Paris1972-Versailles2003

Another gem and older picture found in my vault. This town we visited quite often while living in Versailles and working in Paris for 9 years, before moving west to the Morbihan breton! We came here for the ride, the shopping and our lunch. Therefore, it should be in my blog!! Let me tell you a bit more of the Quai des Marques of Franconville!!

The town of Franconville or Franconville-la-Garenne, the official name of the town, is located in the department of Val-d’Oise,95 in the Île-de-France region. 20 km from Paris, Its main roads are, from east to west, rue de l’Orme-Saint-Edme, rue de la Station, boulevard Maurice-Berteaux, rue du Plessis-Bouchard and, from the south to the north, rue du Général-Leclerc, boulevard Rhin-et-Danube and chaussée Jules-César.

The town is crossed by the A15 highway which connects Gennevilliers to Cergy, the A115 from Franconville to Méry-sur-Oise and Auvers-sur-Oise and the D14 road which connects Paris to Rouen via Pontoise and Vexin. Franconville is served by the Franconville – Le Plessis-Bouchard train station in town. The Paris – Pontoise line has been crossing the city since 1846, becoming Line H of the Transilien Paris-Nord connecting Gare du Nord to Pontoise. In addition, Franconville is serve by the RER C. I always came by here with my car.fyi

However, the main reason we came and found out about Franconville as we know it was the nice outlet mall  off the A15 exit/sortie 4 ; the Quai des Marques   for especially my brand names business suits and coats. It’s takes a bit time by public transport from Paris but with a car is always easier.  Here we came to see sales of some of our favorite stores such as Adidas, Arrow, Levi’s, Le Creuset, San Marina, Dim outlet, Charles le Golf, Lacoste and eateries Jeff de Bruges ! There are many other stores outside such as Ikea ,Culture , and C&A , as well as eateries such as Hippopotamus, Buffalo Grill , and the nostalgic (now closed) El Rancho tex-mex resto, Memories forever !!!

The official Quai des Marques of Franconville : https://www.quaidesmarques.com/franconville/

A bit of history I like, tell us that in the 11-12C, the land of Franconville was divided between various lords: the abbey of Saint-Denis, the barons of Montmorency but also the commandery of Cernay of the Templars. One of the vassals of the barons of Montmorency, Guillaume Bateste, is the first identified resident lord of Franconville. At the beginning of the 13C, he built a castle of modest dimensions near the current rue de Cormeilles. He is also credited with building the first church in Franconville. Finally, it was at this time that the Saint-Marc leper colony was founded, or malmaison, intended to accommodate lepers.

Over the 18C,Franconville even became a sought-after place of residence. Beautiful residences were built, including the Cadet-de-Vaux castle (1758). Wealthy families, bourgeois or noble, came to settle or stay there. Some famous residents or visitors have left a souvenir of their visit: the chemist Antoine-Alexis Cadet de Vaux, the American statesman Benjamin Franklin, the astronomer Jean-Dominique Cassini… The town of Franconville was born on Sunday August 12, 1787,

Some of the things to see here if more time are :

The Sainte-Madeleine Church, built from 1903 on the site of the former 15C sanctuary which was falling into ruin. The choir and the neo-Romanesque style transept were built first, the bell tower in the 1950s. Several degraded and unattractive stained glass windows were replaced in 1963, as was the missing rooster bell tower. The stained glass window that can be seen near the entrance to the church is that of the choir of the previous church on the same place, today 79 rue du Général-Leclerc.

The Cadet-de-Vaux Castle: Characteristic of the 18C, it was built by the Becquet family on a large plot of land. It was then acquired on August 22, 1788 by the scholar and philanthropist Antoine Alexis Cadet de Vaux who gave it his name. The Suger House: It was built around 1850 by the Baudouin family. After WWII, the Suger Foundation moved there and gave it its name. It gave way, following financial difficulties, to a private, open-air school, where the very young conductor Roberto Benzi would study, which closed its doors in 1970. Bought by the town of Franconville, it was renovated and it houses the municipal school of music, dance and dramatic art.

The city of Franconville on its heritage : https://www.ville-franconville.fr/ma-ville/bienvenue-a-franconville/

The agglo metro area of Val Parisis of which Franconville is member : https://www.valparisis.fr/territoire/franconville

There you go folks, another dandy spot in my belle France. A town full of wonderful family visits and great shopping of older days, always remembered with fondness. Quai des Marques of Franconville is worth the detour for good bargains from Paris. Hope you enjoy the post as I

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

So here I go again digging into my vault of pictures, and finding some gems that should be in my blog. In my road warrior campaigns of my belle France, I have visited several times Le Mans and have plenty of posts on it in my blog. However, left out a couple pictures of neat off the beaten path places that should be in ,so therefore, here are my latest curiosities of Le Mans!!!

As you know, for reference, Le Mans is in the dept Sarthe no 72 of the region of Pays de la Loire. 

By the Place Saint Nicolas see the statue of one for the l’Emprente des Vainqueurs or the Footprint of the Winners, These statues are a set of bronze plaques located in the center of the city of Le Mans and inserted on the pedestrian roadway to honor the winners of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, modeled on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Launched in 1991, they include the name of the person(s) honored, the year concerned, the fingerprints, as well as a facsimile of their signature. The shape is inspired by a wheel in opposition to the stars of the famous American walk of fame, In 2011 for the 20th anniversary, 20 plaques were inaugurated in the streets of the Saint Nicolas district of Le Mans, In 2019 the majority of these plates are deposited to allow the renovation of the streets. Their reassembly is planned for the centenary ceremonies in 2023.

The neighborhood or quartier Saint-Nicolas has a dynamic shopping district, rich in many streets organized around the Place Saint-Nicolas (to the east) and the Place de La République (to the west), a rallying point for all locals and all tourists. The ideal area for shopping. The Place Saint Nicolas is a small charming square not far from Place de la République, you can find some buildings there with beautiful architecture, a view of the cathedral and as well the footprints of the 24 hours of Le Mans.

The official 24hrs of Le Mans on the footprints: https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/last-year-s-winners-leave-their-mark-46831

By the Quai Louis Blanc between the Sarthe river and the Roman ramparts, there is a big parking even for camping cars and you have a look of the ramparts and the belltower the Cathedral Saint Julian, See picture

You can see by here the nice bucolic garden along the Sarthe, magnificent view of the Roman wall and the Cité Plantagenêt, as well. The Jardin des Tanneries or the Tanneries garden on the banks of the Sarthe, left bank, at the foot of the Cité Plantagenêt and its Roman walls. Built at the end of the 3C (280-295), the Roman wall forms an irregular quadrilateral 450 meters long and 200 meters wide. This perimeter of 1300 meters surrounded for more than 17 centuries, the heart of the city. A rare monument, unique in France, the wall remains standing, although without real foundations. Twelve towers, a gate and three posterns are visible. Don’t miss the Tour du Vivier, the Tour de la Madeleine, the Tour de Tucé, the Tour des Pans de Gorron, and the Grande Postern.

The city of Le Mans on its heritage : https://www.lemans.fr/profils/touriste/

The Le Mans tourist office on its heritage : https://www.lemans-tourisme.com/en/discover/cite-plantagenet.html

There you go folks, a wonderful , gorgeous, curiosities of Le Mans with stunning architecture, a must to see in my belle France. Hope you have enjoy the post and welcome eventually to this nice town by the Sarthe river.

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