France 2014: Provins and Fontainbleau, then Home

After 7 glorious weeks in France, we were now on the last leg of our visit.  At the start of our vacation, we arrived in Paris after an overnight red-eye flight and wanted to spend our first night just a short drive away from the airport since we knew we would be tired. When we researched locations to check out near Paris, we were amazed by the number of interesting villages that could be found less than an hour's drive away.  We chose to visit Barbizon at the beginning of our trip, but made plans to save a few days to visit some of the other villages on the way back to Paris.  This also would make it a nice short drive back to the airport when it was time to fly home.

We decided to stay in Melun for a couple of days, using it as a home base from which to take day trips to Provins and Fontainebleau.  Unfortunately this did not give us enough time to explore Melun itself, so most of what we saw there was our hotel.  In our room, we were intrigued by the rainbow-coloured switch that we dubbed the "Gay Pride" switch - we never did find out what it did.  I loved the decor and colour schemes of the dining area where we ate our complementary breakfast each morning.  When traversing from Melun en route to the other villages, we passed through some densely packed tree-lined roads that made for a pretty drive.

Provins is a UNESCO World Heritage site that had a history of hosting Medieval trade shows called the "Champagne Fairs" in the 12th and 13th centuries, where agricultural products, live stock, textiles, leather, fur and spices were sold.  To protect the location of these fairs, 25-meters high fortified walls spanning 5 kilometers were built to surround the town.  Today, 1.2 kilometers of these ramparts, towers, walkways and gate portals still remain, providing one of the most intact showcases of Medieval military architecture.  The towers were built in a variety of shapes including round, rectangular, octagonal, hexagonal, and trapezoidal.

The expansive ramparts were impressive to see from afar, but even more fascinating to walk on top of.  Open to the public, you could traverse along the narrow walkways, climb up and down stone steps to reach each tower platform, and peer through the murder slits to imagine what it would be like to shoot arrows down at oncoming invaders.

In addition to the ramparts, there were many other historic sites and monuments to be found throughout Provins.  The main streets were lined with half-timbered houses and shops. Caesar's Tower was a fortified keep built in the 12th Century and used as a watch tower, prison and bell tower.  From the top floor, you can get a panoramic view of the town. The Saint-Quirace Collegiate Church, found across from Caesar's Tower, was also built in the 12th Century.  It was never completed due to financial difficulties and now there is a big empty square where the rest of the church would have been built.

Today, Provins is primarily a tourism town, taking full advantage of its historic past.  Multiple Medieval shows are presented year-round.  The Eagles of the Ramparts featured birds of prey performing tricks and interacting with horses, wolves and camels.  Legends of the Knights included jousting, trick riding and dressage.  The Banquet of the Troubadours provided a French Medieval feast of vegetable soup, meat pastry, roast meat with vegetables, brie cheese, apple pie and red wine and includes entertainment provided by jugglers, acrobats, fire-eaters and story tellers. We did not have time on this trip to attend any of these shows, but maybe we will have the opportunity to visit again.

Located about 55km southeast of Paris, the Château de Fontainebleau was one of the largest royal residences in France, inhabited almost continuously by every sovereign French monarchs between the 12th through the 19th Centuries, from Louis VII through Napoleon III.  Lesser known and farther afield from Paris than the Palace of Versailles, Fontainebleau Palace is arguably just as impressive, but with the advantage of being much less crowded.  Like Versailles, Fontainebleau is accessible from Paris via train.

Since Fontainebleau had been inhabited by so many different monarchs over the centuries, the halls, galleries and grand apartments contained examples of decor, furnishings, tapestries and artwork from a wide range of monarchs. Passing from room to room, it felt like we were traveling through history.  The Francois I Gallery (1528) was decorated with Italian Renaissance frescoes and sculptures.  We walked through Queen Anne of Austria's bedroom (1601-1666) which included a draped four-post bed, an Officer's Lounge from the era of King Louis XIV (1638-1715) and the bedchamber of King Louis XVI (1754-1793).

