the mixing bowl and beat for 2 minutes on high speed with the balloon whisk on your stand mixer, so that it is creamy and aerated.
  4. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl, then lightly stir in the walnuts.
  5. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and incorporate the two on low speed.
  6. Fold in the cherries by hand with a metal spoon.
  7. Bake for about an hour.
  8. Cool in the tin.
  9. Serves 8.
Homegrown cherries. Photographed by Susan Walter.

Homegrown walnuts. Photographed by Susan Walter.
Yum

Sunday 21 June 2020

Burnt Bush


This photo from 2002 shows bushland that has had a fire go through it near Sydney, Australia. Photographed from the car on the highway.

Burnt bushland near Sydney, Australia, 2002. Photographed by Susan Walter.

Saturday 20 June 2020

Lanyon Quoit


On Saturdays we like to write about places we've been, so today I've decided to go back to 2002 and feature Lanyon Quoit in Cornwall, England. There is a very good website which tells you all about it, so just click on the link. As you can see it's a prehistoric monument, but what you can't tell from the photo is that it didn't always look like this. The website tells you that in the 19th century the stones collapsed, some of them broke and it was 'reconstructed' on a different alignment and on a reduced scale. Still, it is an evocative and photogenic monument.

Lanyon Quoit. Cornwall. England. Photographed by Susan Walter.

Lanyon Quoit. Cornwall. England. Photographed by Susan Walter.

Lanyon Quoit. Cornwall. England. Photographed by Susan Walter.

Friday 19 June 2020

Not Abandoned



The church in Civray sur Esves is an odd unbalanced building on the outside, but inside it gets even odder, for a different reason. At first I thought I was stepping in to an abandoned and semi-ruined building, but then I realised there were all sorts of clues to it still being in use -- perhaps not officially, but clearly someone uses the space devotionally.


Part of the nave is 12th century according to the Monumentum website, and the choir and stone domed apse were reconstructed in the 15th century. The western end is 19th century. Above the choir is a belltower with a stone spire. Somewhat alarmingly, given the general state of the church, a bell rope in good condition is clearly still attached to a bell, and within easy reach of anyone who walks in. The ceilings are vaulted -- the choir in ribbed stone, the nave plaster over wooden laths.


The church is understandably considered at risk, and from old postcards I have seen, has been in a parlous state for maybe a century. It's listed on the Observatoire du Patrimoine Religieux website and is clearly a fairly well known case. Click on the link for Patrimoine Religieux to see a photo of the exterior -- for some unaccountable reason we failed to take one. I think we were so bemused we failed to take photos of the worst interior deterioration too. Frankly I am rather surprised that the door was unlocked and we were free to just walk in. God is obviously expected to protect the curious.


The church does not have a sanctuary lamp but it is listed on the Parish of Descartes website just like all the other churches in that parish, with no indication that it is any different to Le Grand Pressigny, Marcé sur Esves or Descartes. In the summer of 2018, according to a newspaper report of the time, the locals had raised €5000 towards restoring the church. In the end the money was put towards restoring the altar.





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For details of our private guided tours of chateaux, gardens, wineries, markets and more please visit the Loire Valley Time Travel website. We would be delighted to design a tour for you.

We are also on Instagram, so check us out to see a regularly updated selection of our very best photos. 

Thursday 18 June 2020

Visit Chenonceau -- it's currently empty...


Bring your own facemask, and ideally, buy your ticket online.

View through the kitchen.
View through the kitchen, Chateau de Chenonceau.  Indre et Loire, France. Photographed by Susan Walter. Tour the Loire Valley with a classic car and a private guide.

 The front of Chenonceau, with staff member Delphine on the bridge.
Chateau of Chenonceau.  Indre et Loire, France. Photographed by Susan Walter. Tour the Loire Valley with a classic car and a private guide.

 Diane de Poitier's garden, giving off rather a Sleeping Beauty vibe.
Diane de Poitier's garden, Chateau of Chenonceau, during Covid19 restrictions.  Indre et Loire, France. Photographed by Susan Walter. Tour the Loire Valley with a classic car and a private guide.

 Flower arrangment.
Flower arrangement, Chateau de Chenonceau.  Indre et Loire, France. Photographed by Susan Walter. Tour the Loire Valley with a classic car and a private guide.

 Another rather Sleeping Beauty image.
Chateau of Chenonceau.  Indre et Loire, France. Photographed by Susan Walter. Tour the Loire Valley with a classic car and a private guide.

