We stopped for the night in Vitré, about 40 K east of Rennes, on the way back from Brest on the western tip of Brittany one summer. We discovered a very pretty little town with a mediaeval granite castle, one of the first castles in France to be classified as a monument historique. There are many beautiful granite, slate and half-timbered houses and colourful façades, mainly in Rue de la Baudrairie. I can’t remember the name of the hotel as it was nothing outstanding, but we had a view of the castle from our window. However, we were given a very useful free Michelin guide to “secondary” towns in France that we’ve been exploring ever since.
The castle in Vitré is one of the most imposing mediaeval castles in France. Here you can see one of the towers of the old ramparts
South façade and Place Saint YvesRue de la Baudrairie, from the French “baudroyeurs” or leathermakersTypical juxtaposition of granite, slate and half-timberingTypical colourful street windowMediaeval manor houseMore granite, slate and half-timberingInteresting outside staircaseLa Soupe aux Choux where we had a very pleasant mealGatehouse and Saint-Laurent Tower at dusk
The Royal Castle of Langeais in the Loire Vallely, built in 1465 by King Louis XI, is an excellent example of a late mediaeval fortress, with a drawbridge in working order and a parapet walk open to visitors. The interior furnishing is typical of the period, with sculpted wooden chests and fine tapestries. Fifteen wax figures give a lifelike representation of the secret marriage of Charles VIII and Anne Bretagne in 1491 when Charles was 21 and Anne only 16. A large park behind the château offers an excellent view of the Loire and even has (reconstructed!) mediaeval scaffolding.
Drawbridge, Château de LangeaisSculpted wood bench doubling as a chestOne of the castle’s many tapestriesBanquet hallStone floor with fleur-de-lys and ermine capeWedding of Charles VIII and Anne de Bretagne in 1491Four-poster bed and typical fireplaceItalian chest – one of a pairView of town from parapet walkMediaeval scaffoldingChâteau de Langeais from the gardens
We had passed the castle in Angers on many occasions on our way to Nantes before finally visiting it during a cycling trip. The impressive ramparts of the 13th century fortress built on a spur overlooking the Maine River enclose several buildings, including the Royal Logis and 15th century Chapel. However, its greatest claim to fame is the Apocalypse Tapestry produced between 1377 and 1382, the oldest French mediaeval tapestry to have survived. It consists of six sections, each 24 metres x 6 metres, comprising 90 different scenes, focussing on the heroic aspects of the last confrontation between good and evil. Definitively worth a visit.
Angers Castle KeepAngers Castle from the side of the rampartsFormel garden in the old moatChapel at Angers CastleLogis Royal next to the chapelLion King from the Apocalypse TapestryThe Slaying of the DragonView of the Loire from the castle rampartsLandscaped gardenOverhead view of ramparts (photo taken from poster)
For years, I didn’t go to Monet’s garden in Giverny because I was told there were too many people. Now we go at least twice a year! The best time to visit is at lunch time, when there aren’t any groups and few people queuing. And to avoid the queues altogether, you can either go to the Impressionism Museum (an offshoot of the Orsay Museum) first and buy a double ticket, or buy your ticket on-line. Both the garden and museum are open from the beginning of April to the end of October. These photos were taken in July when the famous nympheas are in bloom, but every month is beautiful. The tulips in April are stunning and the roses in June are out of this world. Then you can eat outside under the trees at the historical Restaurant Baudy down the road (don’t forget to check the inside).
Nympheas in Monet’s gardenYou can see the famous bridge in the backgroundNymphea pond with fuscias in the foregroundFrom the other side of the nymphea pondI love the weeping willowsThe house from the nymphea gardenFrom the bottom of the garden looking towards the houseMonet’s houseView from the window of Monet’s bedroomClaude Monet Foundation, 84 rue Claude Monet: open every day from March 29th until November 1st included 2013 from 9.30 a.m. till 6 p.m. – last admission 5.30 p.m. http://fondation-monet.com/en/Musee des impressionnismes Giverny, 99 rue Claude Monet:openMarch 29th to October 31st, 2013 every day
from 10am to 6pm last admission at 5:30pm. Open on Public Holidays www.museedesimpressionnismesgiverny.comRestaurant Baudy, 81 rue Claude Monet – Musée Hôtel Baudy 27620, Giverny, Tel 02 32 21 10 03,http://www.restaurantbaudy.com/
When I first visited Château de Chaumont in 1997, I found it very delapidated. Last summer we spent a wonderful afternoon there during the annual garden festival. I discovered yesterday that it has been totally renovated inside and is now quite stunning! The château as it stands today was rebuilt by Pierre Ier d’Amboise en 1468, then by Charles II d’Amboise from 1498 to 1511. The construction was continued in 1562 when Diane de Poitiers was ousted from Chenonceau by Catherine de Medicis. It was restored by Prince de Broglie between 1875 and 1900 at which time the stables were also added.
