Monday 29 October 2012

Trip Report: Fontainebleau

This is our trip report from Fontainebleau. We went a little while ago, as you will be able to tell from the photos - the weather was much nicer when we went down than it has been recently. We had tried to make it to Fontainebleau three times before, but for various reasons we never quite made it down. Finally we made it down. We only knew three things about Fontainebleau:
1) It has a famous chateau
2) The town is reportedly well worth seeing.
3) It has a famous forest where the kings used to hunt.

So again, we took the train out of Paris (from a new station this time: Gare de Lyon) to Fontainebleau. Train travel is getting much easier to manage.

We arrived in Fontainebleau at around lunchtime, and scorning the bus (which was packed with tourists) decided to walk the 4 kilometres to the Chateau, thereby seeing the purportedly cute town on the way:










The Chateau is similar to the others we've seen in that it has an open U shaped forecourt, with the entrance at the "bottom" of the U, but


The rooms inside are as ornate as Versailles, but somehow manage to feel more homely, and less ostentatious.


Key differences from Versailles:

1) Many of the original furnishings are still at Fontainebleau;
2) There's no consistent theme to the rooms' decor, or even their layout - many of them represent different periods in the royal history of France;
3) The ceilings are way cooler- lots of different geometric patterns and decoration styles;
4) There are many walls entirely covered in amazing tapestries;
5) The walls are also decorated with sculptures as well as paintings.

For example- the tapestries and other furnishings:


One of the cool ceilings:


The amazing library:


Another tapestry and furniture inside the Chateau:


The King's bedroom:


The roof of one of the staircases:


The chapel inside the Chateau:



Fontainebleau also has formal gardens - the largest in France. Again, these are less coherent than Versailles, but also more charming, but also designed by Andre le Notre. This is the view back over one of the lakes to the side of the palace:



One of the main lakes, with a summerhouse set on the lake, and the chateau in the background:



Another view of the formal gardens, with Fontainebleau's Grand Canal (much less grand than Versailles's: about 1/5 of the length, less than 1/2 the width, and without the cross bar) in the distance. We ate lunch by the right hand side of the Grand Canal in this photo but got chased away by swarms of midgets who liked our apples.

After lunch (at about 4 o'clock!) and some roaming around the gardens, we saw a little path leading as far into the distance as we could see. It went into the forest. Knowing that the forest was also famous, we decided to follow the path. This is about halfway down; you can see there's a hill at the far end:



In yesterday's photos there were some shots looking back from the top of the hotel toward the chateau. This photo is on that same line, but within the grounds of the chateau (about 2 kilometres from that hill).


We climbed up the hill, and took this photo looking back over the Chateau. If you follow the line as far as you can, the Chateau is there:



A photo from the same location, but zoomed so you can just identify the Chateau above the trees:



Another view from the top of the hill, this time over the countryside and forest:


Part of the walk to get there- nice to have something approaching a bushwalk!



We explored through the forest for a bit, and then decided to walk the approximately 6 kilometres back to the train. Once we were out of the track in the previous photos, we cut through the park at Fontainebleau. It was very beautiful- so much greenery! This is one of the glades we walked through.


Returning through the glades at the end of the day, we caught this glimpse of the chateau through the trees:



We arrived at the train station just a few minutes before the next train, and arrived back in Paris about 10 pm. Another very good day. 

Friday 19 October 2012

Paris off the beaten track: A walk between two artworks

Paris is full of major must see monuments, sights, and museums. However, hidden within the small side streets of Paris and down some of the less traveled boulevards there are some hidden gems; secret sights that are off the beaten track but are well worth visiting. Not only will they give you some photos of Paris that are different from your friends and family, but they will also give you an insight into the real Paris of today, and the Paris of yesterday.

The 18th arrondissement, Montmartre, home of the Sacre Coeur and Place du Tertre, is not really one of those places that you would call 'off the beaten track'. In places the 18th is absolutely heaving with tourists, souvenir sellers, and con artist (especially the bracelet scam at the bottom of the Sacre Coeur).