 View of Catherine de Medici's garden from the main balcony. 
The new summer planting had only just that day gone in.
View from the main balcony of the Chateau of Chenonceau.  Indre et Loire, France. Photographed by Susan Walter. Tour the Loire Valley with a classic car and a private guide.

 The River Cher seen from the Chateau.
The River Cher from the Chateau of Chenonceau.  Indre et Loire, France. Photographed by Susan Walter. Tour the Loire Valley with a classic car and a private guide.

 New rules for visiting the kitchen.
New rules for visiting the kitchen in the Chateau of Chenonceau.  Indre et Loire, France. Photographed by Susan Walter. Tour the Loire Valley with a classic car and a private guide.

 The newly accessible balcony that is now part of the visitor route.
The newly accessible balcony at the Chateau of Chenonceau.  Indre et Loire, France. Photographed by Susan Walter. Tour the Loire Valley with a classic car and a private guide.


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For details of our private guided tours of chateaux, gardens, wineries, markets and more please visit the Loire Valley Time Travel website. We would be delighted to design a tour for you.

We are also on Instagram, so check us out to see a regularly updated selection of our very best photos. 

Wednesday 17 June 2020

The Discotheque


Rural discotheque.  Indre et Loire, France. Photographed by Susan Walter. Tour the Loire Valley with a classic car and a private guide.

This, I think, is our nearest discotheque or night club (Fr. boîte de nuit). It's at Draché, which is a good 40 minutes away, in a former manor house, stuck out in the middle of the Sainte Maure plateau, to our north-west. 

It costs €15 to get in, they feature guest DJs and offer a shuttle service so that the police are less tempted to lie in wait for emerging clientele. In normal times their capacity is 180 people, but obviously they are closed at the moment due to Covid19. It's been through several incarnations since we've lived here. A quick read of their Facebook page reveals that the locals who've been don't have a very high opinion of the entertainments on offer there.



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For details of our private guided tours of chateaux, gardens, wineries, markets and more please visit the Loire Valley Time Travel website. We would be delighted to design a tour for you.

We are also on Instagram, so check us out to see a regularly updated selection of our very best photos. 

Tuesday 16 June 2020

More Scenes From Chenonceau Under Covid19 Restrictions


Notice on a bench indicating the safe distance apart to sit.
Notice on a bench at Chenonceau during the Covid19 restrictions.  Indre et Loire, France. Photographed by Susan Walter. Tour the Loire Valley with a classic car and a private guide.

 Just a couple of people on the balcony.
Chateau of Chenonceau during Covid19 restrictions.  Indre et Loire, France. Photographed by Susan Walter. Tour the Loire Valley with a classic car and a private guide.

A photographer takes a view from a balcony that was previously inaccessible.
Photographer on newly accessible balcony at Chenonceau during Covid19 restrictions.  Indre et Loire, France. Photographed by Susan Walter. Tour the Loire Valley with a classic car and a private guide.

A portrait of Diane de Poitiers hangs over a floral arrangement incorporating Queen Anne's Lace.
Portrait of Diane de Poitiers in the Chateau of Chenonceau.  Indre et Loire, France. Photographed by Susan Walter. Tour the Loire Valley with a classic car and a private guide.

Catherine de Medici's anteroom.
Catherine de Medici's anteroom, Chateau de Chenonceau, during Covid19 restrictions.  Indre et Loire, France. Photographed by Susan Walter. Tour the Loire Valley with a classic car and a private guide.

Foot operated hand sanitizer dispenser at the entrance gate.
Hand sanitizer dispenser at Chateau de Chenonceau during the Covid19 restrictions.  Indre et Loire, France. Photographed by Susan Walter. Tour the Loire Valley with a classic car and a private guide.

Servants' dining room.
Servants dining room, Chateau of Chenonceau, during Covid19 restrictions.  Indre et Loire, France. Photographed by Susan Walter. Tour the Loire Valley with a classic car and a private guide.

The mirror in the print and etchings room.
Mirror in the print and etchings room, Chateau of Chenonceau, during Covid19 restrictions.  Indre et Loire, France. Photographed by Susan Walter. Tour the Loire Valley with a classic car and a private guide.

A wild flower meadow in the kitchen and cutting garden. 
I suspect the gardeners sowed this as a cover crop for while they were on furlough.
Wild flower meadow in the cutting and kitchen garden, Chateau of Chenonceau, during the Covid19 restrictions.  Indre et Loire, France. Photographed by Susan Walter. Tour the Loire Valley with a classic car and a private guide.

