About us

We're a couple in our early thirties who are just starting to make a life together here in France. Kelly's lived here on and off for about 2 years now whereas I've only just arrived. Prior to coming to France, we've lived in several countries including the U.S., Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Singapore and Malaysia, our country of birth.

Both of us are very outgoing, enjoy making new friends, movies, music, fine food and outdoor sports (Go Barcelona!).

Having travelled extensively, we're both very open minded and are multilingual (english, and some french, italian, spanish and chinese). Don't hesitate to send an email if you'd like to find out more about us! (That's us on the far right in the photo below.)

Things to Do?

Well, where do we start.... In the city of Tours itself, there's already so much to see and do. There is an endless number of lovely cafes and inexpensive restaurants serving mouth-watering French food and other international cuisine. There are antique stores abound and a wide variety of stores selling artisanal food products native to the region. A small sample of fantastic, historical and interesting places in the city include:

• Cathedrale Saint-Gatien
• Musee des Beaux-Arts (with the giant cedar tree from Napoleon's time shown in the photo below)
• Musee des Mini-Chateaux
• Place Plumereau (with a square filled with sidewalk cafes occupying old-style Touraine buildings reminiscent of the Swiss/English/German Tudor style; see photo below)
  

Given that Tours is in the heart of the Loire Valley, we are ideally situated for day trips to the various chateaux located around us. You have the magnificient Chambord, Chenonceau, Orleans and Amboise to the east, Saumur and Chinon to the west.

As time goes on, Kelly and I will start writing more blogs specializing on specific places of interest within and around Tours. There are way more places than we can mention here so in the meantime, please contact us if you're interested in staying with us and require more information.

The living room

A large, luminous room, our living room faces lovely rue Colbert. From the two balconies, you can look down rue Colbert and enjoy the sights, sounds and aroma wafting in from the restaurants and cafes down the street. We've filled our balconies with potted floral and herbal plants, including mint, basil, thyme and rosemary. Wait till you try Kelly's Morrocan mint tea made with our own home-grown mint leaves!

Our Surroundings

"Are you familiar with the land which has been called the Garden of France, a land where the air is pure and the landscape a tender green, graced by a great and noble river? If, during the summer months, you were given an opportunity to travel through beautiful Touraine, you would follow the lazy meanderings of the Loire with delight, and you would be in a quandary indeed, not knowing which of the two banks to choose as your place of residence, to which you could retreat with your loved one, away from the bustle of mankind." Alfred de Vigny - Cinq-Mars (1826).

We're situated on a tranquil street next to charming old rue Colbert, one of the main cobblestone streets left over from medieval times. Now, as in back then, rue Colbert is a corridor that is lined with special one-off artisanal stores selling the best that the Loire Valley can offer (candies, jams, spreads, wines, wines, sparkling wine, etc.), amazing restaurants and bars, as well as the usual amenities such as laundromats, clinic, hair salons, internet cafes, bookstores, post office, etc.

Centrally located, our apartment is easily accessible by car, bicycle or even on foot. We're literally a stone's throw from the Cathedral St. Gatien, the Musee des Beaux-Arts, and Place Francois Sicard, a beautiful small park. On foot, it will take you 7 minutes to get to us from the Train station, 5 minutes from rue National (the main shopping strip in downtown Tours) and 1 minute from the antique stores on rue de Scellerie.

Bedroom and Facilities

You'll get to enjoy a brightly-lit, clean bedroom brand new furnishings including a queen-sized bed and linen. Your window is vis-a-vis a pleasant building across a quiet, cobblestone street. This side of the apartment is particularly tranquil as the Clinic Saint-Gatien is just a few hundred metres away.

The room comes complete with a study desk and free internet access (wi-fi) should you decide to do some work while you're here.

Wondering what else you get with your room? How about:

• A lively, safe neighbourhood
• A bright, spacious sunny apartment on a renovated old building with traditional Touraine-style wooden beams on the ceiling
• Shared bathroom; separate toilet (WC)
• Free 24-hour internet access (Wi-Fi) and cable TV
• Use of a fully-equipped kitchen
• Access to washing-machine
• Fresh linens and towels provided
• Access to our bicycles