The Medieval Town and Castle of Loches - Part 1

Monday morning we enjoyed hot tea and baguettes with butter for breakfast in the cottage and then drove into Loches to tour the medieval town and castle that the modern town has grown up around.

Loches, with a population of 7,000, is picturesquely situated above the Indre, a left-bank tributary of the Loire. On the hill above the town is the Medieval City (Cité Médiévale), surrounded by a circuit of walls 2km/1.5mi long. This town within a town is entered through the Porte Royale, a fortified gate which was once approached by a drawbridge.

And that's where we first see Cindy and her mom, first in a photo and then in a video clip.

Now, here's a map of the Medieval City. We'll enter through the Porte Royale (as seen above) and explore the Donjon during this first part. In part 2 we'll tour the Church of St-Ours and Logis Royal, both rich in history.

Here are a couple of photos of the exterior of the Donjon and a couple of videos. The first video is the exterior of the Donjon and the second is my on-camera talent, Cindy, giving a short history of the Donjon. I apologize in advance for the sound of the wind on the built-in microphone.

Here we are inside at the entrance to the Donjon (also known as "the keep") and this suit of armor looks to be trying to put the moves on my mother-in-law.

Going down to the dungeon and torture rooms.

Cindy looks like a jailer, satisfied that she has her prisoner in the bowels of the keep.

Here I am, in irons and struggling to escape.

Cindy standing in a fireplace.

This is the graffiti room, where prisoners had carved various things into the walls.

I just liked the way the light came through the gate into the room on this one.

Next, it was time to climb to the top. Again, the stairs are circular and tight. Here's the view from the top down the stairs.

Below are 3 photos from the top and a video taken at the top. Apologies again for the sound of the wind on the built-in microphone.

The next photo is from the top looking down. You'll see a white Fleur-De-Lis. That marks the spot where I'm standing in the photo following this one and shows the spot where I was standing to take that shot.

The black Fleur-De-Lis in this photo shows where I was standing to take the shot above.

Cindy, standing in one of the arches overlooking the area outside the Donjon.

Wrapping up our tour of the Donjon.

This kicks off our week of castles, castles and nothing but castles. So if you plan on returning, do what I did and learn to love them...or at least endure them.

Next post: The Medieval Town and Castle of Loches - Part 2