Paris1972-Versailles2003

This was sort of an introduction to Tours as have many other more recent posts and pictures of sights there. However, would like to update revise this one with updated links and text as it is essencial Tours! Hope you enjoy it as I do.

We finally reach our final destination Tours. As usual, we have been in town briefly, or in route, but never really saw much or if did it was a loong time ago with no pictures. Therefore, we finally reach Tours and it was nice to merit a return trip asap! And we did , see posts.

Tours, a city on the banks of the Loire and Cher rivers in the department 37 of Indre-et-Loire,as seat of the area and of the metropolitan region of  Tours Métropole Val de Loire. It is in the administrative region of Centre-Val-de-Loire.

We came by car as always , and we found it not bad even with only one way streets! Easy parking at Indigo Nationale rue Emile Zola off the rue Nationale. Safe and clean parking walking to everything. It is cover by the A10 for most of its territory beltway and it has a circle from which five highways come out; some of these are, A10 north towards Paris, and south towards Poitiers/Bordeaux, A28 towards Le Mans/Rouen, A85 west towards Angers, and A85 east towards Vierzon and junction with the valley of the Rhône. Many other secondary roads such as the N76, N138 allowing you to connect to the city and regional capitals such Limoges on the N147. And the ones we took the D37 and D751 along the Loire river.

A bit of history I like

It is the old Caesarodunum founded by Cesar Auguste, capital of the 3rd Legion with one of the biggest amphitheaters of the Roman empire. Sanctuary of Saint Martin, Gregory of Tours, and Alcuin under the Merovingian and Carolingians with adoption by the Capétiens of the Tournais pound, the money that will become the money of the Kingdom of France. Capital of the County of Tours that will become Touraine the garden of France, royal capital under the Valois with its Castles of the Loire, capital of the kingdom for kings Henri III and Henri IV during the war of Religions and city of retreat in 1940 that had it in part destroyed in WWII. Good to mention the old bridge or Pont de Pierre over the Loire was renamed in July 1918 with the name of Woodrow Wilson ,president of USA from 1912-1920 for the help during WWI . Since then, culinary city as gastronomy enclave with specialties such as the rillettes ,and rillons, the wines touraine of the Val de Loire and it’s cheeses such as the AOC Sainte-Maure-de-Touraine (my favorite !) and the nougats of Tours.

There is lots to see here and one day is not enough , however, we have come for short periods before many years back, and it was time to revisit the city, now we should be back to see more, and as said we did! So much to see in my belle France, the Valley of the Loire alone will take a lifetime!!

The city of Tours is a city of Art and History designation ,been a historic city name to the Unesco world heritage sites. As an anecdote ,Tours sometimes is call the Little Paris by visitors because maybe for its history, the architectural arrangement of its boulevards in the center town and buildings in white stone ,nice and clean silhouettes.

We went out of our hotel into glorious Tours. At the square François Sicard  with it’s nice garden park you are facing the museum of fine arts or musée des Beaux-arts , right in the center of the garden a cedar of Lebanon tree that goes back to 1804! There is an elephant Fritz that was belong to the Barnum and Bailey circus (Fl USA) and donated to the city of Tours it is stuff there in a glass enclosure  the elephant died in 1904! This will help you go further to see the most important French collection of Italian primitive arts after the Louvre…This all behind the white facade of the old 18C Episcopal palace or Palais des Archevêques, and paintings such as Mantegna, Boucher, Debré, and Zao Wouki, etc,  sculptures, ceramic, furniture and others objects of art awaits you! Right next to it is the gracious silhouette  of Saint Gatien Cathedral or Cathédrale Saint-Gatien ,name after the first bishop of Tours; majestic towers, splendid stained glass, big wonderful organ and the tombs of the children of  Charles VII and Anne de Bretagne (Anne of Brittany).

We continue our walks into the old street of Grand-Rue du Moyen Age, now call  rue Colbert. Here all is picturesque with old cafes and shops and authentic houses of the 15-16C.  We took a detour into the rue de la Scellerie with ambiance the district of the antiques shops, book shops, and china porcelain , to the right you see the flamboyant façade of the Grand Théatre, dating from 1875.