Being one of the latter occupants of Fontainebleau, artifacts and furnishings from the time of Napoleon I were numerous and represented by multiple rooms.  This included his military campaign tent, the nursery for his son, his throne room, personal bedrooms, sitting room, and more.  An excellent audio guide provided us with illuminating information throughout our Fontainebleau tour, and was especially fascinating during the Napoleonic sections.  We stood in the small bedchamber where Napoleon tried to commit suicide after being defeated by Allied forces and then moved onto the Emperor's private room, also known as the "Abdication Room", to view the desk on which he signed his abdication papers as part of the "Treaty of Fontainebleau".

Our favourite room was called the Gallery of Diana, an 80-metre corridor/library lined with bookcases that was built by King Henry IV at the beginning of 17th Century and renovated multiple times through the 1800s.  The large globe at the entrance of the gallery came from Napoleon's office in the Tuileries Palace.

According to the brochures and site maps for Fontainebleau, there were multiple large gardens and courtyards surrounding the castle.  Unfortunately, it was pouring rain the day we visited and we were so tired after walking through what felt like a million rooms.  The combination of those two factors defeated us and we did not have the energy to explore the grounds.  If we are in this area again, I would love to return and properly tour the parts of Fontainebleau, Provins, Barbizon and Melun that we did not have the time to do justice to.

Fontainebleau marked the last stop in our 7-week adventure in France.  This was by far the longest trip we had ever taken and definitely the trip of a life-time.  We covered so much territory and had such varied experiences.  We lived like locals in the small village of Bargemon during our home swap, viewed masterpieces in art galleries and quirky collections in museums, browsed in shops and artist studios that featured works of the local specialty, such as pottery or  glass blowing or woodworking, feasted on local French foods from different regions, toured castles and ruins that dated as far back as the 10th century, and visited locations with gorgeous scenery that included stunning mountain, gorge and canyon views, coastal beaches, caves and grottoes, and bodies of water that ranged from bright blue to emerald green.  I'm not sure that we will ever be able to top this vacation, which has provided us with cherished memories that we will keep forever.

France 2014: Souesmes Moulin d'en Bas B&B and Loire Valley

It was with great excitement and anticipation that we finally arrived at the Moulin d'en Bas Bed and Breakfast in Souesmes.  We were very much looking forward to reconnecting with our friends who had converted an old 17th Century watermill into a charming bed and breakfast establishment and farm.  But given that I have never felt comfortable around animals (not having any pets growing up), I was nervous about the prospect of spending two full days on a property that was home to six dogs, not to mention an assortment of geese, ducks, chickens, and a donkey.  Luckily these were six of the most mild mannered and well behaved dogs that I'd ever encountered and I quickly felt at ease with them and fell in love with their cute little faces.

The Moulin d'en Bas had two guest bedrooms in the main house as well as a former boulangerie or bakery, that had been converted into a separate loft-style guest house.  We were given the boulangerie to stay in and it was great having our own private little house that included a sitting area and 3-piece bathroom.  In the mornings, we would go to the main house for hearty breakfasts with freshly baked croissants, scrambled eggs, fruit, cereal, coffee and juice.  Along the way, we were often greeted by the curious geese who were out for their morning stroll.

Our friends owned a vintage 1970's Citroën 2CV, a French vehicle that was originally designed as inexpensive transportation for farmers.  It had a tiny windshield, windows that manually flipped up, rectangular headlights, a soft convertible top that rolled into a cylinder, and a bench seat in the back with no seat belt.

We spent a fun couple of days touring the Loire Valley in the 2CV with the sunroof open. The Citroën 2CV is a beloved French national icon, so pedestrians constantly waved and other vehicles honked as we passed by.  When we honked back in friendly response, the little "beep beep" from the horn resembled the sound that the cartoon Roadrunner made.  We were amazed at how familiar our friend was with the little county roads, as he went bombing around the Loire Valley, at times traveling over 70km/hr, which was quite fast for this type of car.  We covered quite a distance in the two half-day trips that we took and passed by many little towns and villages.

