Friday 14 October 2011

The Valley of the Loire




The Loire Valley is understandably best known for the wonderful châteaux built along the banks, many of the most impressive ones dating from when the French kings started building their own here.  But the whole of the mid-section of the Loire Valley, between Sully sur Loire and Chalonnes sur Loire, is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

As the committee said the area is made up of "historic cities and villages, great architectural monuments - the Châteaux - and lands that have been cultivated and shaped by centuries of interaction between local populations and their physical environment, in particular the Loire itself".

People tend to forget everything other than the most famous châteaux but there is far more to the area.  Here are three cards to celebrate the river itself which shaped the history of the Garden of France.

This is a post for Postcard Friendship Friday hosted on Beth Niquette's blog The Best Hearts are Crunchy.

8 comments:

  1. Wonderful cards. We do forget there is a reason why people settle in a place! Rivers are so important. Great *history* moment! Happy PFF!

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  2. WoW! The 3rd Postcard looks almost like South East Asia!

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  3. You're right...I always think of Chateaus, which only interest me a little bit. Your post makes me want to go there.

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  4. I agree w/ Tony, the 3rd postcard looked like somewhere in Vietman to me.

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  5. I, for one, know nothing more than the chateaus! Riverine life in France is almost similar to the Mekong countries. When visiting a country for the first time, I don't usually rely on travel books because otherwise, I'd be only confined to what the books say. It sometimes pay to go on your own, without the travel guidebooks, go local and explore the country.

    Postcards Crossing

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  6. Wonderful cards! I had to do a double-take though Yesterday I bought a book at the thrift store for $2 - dated 1924 and the title is ... "The Chateaux of the Loire"! It has very beautiful pictures in it, though none are in color. It was really fun to see these cards!
    Happy PFF!!!

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  7. Looks like such a peaceful area. I am guessing that it is wine in the barrels?

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  8. Beautiful cards and I am so fortunate to have visited this area of France. I was constantly enchanted by the scenery.

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Welcome to my postcard collection! I love hearing what you think of the cards - but spam WILL be deleted.

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