Following our thirst for sights we took on one old reliable the rue Nationale  ,this is the old rue royale that link Paris with Spain of old, now with a perspective north south of 7 km long!!  There is a Galeries Lafayette ,and the wonderful Galerie Nationale shopping mall.  And the great boutiques in city center at rue Nationale , especially come in for the Le Comptoir de Mathilde ,72 rue Nationale (branches all over France) , great chocos cookies etc to bring home! webpage: https://www.lecomptoirdemathilde.com/fr/

Stop by the truly remarkable tour Charlemagne,  in the district of Châteauneuf  and reaching the square of the same name you come to the wonderful Saint Martin Basilica or Basilique Saint-Martin  in rue des Halles. It was built in the néo byzantine style by local architect  Victor Laloux , the interior is awesome beautiful, glass, stone of gray marble, the tomb of Saint Martin in the crypt with beautiful harmony and spaces. Pope John Paul II visited here and offered a Mass to the poor in 1996.

The lively  rue des Halles  makes us come to the 21C ,and by the balcon of the Hotel de Ville and nice fountains. I found me an older paper picture so rather than a new post will include here even if pictures not from same year. You come to the train station or Gare de Tours ,one of the most beautiful in France off blvd Heurteloup. Wait we did shopped here at rue des Halles!!

We went by the Chateau de Tours in the oldest district of Tours next to the Loire river. built back to the 11C  by the 15C it is designated a royal domain. It was practically destroyed in the 18C and only two towers remained  used by the army from the French revolution, later serving as a barrack and left abandon until finally restored in the 20C ; today it houses cultural and heritage activities of the city of Tours.

We went to Le Damier Vert and got chocolates, nougats, marshmallow candy, and chocolate telephone tablets all home made; wonderful place at rue des Halles. webpage: https://www.ledamiervert.fr/

And we had our late night dinner in the best international style at Amadeus Bagel with Pastramis bagel , burgers bagel, tex mex bagel , desserts such as abricot pies ,and sodas for under 16€ per person. Which sadly has closed. One good reason to do updates on older posts: keep it here for the memories we love it!

Oh yes I almost forgot we got our hotel , the Hôtel Moderne at 1-3 rue Victor Laloux off the blvd Heurteloup and very nice friendly service , centrally located on foot to all. It has acceptable rooms and good bathrooms, with reading room and wifi, only drawbacks no parking and expensive 9€ breakfast so we ate out. The parking was done at Indigo Nationale at rue Emile Zola nice easy 2 min walk to hotel but we pay extra 17€. The rooms were at 50€ ok. webpage: http://moderne.tourshotelsweb.com/en/

The city of Tours on its heritage in French: https://www.tours.fr/5-decouvrir-tours.htm

The Tours tourist office in English: https://www.tours-tourism.co.uk/

And this was Tours in a nutshell , of course lots more to see and enjoy this wonderful city of the Touraine. There are those that said the purest French is spoken here… All to come in as we did and did come back again… Enjoy Tours!!

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!!

Let me update this one a novelty of my road warrior trips in my belle France. I have heard of this basilica but always a bit off the way to other places and never passed by it. Finally, there was the opportunity and as everything else in my belle France, it is magical. Let me tell you a bit more on the Basilica Notre Dame at L’Epine!

The small town of L’Épine, in the Marne dept 51 , region of Grand Est, near Châlons-en-Champagne, towards Verdun. We drive all over our beloved France and into Europe, we come across some interesting towns, we stop see, sometimes eat and then move on. The trip in the Marne department 51 are always welcome, this is the heart of Champagne. My wife’s side and she came here early to work in the vineyards and earned their first money.

We drove going elsewhere actually coming from Châlons-en-Champagne on the N44 to catch up with the faster autoroute A4 and moving on to Verdun and back.  It was a pleasant stop and a nice historical and religious center of France. I am talking about L’Epine but more importantly about the Basilica there.

Do not know hardly anything on public transport here and only know by reading that there is a bus connection with the regular line 110 Sainte-Menehould / Châlons. The schedule below from the city of L’épine in pdf file: http://www.mairie-lepine51.fr/media/ligne_110__081462400_1538_01102020.pdf 

The town of L’Epine or Thorn belongs to the metro or agglo area of Châlons-en-Champagne The next biggest town is you guessed it  Châlons-en-Champagne and is located 8 km west. The train station closest is located in Châlons-en-Champagne at 9km. the city hall or mairie is at 33 avenue du Luxembourg 51460 L’Epine. 

The main thing or only thing to come here is to see the wonderful Basilica of Notre-Dame de l’Epine, whose construction began in 1405 and finished by 1527 , and where we can see a Santiago de Compostela statue in wood from the 16C. 

