O'er The Ramparts We Watched

The medieval city of Loches is perched high on a bluff overlooking the valley of the Indre River. The bluff is surrounded by walls that formed the defense of the city. On the south end is the old castle, whose donjon tower still stands. It's great fun to explore with caves and towers and artifacts from the old days. You can climb the 160 steps to the top of the eleventh century donjon for unobstructed views of the surrounding countryside.

"Hello down there!" "Hello up there!"

On the north end is the newer Renaissance château, also a nice place to tour, with great views of the newer town down below. The ramparts surrounding the medieval city measure about one kilometer in length and have only two gates allowing entrance to the city.

I have no idea who the people in this picture are, but I think it's cool how it looks like the two women are trying to communicate. I don't remember if they actually were talking (or shouting) or if this was just a coincidence.

In more timely news, today is the last day of the hunting season. On my walk with Callie this morning I could hear the hounds barking, the hunters shouting, the horns blowing, and the guns going off. Callie flushed two deer out of the vineyard. The sun is bright in a clear but very cold morning sky. I could hear a train in the distance, and woodpeckers doing their thing on trees. All the little puddles are iced over. It was a nice walk.