We visited Sancerre, a medieval hilltop town overlooking the Loire River, which is known for its Sancerre wine, primarily made with Sauvignon blanc grapes.  We stopped off at a Max Vauche Chocolaterie near Bracieux, where they made gourmet chocolate treats in fancy shapes. We found a chocolate version of the Citroën 2CV to give to our friends.

It was difficult to go into a Picard shop, like the one we visited near Bourges, without getting "frozen-food-envy".  This chain of frozen food specialty stores carried high-end, unique frozen foods that made me wish there was some way to transport a suitcase-full to take home with us.  Imagine an entire freezer full of different types of exotic mushrooms, or bags of frozen vegetables specially put together for making soups, ratatouille or a couscous casserole.  There were several freezers full of sauces that included coconut curry, seafood, peppercorn, tikka masala, 3 cheese (gorgonzola, provolone and grana padano), bolognaise and multiple types of mushroom sauce.

Frozen hors d'oeuvres  included vegetable crumbles, individual scalloped potato portions, asparagus tarts, duck fois gras tarts and smoked salmon wrapped cream cheese paté.  Some of the boxed meals included guinea fowl supreme stuffed with prunes and pistachios, and duck breast with mashed purple potato and hazelnut sauce with mushrooms.  I'm getting hungry just thinking about this again.  If we had frozen foods like this back home in Toronto, we might never need to cook again!  How can I start a petition to get Picard to open up stores here?!?

There are over 70 historic sites, churches, chateaus and castles along the Loire River.  In our whirlwind tour, we were able to spot several of them as we drove by, including the breathtaking Château de Chambord, built in the early 1500s by King Frances I.  Like many of the other chateaus in this area, Chambord served as a hunting lodge and is one of the largest in the Loire Valley.

There was only enough time for us to visit one castle. We picked the Château de Chaumont-Sur-Loire, first built in the 10th Century by the Count of Blois, and continually rebuilt, renovated or added to through the centuries, all the way up to 1900.  In the 1500s, the chateau was used as a hunting lodge by Catherine de Medici.  When I first saw the castle from afar, it seemed like something out of a fairy tale. The multiple round turrets reminded me of Cinderella's castle in Disneyland.  The chateau was situated overlooking the Loire River, with beautiful views of the river visible from the tower windows.

The historic apartments contained furniture, tapestries and art from the 15th to 19th centuries.  The overall decor was much less ostentatious and more modest than larger French palaces like Versailles or Fontainebleau.  We were particularly intrigued by the "courting chairs" that modestly separated a lady from her suitor, including the 3-seated chair which presumably had a spot for the chaperone.

The castle had multiple temporary art exhibitions on display. The artist known only by his Christian name, Sarkis, placed stained glass depicting contemporary scenes in front of windows in storage rooms, juxtapositioning the modern images against ancient furniture, rugs, chandeliers and other objects.

South Korean artist Bae Bien-U's black and white landscape photography featuring backlit pine trees in the misty dawn were eerie and mystical.  In Korea, pine trees symbolize longevity and are believed to represent the links between Heaven and Earth.  Throughout the chateau, the leaded glass windows that revealed views of the castle, grounds, or the Loire River, were so pretty that they seemed like artworks in their own right.

The grounds and parks surrounding the castle contained beautifully landscaped gardens with colourful flowers and a variety of plants.  The entire area, called Domaine de Chaumont-sur-Loire, is home to giant hundred-year-old cedar trees, planted in the 19th Century by the Count of Ararnon.  This park land was designed to resemble the English countryside, with gentle hills and lawns with curvilinear paths.

Each year since 1992, the gardens of Chaumont-sur-Loire play host to an International Garden Festival, created by different international landscape architects, designers and artists around an annual theme.  This year, the theme was "Gardens of Deadly Sins".  Each exhibit represented some aspect of sin, such as extravagance/greed, sloth, lust, envy, wrath, pride, or rage.  Reading the descriptions of the intent of each garden, we found the links to the theme of "deadly sin" to be tenuous at best.  Regardless, the floral displays were beautiful and a few of them made you feel like you were in the middle of Alice in Wonderland's Mad Hatter tea party.