The statue of the Virgin holding the Child Jesus was discovered in the Middle Ages according to legend in a bush of thorns on fire and from this comes the name of the town and devotion to the Virgin. The Church received Basilica status in 1914. The Basilica has dimensions like a Cathedral and done in the Gothic style. The façade inspired by that of Toul Cathedral has three portals on two arrows, the one on the right has 55 meters high and on the left demolished in 1798 to put a telegraph was rebuilt in 1868. There are gargantuas figures outside like at Notre Dame Cathedral of Paris.

Inside there is,also, a robe in stone with 3 arcades from the 15C where the Virgin is held. You can admire a rood screen from the end of the 15C, the right arch of which houses the statue of the Virgin at the origin of the fame of the basilica. Several statues such as the Venerated Virgin (circa 1300); Seated Virgin (15C), Saint Jacques in wood (16C); Remarkable Entombment of the Trojan school, early 16C; Altars dated 1542; 16C beam of glory; Tribune and organ case (16C); the gallery adorned with eight apostles and seven pagan gods ; Choir organ from the Merklin house installed in 1889; Stained glass windows from the 19-20C.

Many travellers were amazed by the beauty of this Basilica such as Victor Hugo, Alexandre Dumas, Joris-Karl Huysmans, Paul Claudel and Paul Fort. The two important dates here are the pilgrimage of the Diocese in May and the Assomption Day as it is the Patron Saint day.

Is really worth the detour for the magnificent of the Basilica, between Reims and Verdun on the A4 and off the N44 towards Châlons-en-Champagne, you will be gladly surprise.

Some webpages to help you plan your trip here are:

The city of L’Epine on the basilica in French: http://www.mairie-lepine51.fr/basilique/histoire/

The Châlons-en-Champagne tourist office on the basilica: https://www.chalons-tourisme.com/visiter_bouger/basilique-notre-dame-de-l-epine-pcu0000000001115/

The metro or agglo area of Châlons shows more in French of this magnificent Unesco World Heritage site Basilica and al.: http://www.chalons-agglo.fr/decouvrir/patrimoine-inscrit-par-l-unesco-424.html

Hope you enjoy the post as I do and come visit the Basilica Notre Dame when possible. And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!!

Always fun and memorable and sentimental to write about Meaux, in dept 77 Seine-et-Marne, in the Ïle de France region of my belle France. You might know, have several posts on this town and its region, as it is the native town of my dear late wife Martine!

This is sort of an introduction I did on November 2017, and would like to update the text and links, with a memorable picture. Hope you enjoy it as I do, and thanks for reading my blog , always appreciated.

And I do present you with Meaux, a historical town east of Paris , near Disneyland Paris and the Champagne region, but most importantly the fields of war of the Great War or WWI and its  wonderful Gothic Cathedral , one of the best in France.

A while back I didn’t even know there was a Meaux, a few years back. That is until I happened to meet a young lady in Paris ! She was a native of Meaux but worked in Paris as a secretary to a real estate company.  The rest is history, wife,and 3 boys, and made many trips to Meaux, over the years.  It would be hard to tell you everything about the town, that I have come to know every bit nook and cranny of it, where my boys roll in baby carriages since age 5 weeks !! for one and 6 mos for the other 2,twins !!! Even along cobblestone streets around the Cathedral!

There is still family in small villages all around it ,and had come back for many visits. Meaux was my first introduction to France; (other than brief one day visit in Paris1972) when every one arriving at CDG or Orly airports rush to see Paris ,etc and I was humbly taken a bus , yes a bus to reach Meaux and hook up with my girlfriend!! ,this was in 1990. Later,  wife of 28 hugely wonderful years.

The bus still does its runs no. 20 Transdev IDF webpage: https://www.transdev-idf.com/ligne-20%20express/meaux-tremblay-en-france/054-SME20

Once the habit came back, and drove and took the trains. To come here from Paris, you can take the train at Gare de l’Est to the station in Meaux, or you can drive on the A4 connecting with the A140 straigth into town or do the scenic ride on the N3 from Porte de Pantin in Paris all the way to Champagne country passing thru city center Meaux. Bear in mind nowdays, the N3 is hugely congested. On the way back from Meaux to Paris we parked by a free parking in the Church of (église) Pantin to hook up with the metro Pantin line 5. Lately, the space has brought a paying parking they call it Yespark – Parking Pantin – Eglise Pommiers. However, not a secure place anymore sadly…

For those seeking alternatives from Paris and wishing to visit Disneyland Paris, Meaux is an excellent cheaper base. It is worth spending a night here or more as it is very close to Disneyland Paris. As we came with my parents and too large of a family already there (until sisters married away nearby) we use hotels such as the Campanile hotel ,very good friendly folks used for family gathering over the years, nice simple hotel chain here. webpage: https://meaux.campanile.com/en-us/

