PROGRAMME
11:00 a.m.
Meet at the Tourist Office for a sightseeing of Tours in the small tourist
train of the city. You will discover along the boulevards, the Railway station
and the Town Hall, beautiful XIXth century monuments, then around the Châteauneuf area,
you will see the Saint Martin Basilica, in which the grave of the Saint is kept, the Clock
tower and the Charlemagne Tower (short stop); then driving through the area called "Old
Tours", admire the famous "Place Plumereau" with its nice timber
framed houses ; continue towards the "Place Foire le Roi" and "rue
Colbert" ; finally, along the Loire river, you will discover the Gallo-Roman area
with the Royal castle, the Saint Gatien cathedral, the archbishop’s
palace…(stop). Way back to the Tourist Office.
12:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Lunch in a Tours town centre restaurant.
2:45 p.m. Visit of the "MUSEE DU
COMPAGNONNAGE" in Tours. Unique in the world. Located inside the reception room
(XIth c.) and monks' dormitory (XVth c.) of the former Saint Julien abbey. This museum
tells the history, customs, and techniques of these training associations which also
defended the workers rights. You will discover a great variety of crafts still existing or
having disappeared, (locksmiths, confectioners, carpenters, roofers, etc.), tools, all
sorts of masterworks the "Compagnons" had to create to deserve their
title and honour "the fine work".
4:00 p.m.
Guided visit of a bakery "Au Vieux Four". Located inside a
XVIth century house, this bakery can be considered as a museum. You will be greeted with
the nice flavour of bread, by a baker born of a 10 generation lineage of bakers, you will
discover all sorts of old tools, the last oven working with wood in the region
(1930’s), the bread history… You will taste the famous speciality called
"fouace", Rabelais used to evoke in one of the chapters of his novel
"Gargantua" during the XVIth century. Four centuries later, this delicious
"patisserie" is still made with the same recipe. A drink : fruit juice or coffee
will be served with this delicacy.
End of the day around 5:00 p.m.
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