Things to Do When You Travel and Go to Tours France

Travel to Tours France. France is a beautiful country known for its great cultural heritage, museums, chateaus, villas, nice architectures, cathedral-basilicas and many religious plus sacred places, foods and the people themselves. If you are visiting France, the capital city is Paris and  you will arrived at the Charles de Gaulle International Airport in Paris if you choose to do so by plane. You can also travel from London by the  Eurostar -- which  is the high-speed passenger train from London to Paris via the Channel Tunnel or the TGV train system. Tours, France is one hour away from Paris, France. Tours is accessible through TGV.

I have the privilege to visit Tours, France free board and lodging plus accommodations because I was chosen to present a research paper. The international gathering is funded by the International Union for the Scientific Study of Population :: Tours, France, 2005 Conference. I extended my stay up to three weeks in Tours, France so I can visit the area.

The place of the conference which I attended was the Vinci Centre across from a railway station and it was surrounded by a trees and a park beside the building. The building -- its architecture is very nice as the roof is overhanging and with glazing, and at night it illuminates like the Pont Wilson.  See the image of Pont Wilson below.

Transport System in France:

• The TGV train is a nice train system when you travel in France and it has a terminal in Tours, then you can also go and visit the nearby chateaus and Loire Valley (Tours is a point to embark when you go to Loire Valley - a tourist destination)
• Plus you can also go to Bordeaux via Tours, and the Mediterranean coast, and from there you can go in Spain -- Barcelona
• From Tours you can also go to Corsica and Marseille.
• Tours has two main stations, a central station and St Pierre Des Corps, which is just outside the center, and is the station which is used by trains that do not terminate in Tours.
• The airport at Tours, Loire valley has a flight to London and Ireland through Irish Airline -- Ryan air.
• Within Tours, there is an efficient bus system which you can use

Experience TGV train to Tours, France From Paris

From the Charles De Gaulle International Airport in Paris, France, I rode the bus and went to the train station, TGV train station and then I verified my ticket to and fro Tours, France. The airport is pretty modern and it is a busy airport. I spend one hour and thirty minutes riding the train and arriving at Tours, France. Like any new to the area, I was little bit apprehensive because I don't know if there are many people there who I can ask, my French language ability is minimal. I was blessed because the hotel I am going to stay is just near the TGV train station, my luggage was heavy, bigger than me.

Location of Tours, France :

• Tours is a city in the central part of France and the capital of the Indre-et-Loire department. It is at the foothill of the river Loire, between Orleans and the coast of the Atlantic. Plus Tours is located between two rivers, the Loire to the north and the Cher to the south. Largest city in the region (central)

What is Tours, France known for?

• France in general is known for the beautiful and magnificent architectural buildings and cathedrals all over France. The Cathedral like the Tours Cathedral which was built in 1547 with the flamboyant Gothic west front with Renaissance pinnacles. The Cathedral de Tours is dedicated to St. Gatien -- its canonized first bishop. Another basilica is the La Basilique Saint Martin de Tours see the image here.
• The region around it is Touraine is famous for its vineyard and wines
• There are various parks located in the Tours city
• Famous for the perfection of their local language ---The inhabitants of Tours (Les Tourangeaux) are renowned for speaking the "purest" form of French in the entire country-- The pronunciation of Touraine is widely regarded as the most standard pronunciation of the language French.
• Famous for the Batte of Tours in 732-- According to different sources "The battle is against Frankish and the Burgundian forces under Austrasian Mayor Charles Matel against an army of the Umayyad -- which was led by their leader Abdul Rahman Al Ghafiqi".
• Historians are debating the importance of this battle -- — for saving Christianity and halting the conquest of Europe by Islam". "There is little dispute that the battle helped lay the foundations of the Carolingian Empire and Frankish domination of Europe for the next century; most historians agree that "the establishment of Frankish power in western Europe shaped that continent's destiny and the Battle of Tours confirmed that power.--

Tours is also known for some Catholic devotees and Holy Man of Tours venerable Leo Dupont.

Tours is a special place for Catholic devotees.It was in 1843 when a Carmelite nun saw a vision which started a vision of the "Holy Face of Jesus" in the event of Jesus many sufferings and passion. The "Golden Arrow Prayer" was first made public by her in Tours. It is also a site for many Catholic pilgrimage.

In the early 19th century, the Venerable Leo Dupont also lived in Tours, France It has been said that "he he started the nightly adoration of the Blessed Sacrament Tours -- 1849. The Oratory of the Holy face on Rue St. Etienne in Tours receives many pilgrims every year. Pope Pius XII formally declared the " Feast of the Holy Face of Jesus as Shrove Tuesday (the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday) for all Roman Catholics".

I don't know if this will push through but the at present time according to different sources  "there is also an attempt by the local and international Muslim community to build one of the largest mosques in Europe, in Tours, adjacent to the site marking Europe's historic victory over Islam". This came to my attention now as in NY, USA there is an attempt to build a mosque near the Ground Zero where many died in 2001.

Pont Wilson

This is a beautiful sight at night specifically when viewed from afar as it illuminates on the river and there is a reflection of the water and the lights combined make It for a perfect tourist attraction or a place to go. Even at daytime the structure is also beautiful

The Jardin Botanique de Tours, France

The Jardin Botanique de Tours which is approximately is a municipal arboretum and botanical garden (almost 5 kms wide). It is free when you want to go, plus it is open daily. It is said to be the oldest garden in the city. The collection of medical and plants which are exotic began with a 2,000 different kinds of it which contains orchard, plants and the garden proper. This is a beautiful place to go on Tours. The garden also contains an orangery, exhibition greenhouses, and a small space for animals.

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The statue of Rene Descartes in Tours, France.

The famous Latin sentence COGITO ERGO SUMwhich means I think, therefore I am was engraved in the statue. This was made in 1848 by Alfred Emile O'Hara which was a count of Nieuwerkerke, and was installed in Tours in 1852. This it said "is a marble copy of a bronze statue made in 1846 for the city of "The Hague, Netherlands".