The Chateau of Chenonceau reflected in the River Cher.
Chateau de Chenonceau reflected in the River Cher during the Covid19 restrictions.  Indre et Loire, France. Photographed by Susan Walter. Tour the Loire Valley with a classic car and a private guide.


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For details of our private guided tours of chateaux, gardens, wineries, markets and more please visit the Loire Valley Time Travel website. We would be delighted to design a tour for you.

We are also on Instagram, so check us out to see a regularly updated selection of our very best photos. 

Monday 15 June 2020

Pavlova with Red Fruits


Photographed by Susan Walter. Tour the Loire Valley with a classic car and a private guide.
Cherries from our orchard. This is a late variety called 'Giant' that I used on the pavlova.

Pavlova is a classic Australian dessert, which once you have the knack of making, is remarkably easy.

Cooked and photographed by Susan Walter. Tour the Loire Valley with a classic car and a private guide.

Ingredients
3 egg whites
175 g caster sugar
1 tbsp red fruit coulis
250 g fromage blanc battu, mascarpone or whipped cream (or a mixture of two)
250 g fresh fruit (I used a sliced nectarine and cherries for this one)

Method
  1. Line a baking sheet with silicone mat or baking paper.
  2. Heat the oven to 120C.
  3. Use a stand mixer with balloon whisk to whisk the egg whites, starting at a medium low speed for 30 seconds, then beating on the highest speed for two minutes until stiff.
  4. Slowly whisk in the sugar.
  5. Fold the fruit coulis in by hand using a metal spoon.
  6. Tip the meringue on to the lined baking sheet and gently spread out into a thick rimmed shallow bowl shape, about 20 cm diameter.
  7. Bake for an hour, checking periodically. If the meringue browns, crack open the oven door to lower the heat but continue the drying process.
  8. Remove from the oven and leave sit for 10 minutes before carefully lifting off the silicone and on to a plate (use a cake slice or palette knife to run under the pavlova and make sure it comes free).
  9. When the meringue has cooled completely, fill the centre with the fromage blanc or cream.
  10. Decorate with the fruit. Serves 6.
Cooked and photographed by Susan Walter. Tour the Loire Valley with a classic car and a private guide.

The cherries were home grown, from our orchard. The eggs came from a local poultry farm, who have a stand at the market in Preuilly on Thursdays. The fromage blanc battu (one of the most delicious substances on Earth...) comes from a local dairy farm, who delivers twice a week to our door.

Yum

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For details of our private guided tours of chateaux, gardens, wineries, markets and more please visit the Loire Valley Time Travel website. We would be delighted to design a tour for you.

We are also on Instagram, so check us out to see a regularly updated selection of our very best photos. 

Sunday 14 June 2020

The Coathanger


Sydney Harbour Bridge. Australia.  Indre et Loire, France. Photographed by Susan Walter. Tour the Loire Valley with a classic car and a private guide.

Sydney's iconic Harbour Bridge, taken in 2002.


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For details of our private guided tours of chateaux, gardens, wineries, markets and more please visit the Loire Valley Time Travel website. We would be delighted to design a tour for you.

We are also on Instagram, so check us out to see a regularly updated selection of our very best photos. 

Saturday 13 June 2020

Coming Down the Mountain


These are some pictures of our route down the Pyrenees above Bera in Navarre in Spain. We'd gone up for a picnic in the mountains, just randomly choosing roads that looked like they might go somewhere interesting, in September last year. Our little hired Fiat 500 coped admirably. Goodness only knows what would have happened if we'd met anyone coming the other way though.

Descending a narrow road in Navarre, Spain.  Indre et Loire, France. Photographed by Susan Walter. Tour the Loire Valley with a classic car and a private guide.

Descending a narrow road in Navarre, Spain.  Indre et Loire, France. Photographed by Susan Walter. Tour the Loire Valley with a classic car and a private guide.

Descending a narrow road in Navarre, Spain.  Indre et Loire, France. Photographed by Susan Walter. Tour the Loire Valley with a classic car and a private guide.

Descending a narrow road in Navarre, Spain.  Indre et Loire, France. Photographed by Susan Walter. Tour the Loire Valley with a classic car and a private guide.


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For details of our private guided tours of chateaux, gardens, wineries, markets and more please visit the Loire Valley Time Travel website. We would be delighted to design a tour for you.

