With only days to go, Amboise might still be lucky enough to have a White Christmas. If not, pop into the Château Royal d'Amboise. It has one. And very pretty it is too. Well worth the visit.

In 1558, when the dauphin married Mary, Queen of Scots, Henry II considered his son to be the dauphin of Scotland. Official documents were headed ‘King and Queen Dauphins of Scotland, England and Ireland’.

Sighs of relief all round in Amboise. The prestigious Gustave Eiffel hangar near the station has been saved.

The vole has a rounder head than the mouse and a bigger, sturdier looking body. Muscular even. The mouse has much bigger ears (think Mickey Mouse) bigger eyes and longer tail than the vole.

Barcelona, Brussels, Geneva, Miami, Montreal, New Orleans, New York, Seoul, Shanghai, Tokyo, Venice, Washington and Finland all have his creations. Now Bout des Ponts has one too.

Although known locally as The Museum, its official title is Le Musée-Hôtel Morin. Built between 1501 and 1505 at the flowering of the French Renaissance, this was one of the first permanent monuments in Amboise.

This guide was written with two kinds of photographer in mind: The new camera owner and the mobile phone photographer transitioning to a larger format camera. It introduces the reader to the principles of photography in easy to read non-technical language.