Angers is a city in the North-West of France, located in the beautiful Loire Valley. Angers is home to Angers Castle (Château d'Angers) and the magnificent Apocalypse Tapestry (Tapisserie de l'Apocalypse).
I visited the Château d'Angers in March 2019 with my boyfriend. If you are an EU citizen under 25 you can visit the castle and tapestry for free. A full price ticket is 9€ to see the castle and the amazing tapestry. My boyfriend and I had an hour and a half to explore the chateau. The castle was built in 1230 as fortress because of its location above the river Maine, but the location was occupied as early as 4000 B.C. Angers Castle was in the Anjou family; it was occupied by the Dukes of Anjou in the 14th and 15th centuries. More about the fascinating history of the castle can be found on their official website. 

The château d'Angers has amazing gardens which sadly we didn’t have enough time to explore. One of the exhibitions in the castle was a cabinet of curiosities which is spread over two floors and shows various things the Anjou family has collected over the years. They were divided into categories such as seashells, precious stones, maps and globes and rare objects. But the most important and exciting exhibition was the Tapestry of the Apocalypse.

​The main exhibition, which you should not miss if you are visiting Angers Castle is the beautiful Apocalypse Tapestry. We had half an hour to look at it, which wasn’t enough time. I was disappointed by the fact that there wasn’t any information in the room. Even in my leaflet about the castle, I did not see anything about the tapestry. And I had so many questions. Thus, after my visit I went to the shop and bought The Apocalypse Tapestry of Angers book by Liliane Delwasse which explains the history of the tapestry as well as each scene depicted on this masterpiece. Having more than 80 scenes from the Apocalypse, the tapestry is the largest one in Europe.
 
Brief History of the Tapestry of the Apocalypse
The Apocalypse Tapestry was commissioned in 1373 by Louis I of Anjou. It is divided in 6 panels each describing a stage of the Apocalypse. It took many years before the Tapestry of the Apocalypse was displayed in Angers castle. The tapestry was first displayed at the wedding of Louis II of Anjou to Yolande of Aragon in 1400. When Louis XI of France conquered Anjou (the province of Angers) in 1474, King René, son of Louis II gifted the tapestry to Angers Cathedral out of fear that the new king might want to take it with him. The Apocalypse Tapestry began to lose its glory and appeal during the following centuries. So much so that during the French Revolution it was even put on sale. However, it remained unsold and abandoned. It was cut and used for various purposes of the everyday life and some pieces went missing until 1848 when Canon Joubert, the custodian of the Saint-Maurice Cathedral found it and decided to restore it. The Apocalypse Tapestry was then exhibited at the Universal Exhibition of 1867. Finally, in 1905 after the separation of church and state in France, the tapestry was sent back to the Château d’Angers but due to lack of space it could not be displayed. In 1952 it was decided that a gallery would be purpose-built to host the tapestry. In 1996 the Apocalypse Tapestry was put on display again this time at Angers Castle.
 
The panels
The first panel depicts scenes of Christ with members of the church and apostles who have been redeemed through prayer. Who do you think the victor riding the white horse in the scene below is? Some think it is Louis I of Anjou himself.  

The second panel shows how the Apocalypse unfolds as seen from the sky. The panel depicts how humanity is being warned by different means that the Apocalypse is coming.​ One of the scenes shows a shipwreck and an angel announcing the Apocalypse with a trumpet. 

Photos Credit: T

I am super excited to be nominated for the Versatile Blogger Award by Raheela James from Mommy’s Business 101. This is my first ever blogger award and I was very surprised to see that I was nominated. This award only shows that my blogging efforts are recognised, and my small blog is read by other bloggers! I am very grateful to be part of such an amazing and supporting blogging community.
 
Thank you, Raheela James for the nomination! You can check her post about the Versatile Blogger Award here and don’t forget to check the rest of her blog. 
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Versatile Blogger Award Rules
1. Thank the person who nominated you.
2. Link to the blog of the person who nominated you.
3. Write 7 facts about yourself.
4. Nominate 15 more bloggers for the Versatile Blogger Award.

​ Here are my 7 facts:

1. I was born on Friday 13th, so I consider it a lucky day!
2. I am from a small, cute town called Dryanovo, which is located in the centre of Bulgaria.
3. I played piano for 3 years in middle school and I dreamed of becoming a professional pianist. Instead I studied Business and now I am a marketeer and a blogger.
4. I used to write poetry and essays in high school and to participate in different literature competitions. I won a second place in a poetry competition and a first place in an essay contest.
5. I have lived in 3 countries so far – Bulgaria, Scotland and the Netherlands.
6. I love travelling as you might guess from my blog. If I have the opportunity I like to go on trips once a month.
7. I love dancing. I have attended dance classes since I was 9. I started with modern ballet classes, then ballroom dancing and salsa. Now I am going to a Bulgarian folklore dance class.

 I want to nominate the following bloggers for this award. These are bloggers I got to know in the past few months on Twitter and Facebook. I have read many of their amazing posts and have admired their progress. Check their blogs as well, you won’t be disappointed. 

1. Life is a festival 
2. Irma Naan World 
3. Aesthetics by Alexx 
4. Authentically Average 
5. Brianna Marie Lifestyle 
6. Steph Loves 
7. Diary of a Spanish Girl 
8. Hacky Tips
9. Earthly Mama 
10. The Prepping Wife 
11. Awkward for Days 
12. Hannah Sarah 
13. Sofia Adventures 
14. The Boozy Housewife 
15. Little Big Traveler 

 
Nominated bloggers
I would love to read 7 facts about you, if you decide to accept the award. Please link to my blog in your post. If you don’t wish to do a post like this, that is fine. I am happy to have the opportunity to nominate you.
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I hope you enjoyed reading my facts, and please check out the wonderful blogs of the bloggers I nominated.

​Planning a ski holiday means a lot of preparation and many new things to buy for the first-timer skiers. It can be a bit daunting even if you like packing. There is always a chance that you might forget something important. Last month I went skiing for the first time and I did not know how and what to pack. I started by creating my first ski holiday packing checklist. Here is my final list with all the essentials you might need on your next ski trip.

​Clothes
Waterproof Ski jacket
Waterproof Ski trousers
Ski gloves
Ski socks or hiking socks (for your ski boots)
Fleece and thermal trousers
Warm hat
Thermal t-shirt
 
Ski Equipment
You can hire equipment from the ski resort but if you want to bring with you here are some essentials.
Ski boots
Ski in a ski bag
Helmet
Ski googles/sunglasses
Poles
Small rucksack for the day
Water bottle
 
Other essentials
Lift passes (purchased from the resort)
Insurance
Ski school (if you are a beginner)
Mobile charger and external battery
Travel Documents (passports, travel tickets, hotel information)
Driving license, GPS (if you are hiring a car)
 
I hope that this ski holiday packing list will help you when you start planning your next ski trip.