La Grande Roue as seen from Tuileries Gardens.
A Peek at the Wheel
France
Chateaux – Cheverny
This is the first post using a new MacBookPro. It has taken several days to get all the photos and editing software installed and set up the way I like it. Today we have had heavy rain which is badly needed here in California. The rain reminded me of our recent time in the Loire Valley where it rained every day. One of the wettest was when we toured Cheverny. The chateau is still owned by descendents of the original builders, the Hurault family and is beautifully maintained.
Château de Chenonceau
Another rainy day in the Loire Valley visiting Chateau de Chenonceau. It is located on the river Cher and built in 1513 by Katherine Briçonnet. The rooms were spectacularly furnished.
Leonardo’s Gun
Leonardo’s da Vinci moved to Le Chateau du Clos Luce which is in Amboise, France. On the grounds are replicas of many of his inventions. I wasn’t aware that he designed a machine gun but he did and here it is.
Sunflowers
In the Loire Valley we saw several fields of sunflowers as we were driving around. After ignoring them for a couple days we had a stormy afternoon with heavy rain that provided a background to highlight them well enough.
Battlement
The Chateau De la Barre has been in the Vanssay family since the 1400’s and was our home base while touring the Loire Valley. One of the remaining battlements that still exists on the property is shown here about to catch the morning light.
Loire Valley Morning
After touring Normandy we rented a car and drove to the Chateau De la Barre near Saint Calais in the Loire Valley. This was our first morning taken from the window in our room.
Guns of Longues-sur-Mer
This 150MM German gun is located on a cliff near the town of Longues-sur-Mer overlooking the beaches of Normandy and were used to fire on the ships during the invasion. Town mayors, after the war, were allowed by the government to remove any metal, equipment, food, materials, etc. and sell/use the items for the good of the people. The mayor of Longues sur Mer decided to leave the guns intact as a monument to the hostilities.
Sainte Marie Du Mont
Sainte Marie Du Mont, as depicted in the television series Band of Brothers, was the first village to be liberated in Normandy during the D-Day invasion in 1944. The Germans used this church steeple for an observation post on D Day but they were removed by well placed US artillery. The steeple was repaired in 1946. 
Omaha Beach
This pier is located near the small town of Vierville-sur-Mer and is at the west end of Omaha Beach. Just to the right of the pier is where elements of the US Army 5 Corps landed on D Day.
