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Heartland journey

Deep countryside's great themes

 

Castle ruins, sculptured records of 16th-century life, a farm "déjeuner" and the choice of two châteaux, whose grounds are at the source of France's landscaping...

 

 

  • From these heights, a view little changed since the Middle Ages

 

 

One easily imagines the link between fort and village...
from the most important feudal ruin in Île de France.

     

     

    • Five miles farther...

     

     

    When we see a Renaissance tower...
    ... we've arrived in hometown France.

     

     

    • It harbors a church where "miséricordes" snuggle into the choir-stalls

     

     

    We can walk up to these records of 16th-century life (the barrier separates us from the altar, not the carvings).
    Misericorde showing executioners and victim

     

    Miséricordes: half-seats on which monks could lean posteriors during hours of chant. Because decorating them with sacred subjects was forbidden, sculptors could carve whatever they pleased.

               

    The priest opens the church and accompanies us.

     

     

    • A crucifix reveals a German P.o.W.'s experience of war

     

     

     

    He carved it in pieces, which the villagers assembled after he left. 

     

    Its remarkable creator left no personal trace. His work is as anonymous, powerful and tragic as any from the Middle Ages.

       

       

      • Weekday or weekend?

       

       

      On weekdays we suggest a café in the village, with family cooking. on weekends,

      we drive on for half an hour.

       

      Road scene
      Eighteenth-century pigeon-house, where the farm equipment is kept.
      FARM 2011

         

        •  We come to a farm, which serves a sumptuous "déjeuner" on weekends 

         

        There's every chance of sharing a room with a baptism or communion party. This is a feast – schedule at least an hour and a half.  

         

         

        Almost everything is produced on the spot.
        Medals

         

         
        This is a working farm. It is not gussied-up for tourists.
        • Then a choice of château parks

         

         

        Château de Courances

         After the intense morning and excellent déjeuner, we appreciate strolling at our own pace through sublime grounds... 
        Vaux-le-Vicomte

         

        at the origin of classic French landscaping. Both estates are on return routes to Paris.

             

             

            • Costs: please CLICK

            º  Ruins' entry fee

            º  Déjeuner

            º  Châteaux entry fees

             

             

             

            Credits: View / Robert Adams; church interior and Vaux / Gilbert Cordier; waterway / Château de Courances; other photos / Claude Abron