We are also on Instagram, so check us out to see a regularly updated selection of our very best photos. 

Friday 12 June 2020

The Church at Marce sur Esves


We approached the church from the north.
Church of Saint Martin, Marce sur Esves.  Indre et Loire, France. Photographed by Susan Walter. Tour the Loire Valley with a classic car and a private guide.

On one of our post lockdown exploratory outings we came across the church of Saint Martin in Marcé sur Esves. On the outside it is a small Romanesque building, old and cute, but very little to give away the surprises inside. But ever alert to something different, I noticed that the chapel window on the north side was coloured. Intriguing...

 The simple Romanesque doorway, with its marvellously ancient and beat up door.
Romanesque doorway, Saint Martin's Church, Marce sur Esves.  Indre et Loire, France. Photographed by Susan Walter. Tour the Loire Valley with a classic car and a private guide.

The church has a porch and a very charmingly aged main entrance. We were delighted to find that the door was unlocked and we stepped inside. Initially the view is disappointing. A very plain interior, with rickety uncomfortable looking pews and a couple of unpromising looking statues. Ho hum...

 The small and simple church building, with porch and belltower.
Romanesque church of Saint Martin, Marce sur Esves.  Indre et Loire, France. Photographed by Susan Walter. Tour the Loire Valley with a classic car and a private guide.

Undetered we ventured further inside and soon discovered the reason the church was so dark inside, even on a bright sunny day. The tiny Romanesque windows have all been painted in modern designs by artist Nobert Pagé. They are, the church blurb informed us, unique in the world. They give the church a very striking glowing low light, and I immediately liked them. I am always pleased to encounter a church that isn't stuck in a timewarp and is actively supporting contemporary artists.

 The very plain and simple interior.
Interior of Saint Martin's Church, Marce sur Esves.  Indre et Loire, France. Photographed by Susan Walter. Tour the Loire Valley with a classic car and a private guide.

Then I noticed that the altar is modern too -- very simple and in keeping with the older parts of the church as they now look, but clearly a crisp new contemporary design. I thoroughly approved.

The altar.
Altar, Saint Martin's Church, Marce sur Esves.  Indre et Loire, France. Photographed by Susan Walter. Tour the Loire Valley with a classic car and a private guide.

This little church, in the middle of nowhere, was the highlight of our outing. It made a great impression on us.

One of the painted glass windows, depicting the crucifixion.
Crucifixion, painted glass window, Saint Martin's Church, Marce sur Esves.  Indre et Loire, France. Photographed by Susan Walter. Tour the Loire Valley with a classic car and a private guide.

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The church was constructed in the 11th and 12th centuries, then enlarged in the 15th and 16th centuries. It was given in 1080 to the Abbey of Noyers by the Knight of Montbazon who had become a monk at the monastery in Noyers.

The chapel.
Chapel, Church of Saint Martin, Marce sur Esves.  Indre et Loire, France. Photographed by Susan Walter. Tour the Loire Valley with a classic car and a private guide.

In the crossing in the middle of the church the square ribbed vault was rebuilt in the 13th century to support the bell tower above it. It's in the Angevine style, where the ribs finish on monster headed capitals in an arrangement seen all over Poitou from the 12th century. The chapel on one side was built in the 15th century by the Lords of la Louère, and features ribbed vaulting with a hanging key. The apse is from the second half of the XIIth century (1150-1180) built on a semicircular plan but trapezoidal inside. The nave is from the 11th century, more rustic than the choir, having been built by two or three monks sent from the Abbey of Noyers. The carpentry and panelled wooden ceiling is modern. The semi-circular door has two scrolls, the second of which meets small columns. The church houses ten stained glass windows by Nobert Pagé (1938-2012), installed between 2002 and 2003. The porch dates from the 17th century.

The belltower.
Church of Saint Martin, Marce sur Esves.  Indre et Loire, France. Photographed by Susan Walter. Tour the Loire Valley with a classic car and a private guide.

Also in the 17th century, in 1643, one of the locals, Claude Sauvageau, departed to live in Nouvelle France (better known today as Quebec). He died there in 1663 and there is a memorial to him next to the church. Inside the church the rosary of one of his descendants is on display.


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For details of our private guided tours of chateaux, gardens, wineries, markets and more please visit the Loire Valley Time Travel website. We would be delighted to design a tour for you.

We are also on Instagram, so check us out to see a regularly updated selection of our very best photos.