Chaumont in summerThe entrance to the château with its stone friezeThe bedroom of Cosimo Ruggieri, one of Catherine de Medicis’ astrologistsCatherine de Medicis’ bedroomA view of the Loire showing an allegorical bas reliefThe main staircase with its beautifully sculpted central pillarThe dining room with its Gothic fireplaceOne of the many grisaillesThe library with its Aubusson tapistriesMonumental fireplace in the Grand SalonThe inner courtyard with its Renaissance staircaseStables built by Prince de Broglie in 1877
When we visited Cheverny today, I was amazed at how beautiful it is inside. I did not remember any of the state rooms, only the bedrooms which I found disappointing during my last visit over ten years go. The domaine has been in the same family for six centuries and open to the public since 1922. The château as it stands today was built between 1624 and 1640 by Count Henri Hurault and his wife Marguerite Gaillard de la Marinière. The sumptuous interior decoration is by Jean Monier from Blois. It is the only major château to have retained its original furniture. Fifteen thousand bulbs are planted in the gardens each year, so if you can, time your visit for spring!
Front façadePainted ceiling in the Grand Dining Room
Fireplace in the Arms Room
Stone sculpture on main staircase
The family dining room with its matching table cloth and porcelain with the family arms
Painted shutters in the Arms Room
Late 18th century Erard harp in perfect working order
Painted door in the Grand Drawing Room
North façade of Cheverny
The Orangery
Tintin exhibition – Cheverny is the “model” for Marlinspike Hall (Moulinsart in French), Captain Haddock’s residence in the Tintin comics, created by the Belgian author and illustrator Hergé
We were staying near Stein am Rhein in Switzerland and on our way back from visiting Schaffhausen and its Rheinfall, the spectacular waterfall on the Rhine, I suddenly spotted the most amazing church in the distance. It turned out to be the Klosterkirche Rheinau monastery church, one of Switzerland’s most significant religious buildings. The original 12th century basilica, built on an island on a strategic bend in the Rhine River was rebuilt in the Baroque style in the first part of the 18th century and turned into a monastery church. The inside is quite stunning.
Klosterkirche in the distanceKlosterkirche monastery churchRheinau villageBaroque interior of KlosterkircheBaroque altar close upAnother view of Rhinau
Baie de la Somme, which is at the mouth of the Somme River in Picardy, is a delightful little town that goes back to Roman times. It still has an abbey church, a sea lock, a stone tower, ramparts and small winding streets. It has a colourful market on Sunday mornings that often extends along the waterfront. It has lovely light and attracted artists such as Sisley and Degas who both had villas there. Baie de Somme is one of our favourite cycling areas and is a good stop on the way down from Boulogne to Dieppe, for example. It’s also an easy weekend trip from Paris.
Abbey church taken in the other directionAbbey church with its checkerboard patternEntrance through the old rempartsEstuaryLovely old schoolTurn-of-the-century steam trainEstuary viewEstuary view showing early 20th century seaside housesYou can see the other side of the estuary
It doesn’t snow a lot in Paris – probably once or twice a year – and the snow doesn’t stay on the ground for long. This year, however, there has a been a decent fall, enough for the more adventurous to get out their skis and sleds! We stayed within our neighbourhood because it snowed most of the day and it was pretty cold after a couple of hours walking around.
View from our balcony in the Palais RoyalVélib’ and Blanca NievesThe Calife river restaurantAn outdoor Christmas treeA snowbear climbing a tree in the Palais Royal gardensA long snowman in the Palais Royal gardens – the scarf is one of the safety tapes around the fountain!A miniature snowman in front of Miss Bibi’sA bike cart not discouraged by the snowThe Louvre pyramid with the water iced overRiver boat carrying tourists on the Seine
Like most people, our only view of Champagne was Reims, Troyes, Epinay and vineyards but late one September, we were looking for somewhere to spend a long weekend and do some cycling before the cold weather set in. We found a gîte near Lac du Der and discovered, to our amazement, the existence of no fewer than eleven half-timber churches in the area, four of which we visited by bike and the rest by car. It was like a treasure hunt as we went from to the other and as you can see from the photos, it was an absolutely perfect day. Many of these churches used to exist in Normandy, but were bombed during the war. The ones in Champagne,mainly built in the 16th century, have been miraculously preserved.
Lentilles 1512Bailly le Franc 1510Outines 1530Chatillon sur Broué early 16th centuryDrosnay 14th to 18th centurySaint Léger sous Margerie 1492Morembert 1530Langlois 1483-1493Mathaux 1761Chapelle de Soulaine-Dhuys 1484-1504Sainte-Marie-du-Lac-Nuisement 1479, which was dismantled when Lac du Der was built and reassembled in a regional museum
