France:
Days out from Paris
[This section is in the earliest
stages of development: 10 September 2004]
[See bottom of this
page for other France-related pages.]
Monet's water garden at Giverny (to
the south west of Paris) is
excellent on a summer's day. There is a lovely cottage garden, and the famous
water garden with water lilies and Japanese bridges is beautiful. I treasure
the video recording I made of the visit.
Also associated with Monet is Rouen
(to the north west of Paris).
Monet painted many canvasses of the cathedral in all different kinds of light.
A sequence of these paintings can be found in the Musée d'Orsay. I am unsure what
else there is for tourists in Rouen.
I should love to spend a quiet holiday visiting some of the riverside villages
frequented and painted by artists such as Monet (e.g. Veteuil)
and Van Gogh (Auvers sur Oise).
Another impressive and historic cathedral is a Reims (to the east of Paris).
I remember little else about Reims.
However, it is possible to move on from here to visit the champagne region
around Epernay,
and to take a guided tour around some of the 'caves', such as Champagne
Mercier.
A third impressive and historic cathedral is at Chartres (to the south of Paris).
The stained glass windows are breath-taking (if you're
into that kind of thing) and are a challenge to video-record. The old town is
worth wandering around. Shrapnel holes from the second world
war remain visible in building walls.
Versailles, in all
its pompous grandiosity, I found very disappointing. There was virtually no
interpretation. The gardens, designed to be viewed
from a carriage rather than walked around on foot, at least require the
fountains to be playing, which appears to happen on only a handful of occasions
through the year. Disabled access was needlessly appalling. However, I know many
people who have been enchanted by their visit to Versailles.
p.g.h@btinternet.com