Technical Difficulties

We have been absent from the blog because we have had major computer/technical problems.  We've gone from good entries---(complete with informative clever witty description and photos)... to not-so-good-entries--(photos only and/or words only)...to
no entries (no photos, no words, no blog) 

So, after countless hours and much frustration, we have started a new blog (hence, the name "The French Connection---TAKE TWO"  We hope this will work...but, at this point we are not counting on it....

Life was simple before Google changed a few details in their format, infrastructure, and whatever else, making the combination with the photos more difficult (at least for us twowo

If, in the future..if .there are no new updates, you can be sure, we failed AGAIN,

But, to catch you up---Once we left the castle, Chenenonceau, on the River Cher in the Loire Valley, which housed royalty from the 1500's until the beginning of the 1700's.  Since then ...it has had different owners and has housed notable writers, poets, scientists, and philosphers.  The walls were covered with portraits of many "greats of French history" and the beauty of the surrounds is still amazing.

The city of Angers ("on-jay") where we stayed in an 1846 built hotel, is another historical wonder.  As "young Americans" we still marvel at the sheer age of buildings and the realization of the history all around us.

We especially enjoyed the tapestry which was started in 1375 and probably completed in 1382 (yes, that is 1382).  It measures about 315 feet long  by  about 14+feet high. The scenes are illustraion of the Apocalypse according to Saint John (the text dates from the 1st century AD)  It represents the ravages of wars, and yet ends with the happy ending of John's Revelation, with Jesus Christ as the Ultimate Conqueror!