Blois is fairly small compared to Nantes and both its attractions to us are right next to each other. And there's nowhere to eat near the hotel (which is just next to the station.) In a way it reminds me of the historical French equivalent of Glen Innes.
The point to staying here is that it's central to the Chateaus of the Loire valley. We plan on day trips to Tours and Orleans (so it's handy that we're just across from the station.)
I'll digress here just to point out how amazing the French train system has been, especially for those with minimal French. I was able to book our train tickets on the net, but collect them at the station from a automated ticket machine, just by using the same credit card. C'est magnifique!
We immediately availed ourselves of the first major attraction in Bloyes - the Robert-Houdin Maison de la Magir. Robert-Houdin was the father of modern stage magic,and a personal hero of mine and the museum devoted to his memory is absolutely delightful.
For a start it has - ah, but I'll save that for when I can embed a YouTube video. Instead, as I'm composing this on my iPhone I'll attach a couple of photos at the end.
The museum has it's own live magic show (which was delightful), a room devoted to optical illusions, an exhibition of puppetry, a floor devoted to Robert-Houdin himself (who had a fully automated house a century before Bill Gates) and finally - the Hallucinoscope, which is hard to describe, but entails walking through a darkened exhibit wearing mirrors under your eyes that reflect the ceiling - do it created the illusion of walking underwater.
Another wonderful, one of a kind experience from France!
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