Many tourists (and by no means all) make the treck from the Anvers Metro station, up Rue de Steinkerque, through the bracelet scammers, up the Montmartre Funicular, around the Sacre Coeur and across to Place du Tertre. However, here is an option for seeing a little bit of the real 18th (and by no means all of the real 18th) for getting to the top of Montmartre while picking up a few interesting sights on the way.

[side note: when I started preparing this post, I wanted to look at two pieces of art in the 18th. These have become the bookends for this walk, and the other items are bits that I found as I made my way between the two places].

Square Rictus



This walk starts at the Abbesses metro station. Make your way out of the metro station and you surface in a little plaza called Place des Abbesses. To get your bearings, there will be a large red church in front of you (Eglise Saint Jean de Montmartre) and behind you is a park, Square Rictus.






The first stop is in Square Rictus, named after the famous Montmartre Poet Jehan Rictus (1867 - 1933) It is open from 08h00 (9h00 on weekends and holidays) - 18h30. Head into the park and turn left about halfway down and you will come across the piece of art known as "je t'aime" or the "I love you mural". Created in 2000 by artist Frederique Bardon and calligrapher Claire Kito, the mural, made of blue tiles with white writing, displays the words "I love you" in 311 different languages.






Frederique Bardon's idea was that just as love has a day, Valentines day, with the creation of the wall, it now also has a meeting place, in the 18th arrondissement. There is more information on the wall and its creators at http://www.lesjetaime.com/english.
































The second stop is the red church, just across the road from Place des Abbesses. The church is the church of Saint Jean de Montmartre. The church makes beautiful use of tiles, both inside and outside, but is actually more famous for being the first church made out of reinforced concrete. At the time of its construction there was immense skepticism about the use of reinforced cement as it went against some of the construction rules of the time and consequently delayed the construction of the church for several years. The church also has a number of Art Nouveau stained glass windows and some great murals and mosaic work (including the alter) inside.






































Now its time to start the walk up the Montmartre hill.



Come out of the church and turn left - cross the road as soon as you can. The first road on your right is Passage de Abbesses. The passage is home to designers and creative types, and has a strange calmness about it, especially after the bustle of Place des Abbesses. At the end of the Passage, on your right, is a little hidden garden, which is in fact the back of Square Rictus, but feels like a completely different place; it has a nice community garden kind of feel to it.









Check out the modern take of Edward Hoppers "Nighthawkes" on one of the walls.







Head up the steps. At the top of the stairs is Rue des 3 Freres. Turn left on Rue des 3 Freres and take the next right at the park/plaza up the short set of stairs. This will put you on Rue Ravignan.


The next stop is where Rue Ravignan meets Rue Gabrielle. A small plaque will show you were Pablo Picasso had his first Parisian workshop which he shared with Max Jacob in 1900. The story goes that Max would work during the day and sleep at night while Picasso would sleep during the day and work at night.. While it is not a tourist attraction, it appears that it is possible to rent the room as a serviced apartment should you wish to follow in the footsteps of the late great master.





Head up the hill directly behind you (Place Jean-Baptiste ClĂ©ment) and turn right into Rue Lepic. At the top of Rue Lepic is a peculiar building - octagonal shaped in white marble and surrounded by vines this interesting building which was originally a water tank and tower is now home to the "Montmartre wine brotherhood" founded in 1983. Closely tied with the small wine industry of Montmartre, the building is "A former water fountain which has become a temple to Bacchus". It appears that the facility is available for weddings and special occasions.

Also worth noting is that at 54 Rue Lepic is a house where Vincent van Gogh lived for two years with his brother in 1886.

At the end of Rue Lepic is Rue Norvins. Turn left onto Rue Norvins until you come to 2 Rue Norvins. An especially hard location to find as Google Maps takes you (logically) to number 1 Rue Norvins, which is by Place du Tertre, however number 2 is at the other end of Rue Norvins from Place du Tertre (so if someone is trying to paint your image you have gone the wrong way).





Just below a little park on your left as you reach the end of Rue Norvins is Place Marcel Ayme. Here is the second piece of art, and the last stop on the route. It is the statue called "Passer through Walls" or in French "Le Passe-Muraille". This statue is in memory of the famous Montmartre author Marcel Ayme who lived near by and is inspired by his short story about a man who can pass through walls.