The exhibits that most successfully captured the essence of the "Deadly Sins" theme were the one with the golden apple (representing the original sin?) and the reflecting pool that represented narcissism.  We couldn't capture it in the photo, but it was cool how the reflection of the chateau could be seen in the pool.

We had lunch in the outdoor patio of the restaurant attached to the gardens and enjoyed a lovely 3-course meal that included a salad, pasta and sorbet for dessert.  The meal felt more Italian than French but it was nice and refreshing on a hot sunny day.

What a wonderful visit we had with our friends at the Moulin d'en Bas Bed and Breakfast, in the heart of the Loire Valley.  Both their property and the surrounding areas were beautiful.  There was so much to see and we had barely scratched the surface. I wish that we had more time to follow along the Loire River, explore the little villages and visit more castles and chateaus.  Maybe this area will be the focus for a future trip to France.

France 2014: Drive Back to Paris - Audes, La Borne

After leaving Bargemon, we had a week to travel back to Paris before catching a flight home to Toronto.  Our goal was to stay in different towns and cities than the ones we visited on the way down to Bargemon, including a spending some time at our friends' Bed and Breakfast in Souesmes.

We decided to spend our first night at a charming inn called Auberge Magnette just outside of the tiny village Audes, which we were told was the geographical centre of France and had a population of around 450 people.  Since it was almost a 7 hour drive to get this far, our plan was to have a quick dinner and early night. While the room was cheery and pleasant, we were surprised by the size of the bathroom, which was exactly like one that you would find on a cruise ship.  It was so small that Rich could  touch both sides of the walls by stretching out his arms.  The restaurant area had just a few tables and was filled with memorabilia from the comic strip Tintin.
 

Prior to dinner, we went for a stroll around the surrounding area.  We regretted that we did not have more time to enjoy the complementary bicycles and beautiful bike paths that ran along the Canal de Berry.  Instead we settled for a stroll, enjoying the pretty scenery while trying not to be eaten alive by the mosquitoes.  At one point, we noticed several schools of little fishes clustered together in the water.

Imagine our surprise when we found these same little smelt-like fishes available for our dinner.  We started off our meal with a tasty sangria, followed by an appetizer of breaded shrimp on greens.  We're pretty sure the fish options for the main course came straight out of the canal.  Rich went for the little fishes while I chose a seared whole white fish.  For dessert we each had a slice of pecan/nut pie with ice cream.

The next morning, we left bright and early en route to La Borne, a pottery town where just about every residence was occupied by a potter with a kiln in the back and a pottery store either attached to the property, or along the main street.  We arrived so early that most of the pottery shops were closed, but we did find a few that were left opened but unoccupied and requested that you to ring the main house if you wanted to buy something, or just leave some money.

The Centre of Contemporary Ceramics was also not open yet, so we killed time by exploring the woodlands that surrounded the village.  It was eerie walking through one portion of the forest, since the branches of the trees swirled in a circular pattern that made it feel like you were walking through a wind tunnel.  On our way back to the main street, we ran across a patisserie that had the best looking (and tasting) Paris Brest that we'd ever eaten.  The pastry was light and chewy and stuffed with flavourful chestnut cream.

By the time we finished breakfast, the pottery museum was open. The Centre of Contemporary Ceramics displayed works both from local La Borne artists as well as invited internationally recognized ceramic artists.  Many of the exhibition pieces were sculptural, depicting whimsical figures and characters.

Even the more typical pottery creations such as teapots, vases or bowls were unique in their shapes, glazes, textures and decorative adornments.  Each piece was a stunning work of art.  A large kiln was found in the back of the museum and probably supported the "Working with Clay" classes that were held on the premises.

The gift shop contained more functional but equally beautiful items for sale.  We were very happy that we managed to visit this fascinating museum but were disappointed to learn that the second pottery museum (featuring more historic pieces) was closed and we could not find the third one, but learned later that it too was closed on the day that we visited.

Our next stop was the Jean Linard Cathedral, located just outside of La Borne.  This place was really incredible and had to be seen to be believed.  Jean Linard was a potter, sculptor, painter and builder who was obviously influenced by Spanish architect Antoni Gaudi.  He built his family home and workshops using recycled materials found in demolition sites including beams, rafters, door frames, tile, and stones.  He spent years adding features to his home including decorating the building facade and pathways with brightly coloured mosaics, adding a turret, furnace chimney, and whimsical sculptures to the roof.

