Here I'm standing at the base of the 11th century donjon (keep) at the Château de Loches, looking up. This is a view of the exterior. Visitors can go inside the castle and climb up a modern stair built inside to get views of the surrounding region from the top. The tower is 36 meters (118 feet) tall.
Try scaling those castle walls! Donjon de Loches, May 2006.
There's a lot to see inside the castle, too. It's a paid entry, but well worth it, unless you're mobility impaired. There are many stairs up and down inside the walls and towers that make access difficult. I read on the website that wheelchairs can access the ground floor, but that's about it.
No lift, I am not doing it. I can't see how anyone could scale the wall and note the apertures for pouring out boiling oil and shooting sharp things at the assailants. Some birds seem to be flying around, ready for the victims among the attacking party.
ReplyDeleteSuch beautiful curving stone work. I love climbing towers to see the views.
ReplyDeleteCompletely irrelevant factoid: in one episode of the programme Who Do You Think You Are?, Loches featured as the prison in which a Huguenot ancestor of the actor Derek Jacobi ("I Claudius", among many others) was incarcerated before being able to take refuge in England.
ReplyDeleteOhhhh, this is a fabulous photo, Walt! I'm just starting my Val de Loire unit in French 4, so, once again, your photo will be making an appearance on Zoom! LOL
ReplyDeleteandrew, haha!
ReplyDeletemitch, it's a nice reward for doing all that work.
autolycus, there were prisoners there in the castle's history, including Englishmen during the American Revolutionary War, according to Wikipedia.
judy, cool!
Fascinating history to this one; if the walls could talk!
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