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.
Built by the influential Anne de Montmorency, the château is one of the most beautiful built in France during the Renaissance and one of the few to have been preserved without major damage over the centuries and through the wars. It retains some of its original decorations (painted fireplaces, ceremonial paving, ceilings and friezes, etc). After your visit, stroll through the castle’s beautiful wooded grounds and then have lunch in the quaint little town. Ecouen is located only 19 kms north of Paris; trains from Gare du Nord.
Construction began in 1225 and finally finished in 1548, with intermittant stops-and-starts due to the ambitious height of the central tower. Inside this architectural wonder you’ll find another curiosity: the biggest clock you’ve ever seen (the size of a small house), built in the mid-nineteenth century. Beauvais is about an hour north of Paris in the department of Picardie. Trains from the Gard du Nord.