Beginning in 1984, Linard spent the next 26 years building a chapel and church that eventually became his Cathedral.  He decorated the back wall of the bapistry with more vibrant mosaic tiles.  Scattered around the expansive property are giant mosaic shrines that pay homage to Jesus, Mohammed, Ghandi, Mother Teresa, Buddah, Martin Luther King, Gaudi, Picasso and more.

Innumerable sculptures made from found objects such as pieces of glass, empty wine bottles, metal beams and rods were scattered throughout the  grounds.  Linard's use of multi-coloured ceramic tiles and mosaics channeled Antoni Gaudi's works, especially the brilliantly vibrant steps that reminded me of the snake-like mosaic bench in Gaudi's Park Guell in Barcelona.
 

The sculptures were even prominently displayed within the house, along with paintings and drawings, presumably by Linard, who died in 2010.  The property was put on the market in 2012 but the house and cathedral have since been designated as historical monuments.  A non-profit association has taken up the task of organizing shows, exhibitions, expositions, conferences, and artist-in-residence programs on the site.

After thoroughly exploring the grounds of Jean Linard's Cathedral, it was off to Souesmes to visit our friends and stay in their Bed and Breakfast - Le Moulin d'en Bas.

France 2014: Life in Bargemon - Part 2

In addition to the numerous restaurants, we were constantly surprised at how many museums and art galleries there were in the tiny village of Bargemon.  Towards the end of our stay, after all of our planned road trips were done, we had a chance to visit most of them.

The Museum of Office Equipment (Musée des Machines à Écrire et à Calculer) housed a collection of over 250 office machines including typewriters, calculators and cash registers dating from 1867 to 1955.  The avid collector, Monsieur Préjean, was a machine operator who found, repaired and categorized items to be added to his collection.  There were some very unusual early typewriter designs including one that used a dial to pick the letters, one that had separate keys for capital vs lower case letters, and one that wrote braille symbols.

The Fossils and Minerals museum boasted a collection of over 3000 items found within the surrounding region, including fossils of ammonites, fish and insects, and minerals of a different colours, shapes and textures.

Bargemon's multiple art galleries displayed eclectic styles of art ranging from traditional to contemporary.  We were particularly amused by the painting of the Medieval knight, who was surrounded by nubile, nude women including one with a firm grasp on his long sword.  The newer works were an interesting juxtaposition in context with the ancient buildings in which they are housed, as was the modern sculpture of a brightly coloured big head that stood prominently on Rue François Maurel.

The local pottery shop, simply named "Poterie", had many beautiful items, made by a variety of local potters, including the owner and resident potter herself.  She could often be seen working at her potter's wheel when we visited the shop.  The local antique store featured items that referred to or where created by famous Provencal painter Honoré Camos, whose namesaked museum we visited earlier in our visit.

Of particular interest to us was the Beddington Fine Arts Gallery, which was featuring an exhibition of art by Anne Des Brugassières, a German artist whose works are created by sawing and burning images onto planks or logs of wood and then painting and priming them with an acrylic binder.  We were enamoured by the one piece that was used to create a dining table and actually took measurements and notes of how it was constructed.  We had hopes of one day commissioning a table top for our own home, although exorbitant shipping fees could make it too expensive.

Parking in Bargemon took a bit of effort and even planning.  Although there were multiple parking lots within the little town, many of them were farther away from the center of the village where we lived, and required going either up or down a steep hill.  The parking lot we liked best was St-Etienne, which was a large open space with lots of room to maneuver.  Unfortunately we could not leave the car there on Wednesday evenings, since by 6am on Thursday mornings, the farmers market would take over the entire lot.   Our backup parking lot was named after Louis Moréri, a French priest born in Bargemon in 1643 who wrote an encyclopedia of "Sacred and Secular History".  This was a much smaller lot with really tight spaces that were difficult to get into, and not helped at all by the statue of Moréri, whose base encroached into several of the spots.  We were thankful that we insisted on a smaller rental car each time we had to squeeze into these spaces.  We never ended up having to go to the further parking lots, although one Wednesday evening, it was a close call as we literally stalked people returning to the car to get the last space in Moréri.  Then one day, we came to understand how the French parked, which seemed to be wherever was convenient for them.  While having coffee in the main square, we were stunned to watch as a car pulled up in the middle of the narrow street, blocking all other oncoming traffic, as the driver casually got out to do his grocery shopping.