In city center, the historic Le Richemond is grand and very nice by the Marne river at good prices. Now part of the good inter-hotel chain:webpage: https://le-richemont-hotel-meaux.booked.net/en/

The town is divided into quartiers or neighborhood some newer away from the Marne river and the old ones from times afar such as the city center or centre ville, and ,the Marché , just across from the bridge over the river, the Faubourg Saint-Nicolas (where my wife lived), the Châage-Saint Faron or area of the hospital (where she was born), and the ave de la Republique/La Croix de Varenne, from where the escapee Louis XVI was brought back to Paris spending a night here!!!

There is a new WWI museum nearby ,actually next to the Monument Americain in honor of US soldiers who participated in the Battle of the Marne here. Well you can read a lot on above on my previous posts.

Here I like to tell you a bit on the St Stephens Cathedral (St Etienne) of Meaux. A wonderful  Gothic Cathedral where only one bishop is buried ,he is the Eagle of Meaux, confessor of king Louis XIV and bishop of Meaux, Bossuet. The Eagle of Meaux as he was called. Two huges statues honor the centenary and bicentenary of his death inside the Cathedral. The old Chapter still is authentic and where the priest elders gave justice; you go in now on guided visit only. The Palace was the home of the bishop and it became a museum in 1908.

The city can claim wholly this beautiful Gothic Cathedral and its episcopal palace now museum , the garden done by André Le Nôtre!!! the remains of the medieval ramparts, and its historical festival recreating the middle ages! A must. Meaux is the biggest town in Seine-et-Marne, and the Cathedral took 350 years to built it, when normally a Cathedral took 100 years. This gives it a unique architecture and one of the rarest in France with remnants of the Gothic in the middle part of the Cathedral, like the Choir, then the Rosary and Organ tribune in a flamboyant style post 15C. Between the two a part of the nave stayed with its primitive style of the 13C; the stained glass are smaller.

The country of Meaux tourist office on the Cathédrale Saint Etienne: https://www.tourisme-paysdemeaux.com/3416-cathedrale-basilique-saint-etienne

You reach the lower rooms ,the Chapel , and the bedroom of the Bishop as well as a reception room. The wooden floor is from the 19C, the windows gives you a view over the garden or Jardin Bossuet bordered with chestnut trees (where gave my first kiss!!). The geometrical shape reminds us of a miter for the Bishops. It was designed by Le Nôtre. This green space link the episcopal palace museum to the walls of the old fortifications and the town.  At the times it was only a garden as well as a part of the town with canons houses; they purchased the land and later the bishop purchased the ramparts to enclosed all and creating the suspended garden in 1642! It was a great idea because today , are the only ramparts still on in Meaux. The whole is to be visit for free as well as the Cathedral, garden and courtyard (very nice).  For individual guided visits they are done from April to November twice per month. They are free access on the weekends from April to October.

The jardin Bossuet from the country of Meaux tourist office: https://www.tourisme-paysdemeaux.com/2056-jardin-bossuet

The Jardin Bossuet from the city of Meaux: https://www.ville-meaux.fr/fr/tourisme/balade-a-meaux/le-jardin-bossuet.html

The museum or Musée Bossuet as I said opened in 1908  in the episcopal palace; today we can see an  aquarelle by Delacroix , and a portrait by  Courbet, given by the son of Chemistry Nobel Prize winner Henri Moissan, before going to WWI in 1914.  The museum , also , gives credit to its biggest donor the neurobiologist Jean-Pierre Changeux, that gave it about 50 portraits and about 20 engravings.  You will see a huge herborist collection of 18 volumes given to the museum by him in the 19C.  In the Chapel , the town has put enclosed glass furniture with archeological items like a collar on shells from the Black Sea dating from  4 000 years BC.  A room is dedicated to portraits representing Bossuet.  The museum is concentrated with paintings from the 17C to the 19C, and has on display between 1000 and 1500 works. Hours are from 10h to 12h and 14h to 17h , closed Sunday mornings, Mondays, and Tuesdays all day.

The official page for the Musée Bossuet: https://www.musee-bossuet.fr/

There you go folks, Meaux ,a nice town really! off the beaten path it is but what a punch it carries in the history of France! And now all around the most visited places in France, good for the whole family. You should give yourselves a shot of encountering it. You will be surprise, and I hope you enjoy the post.

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!!