Away from the crowds in Paris!

Away from the Crowds, part II

Continuing our jaunts outside the City of Lights, here are a few more notable excursions easily made under an hour from Paris:

• VAUX-LE-VICOMTE: A miniature Versailles, in fact, exactly that: full of intrigue and a murky past. Nicolas Fouquet purchased a small chateau of no consequence outside Paris 1641 and commissioned architect Louis Le Vau and landscaper Le Nôtre to enlarge and beautify it. Upon completion of the work in 1661, Fouquet, then First Minister under Louis XIV, offered the king a tribute to his kingdom by throwing an enormous party, ending the resplendent evening with a spectacular display of fireworks, which particularly impressed the queen.

• Little did Fouquet know that would be his last public appearance. Furiously jealous of this remarkable home and convinced that Fouquet had been raiding the kingdom’s treasury to build it, Louis had Fouquet thrown into jail the following day and imprisoned for the rest of his life, then promptly hired Le Vau and Le Nôtre to remake his hunting lodge at Versailles. Fouquet died in 1680 without ever seeing his castle again. Moonraker, Valmont, D’Artagnan’s Daughter, The Man in the Iron Mask were filmed here. One can also privatize the chateau for a party or wedding; in 2007, Tony Parker and Eva Longoria did just that. Trains from Gare de Lyon to Melun; then, a Chateaubus shuttle. Or RER D to Melun, then Chateaubus.

• FONTAINBLEAU: By turns hunting lodge, country home of kings, and residence of the king’s mistress, this magnificent chateau only 35 minutes south of Paris has retained its elegance and charm despite demolitions, reconstructions, additions, and embellishments of all sorts. It was here in 1685 that Louis XIV signed the disastrous Revocation of the Edict of Nantes, as well as the secret treaty between France and Spain in 1785 concerning the Louisiana territory in North America. The castle is surrounded by a magnificent national forest, a favorite of hikers and equestrians. Trains from Paris Gare de Lyon to Fontainebleau-Avon.

• GIVERNY: For a day of artistic beauty and country authenticity, travel to the small town of Giverny, 80 kms NW of Paris, home to Impressionist Claude Monet for 43 years. You can visit Monet’s home and gardens, his well-known Japanese bridge, the museum shop and small café. Don’t overlook the Musée des Impressionismes next door, open April 1-Oct 31. Trains from the Gare St-Lazare to Vernon; from Vernon, either walk the 6 kms, take a taxi, or the shuttle bus which runs between April and October.