The weekly Farmers Market gave us a chance to buy more varieties of fruits and vegetables than might be available at the local grocer at any one time.  We also had to try the Seafood Paella that was on sale at the market and it made for a tasty, hearty breakfast treat one morning.  One Monday in June, the St-Etienne parking lot had to be vacated for a Brocante, which was a flea and antiques market.  In fact, June 9 was Brocante day across the region as all the little villages in the area held the event at the same time.  Rich took the opportunity to check out the collection of old watches, still hoping that one day he will find a hidden, undiscovered gem in midst of all the bric-a-brac.

When deciding which months to spend in the south of France, we weighed the pros and cons between visiting in May/June vs. July/August.  In the earlier months, the weather was a bit cooler, the villages and tourist areas were less crowded, but there were fewer shops and restaurants open and it was too early for most of the festivals or special events.  The later months would be more action-packed but we would also have to deal with crowds, traffic, and heat.

Although we decided on mid May to end of June for our vacation, we were able to attend a one-day festival called la Fête de la Musique toward the end of our stay.  The festival was region-wide and many events were scheduled for the evening in neighbouring Draguignan.  But the thought of driving the twisty roads at night with no highway lights scared us off and we settled for the events in Bargemon.  A small concert was held in the small square on Rue Gabriel Péri, featuring guitar solos and duets by a music teacher and her young student, with vocal accompaniment.

Later in the evening, there was a karaoke party in the main square and it seemed like the entire village came out to celebrate, as all the outdoor patios were packed.  Mostly French songs were selected but there were the occasional English language oldies like New York New York, sung with a heavy French accent.  As the evening wore on, the singing gave way to dancing including a disco set where songs by groups like The Bee Gees (How Deep Is Your Love) and The Village People were played.  People danced to the music and a good time was had by all.

We came across different animals and wild life while in Bargemon.  Each night, we were serenaded by the sounds of crickets as well as frogs whose croaks sounded more like ducks quacking.  Sitting on the terrace during the day, we would see flocks of swifts whizzing around the countryside, but trying to catch one on camera was like trying to anticipate lightening strikes. After numerous attempts, I finally caught the image of a single swift flying across the hilltops.  Although we saw a few dogs in the village, they were significantly outnumbered by the stray(?) cats that milled around the parking lots, including one cat that had the most unfortunate "Hitler-like moustache" across his face.

On our last day in Bargemon, we decided to go for a hike in an area called "Favas et le bois de la Coste" using a map and route instructions that we received from the Tourist Information Bureau.  We were doing quite well following the directions until we got to a step where the description did not match anything we were seeing.  We tried going in several different directions, but none of them seemed right.  At that point, we had the choice of either retracing our steps to return home, or proceeding forward without directions, and relying on the Google Maps on our IPAD to help us find the way home.  Either bravely or foolishly, we decided to be adventurous and try the latter plan.  We ended up lost in the Dracérie Forest for over an hour as we looked for a path that would lead back to a main road.  Google Maps proved invaluable since at least it confirmed whether or not we were headed in the right direction.  Eventually, we could see Bargemon off in the distance through the trees, but an entire valley separated us.  Finally we heard the sounds of cars and found our way onto the D25 road that led back home.

When we finally left Bargemon and for the last time, drove past the crossed-out road sign indicating that we were leaving the village, it was a bittersweet moment. After five and a half weeks, we were ready to move on and explore new places on the way back to Paris.  But we would miss the charm of Bargemon and the beautiful views from the terrace of our home swap.  We would even miss the nocturnal frogs that sounded like ducks.