Marcel Ayme is buried in Montmartre cemetery  An interesting touch is the brass bottom that someone has added to the wall to the top right of the statue. Also interesting is the number of guided walking tour groups who walk right by this statue as they explore Montmartre; people don't seem to see it.







From here it is possible to head back along Rue Norvins and visit Place du Tertre and the Sacre Couer, or head around the corner, back onto Rue Lepic, to the giant windmill "Moulin de la Galette" immortalised by Montmartre-based artists such as Renior and van Gogh.

For other activities that are off the beaten track and to get a taste of the real France, explore options for day trips from Paris using public transport on www.beyond-paris.com.

Keep up to date with upcoming "off the beaten track" locations, and ideas for day trips from Paris on our Facebook page and our Twitter account.

Friday 12 October 2012

Paris off the beaten track: Visiting Gustave Eiffel

Paris is full of major must see monuments, sights, and museums. However, hidden within the small side streets of Paris and down some of the less traveled boulevards there are some hidden gems; secret sights that are off the beaten track but are well worth visiting. Not only will they give you some photos of Paris that are different from your friends and family, but they will also give you an insight into the real Paris of today, and the Paris of yesterday.




While Gustave Eiffel was born in Dijon, he is best known for Paris' most famous landmark - The Eiffel Tower. However, while Eiffel's tower is his best known work in France (and probably only rivaled by his Statue of Liberty in New York) it isn't the only remnant of Eiffel in Paris.








Eiffel's final resting place is in a small suburb just outside of Paris, Levallois-Perret, in the Cimetiere de Levallois-Perret.










In the Cimetiere de Levallois-Perret is the family tomb of the Eiffel family. The crypt is, for obvious reasons, well maintain, as is the whole cemetery. Inside the crypt is a metal cross and pictures of members of the family who are buried within.








What is obvious about the tomb is that it is out of line with all the other tombs in the area surrounding it. This is because the tomb has been aligned to face the Eiffel Tower - although it is not actually possible to see the tower from the cemetery.








Outside the tomb is some fresh flowers, a well sculptured tree and a small sign acknowledging Eiffel's important contribution to Paris architecture - not just the Eiffel Tower, but his other works as well.





Also in the cemetery is a very small set of war graves (around 30), including graves for UK, Australian, Canadian and New Zealand war dead where the Union Jack is flying. Levallois was the site for the Hertford British Hospital (now l'institu Hospotalier Franco-Britannique).








Also of interest is the the cemetery is the grave of Maurice Ravel, who composed the famous classical piece "Bolero", the "Red Virgin of Montmarte" Louise Michel, and because of the importance of Levallois to the birth of the French Taxi industry (G7 began its first incarnation in Levallois), there is a memorial to fallen taxi drivers as well (remembering that many taxi drivers died taking soldiers to the front lines of the war).










How to get there: To get to the cemetery take the Metro 3 line to the end of the line at Pont de Levallois Becon. to Pierre. There are two options - the nicer walk is to Metro exit number 1 and follow Avenue Georges Pompidou through Place Georges Pompidou. After you have passed through a small square park and gone down Rue Leon Jamin, turn right when you reach the school (College Louis Bleriot) and then left again along Rue Collange following the side of the school. This will take you to Place du 11 Novembre 1918. This is the corner of the cemetery. Take Rue Baudin to the entrance to the cemetery.

The other option is to take exit 3 from the metro and follow Rue Baudin (head towards Square Mathilde Giraud, it should be on your right). You can follow this road all the way to the the cemetery entrance. Its less scenic, but you do get to see this.


When you enter the cemetery, head straight down the main driveway until you reach a large round memorial in the centre of the the road. Turn right at the roundabout. The tomb is on the corner of divisions 5, 6 and 7.

For other activities that are off the beaten track and to get a taste of the real France, explore options for day trips from Paris using public transport on www.beyond-paris.com.

Keep up to date with upcoming "off the beaten track" locations, and ideas for day trips from Paris on our Facebook page and our Twitter account.