PEEPS OF FRANCE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3882, 7 August 1928, Page 78

PEEPS OF FRANCE.

(Special for the Otago Witness.) These articles, from the pen of a New Zealand girl, who has gone to France to complete her education, have been specially written for my Little Folk. We hope that after reading them, you will have a new idea of a country which, to many of you, is known only as another place to be learned about in a geography lesson.—DOT. XXVII. CANNES. Mes Petites, ; —In my last letter I told you a little of Touraine—the “ Garden of France ” —with its beautiful rambling roses and wealth of flowers and fruit, and the green meadows where the poppies spring up everywhere among the corn, and the buttercups and daisies make great gold and white patches by the roadsides.

Of course, the sight io see at Tours is the cathedral, and from the tower there is a magnificent view to be had of the city itself, and of the Loire. The cathedral, of course, is very old, and full of interesting* little Hooks and corners—with beautiful stonework and lovely stained glass windows.

At Joue les Tours, two or three miles from Tours itself, I visited a beautiful country estate, in the grounds of which stood an old stone tower on a rise overlooking the plain beyond and facing Tours.

This old tower, it is believed, was used by Louis XI as a place of prayer, and some say that there was a secret passage underground connecting it with Tours. Louis XI used to come through this secret passage to his tower. This, of course, was centuries ago, and still

the tower stands, with an old iron staircase winding round the outer wall leading to its turreted tower, with red roses climbing all over the railings—a lovely spot.

In summer time Tours, as I told you, is rather dusty, and the shops a little on the “ pokey ” side. The surrounding countryside, however, is perfectly delightful, and there are all sorts of interesting places to visit not very far away by car.

One of these old historic spots, Loches, ■is particularly interesting. Here is one of the old chateaux of. which you may read some day, and possibly see—the lovely “ Chateaux of the Loire.”

These chateaux are built, as a rule, in grey or greyish stone, with towers and balconies, and a great deal of ornament on the outside. They have a stately beauty and charm all of their own, and the old gardens surrounding them are so quaint, with closely clipped yew hedges and trim little garden beds, stone terraces, and lovely avenues of shady trees. •

The chateau at Loches is a particularly interesting one, and the chapel anil dungeons near by are well worth vioiting, too—frightfully griin-looking places with barred windows and tremendously thick stone walls, and no light anywhere.

In some of these dungeons are terrible oubliettes, ’ or deep pits, into which the unfortunate prisoners used to fall in the dark—about GO feet—landing on sharp spikes at the bottom. Our guide told us that eight skeletons had '’been found at the bottom of the particular oubliette which he showed us. As for the torture chambers, also underground, they must have been verv terrible and sinister places, The tortures, I understand, used to be carried on in the early days practically in the dark, or at least, by dim candle light, and the sufferings of the poor victims must have been very dreadful inde.ed. Sometimes men were imprisoned for years and years in these dreadful dungeons—so long that when they were released they were quite grey' haired. It is a wonder anybody came‘out alive at all, and it makes one wonder how the poor unfortunates managed to keep sane under such gruesome conditions. Another quaint old chateau which we visited was at Villandey, a dear old place on the Cher, a beautiful river not far from the Loire. This chateau also was very' picturesque and charming, and the drive along the river bank was delightful, with the lovely' green willows and the poplar plantations reflected in the clear, shining waters. As we passed by' we saw in one spot by the water an old mill worked bv the movement of the water—a real* oldfashioned water mill, in fact, now out of date. These mills are still to be found occasionally in France, and are so intei esting to see. The one we saw was actually at work grinding flour, and it made us think of the old nurserv son",

There was a jolly miller once Lived on the River Dee. Only this particular river happened to be the Cher, and not the Dee, while the miller himself did not appear to be on view. Nevertheless, we loved our drive, and for sheer scenic beauty Toulaine is one of the pick spots of France. Let me recommend it to you for your trip—particularly in summer time, when the woods and fields are at their prettiest and the whole countryside is at its best —Yours, Jeanne.