This is Cergy Saint Christophe !!!

Posted in Florida, Food and Wine, France, Versailles

This is just a name on a map to many but to me is very personal and sentimental, I am updating this post with new text and links for you and me, When I came to France first my first job was in this town with a multinational CAC 40 company called Thomson Broadcast and Media Solutions, Professionally ,it all began here for me and my family, My bank account still shows the id numbers for the branch in this town ! Therefore, let me tell you a bit on this is Cergy Saint Christophe !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.

Again, I first came to France in August 2003, coming in from Miramar, FL USA. My first job was base at Cergy Saint Christophe with the before mentioned Thomson in the Finance department in charge of 9 regions of the world, with world management duties. It was a very nice job and plenty of nice experiences ,like visiting San Francisco CA USA on a week long business trip! And several others in Europe. Memories forever !

The old town of Cergy Saint Christophe is in the Val d’Oise dept 95 of the Île de France region of my belle France, It is part of the metro area of Cergy (see post), It sits along the A15 autoroute and becoming the D14 taking you to Rouen and beyond ,which we took often. This is 38 km from Versailles, 47 km from Giverny, 88 km from Rouen, 216 km from Caen, and 531 km from my current home, I came to work on the N186 to Port Marly connect with the N13 to Saint Germain en Laye connect with the N184 to connect at Eragny by exit/sortie 7 with the A15 to exit/sortie 11 on Bd d’Osny ,then right on Rue du Petit Albi to old site of Thomson.

I have written before on its main monument the Axe Majeur (see post). However, there is more to tell and this is the right moment on recalling memories and old photos. Even thus I use sparingly   ,I did use it and need it here for the old times’ sake. The Cergy-Saint-Christophe train station on the line of the bifurcation from Neuville to Cergy-Préfecture or  Cergy line, located in the territory of the town of Cergy. It was put into service in 1985 by the SNCF. It is served by trains of line RER A , and those of line L of Transilien to Paris-Saint-Lazare. For info, the urban area has 12 stations and 5 railway lines: RER A and C, Transilien lines J, L and H. This is the Transilien train line I used: https://www.transilien.com/fr/gare/cergy-saint-christophe-8738249

The train station building has the largest clock in Europe!. This double clock, 10 meters in diameter, is an integral part of the contemporary heritage of the new town of Cergy. A landmark in the district, the RER Saint Christophe station is framed by two twin clocks linked together by a tubular structure housing the hall and the covered passage of the station. The double clock, the work of architects Martine and Philippe Deslandes and watchmaker Huchez, is the largest in Europe at 10 meters in diameter. It is located in the axis of the pedestrian street which leads to the tour Belvédère tower, the first station of the Axe Majeur. A private site with great info on the clock : http://www.patrimoine-horloge.fr/ha-cergy.html

And a bit more from my brochures on the technical aspect. The course of the Horloge or Clock leads to the bus station, then on the RER station. Its large needle measures 5.76 meters for a weight of 145kg, its small needle measures 3,80 meters for a weight of 75 kg. His second hand 6 meters long weighs 130 kg and moves at the speed of 3.52m / second, travelling thus 45 km per day! The mechanism of the whole clock weighs 400 kg, and the hand movement can resist  winds up to 160 km / h. The two dials, in hammered glass, are regulated by a quartz mechanism. During daylight saving time and Winter time, a watchmaker from Neuchâtel (Switzerland) performs its synchronization and reset. The two dials are linked together by a tubular structure which supports the glass roof housing the hall and the covered passage from the train station.

I always wanted to come here for lunch at the Place du Marché as on market day it has one of the biggest one in the area too, Upstream from the Cergy Saint-Christophe RER station by Rue de l’Abondance, Place du Marché, and Avenue Mondétour ,this is the marché Axe Majeur / Horloge ,it is on Wednesdays and Saturdays mornings.

The City of Cergy on its heritage, see Horloge : https://www.cergy.fr/notre-ville/lieux-cles/culture-patrimoine/lieux-remarquables/

The City of Cergy on its markets see marché Axe Majeur / Horloge : https://www.cergy.fr/notre-ville/lieux-cles/commerces-et-marches/marches-cergyssois/

There you go folks, glad kept these pictures to remember this sentimental place for us, Cergy Saint Christophe is off the beaten path but worth the detour for the real taste of France, Again, hope you enjoy this post on this is Cergy Saint Christophe as I.

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

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Published by pedmar10

I am a lover of travels to Europe , Americas , Africa and Asia as well ,who like to share my experiences of the last 53 years with the world, visiting so far 81 countries; living in 6, working in 5, and Citizen of 4, speaking fluently 4 languages. I can deal with sports especially football/soccer and love music, arts, wine collector/drinker, and go out to restaurants, and just visit the world. My background comes all the way from Candelaria and Pajara in Tenerife, Spain where my grandparents came from ;not knowing each other then, to Punta Brava, west of Havana, Cuba. There , my parents born in Cuba met and later on I was born there too. 100% guanche (annexed Tenerife to Spain on April 10 ,1496). I left Cuba as many have to Madrid, Spain where I lived for 4 years. Then, move to Perth Amboy ,New Jersey USA (living there 13 yrs) ; where I completed high school, became a US Citizen, learned to drive a car, and learned English. Afterward, went to the university in Florida, ERAU, and upon graduation decided to moved there to Ormond by the Sea, near Daytona Beach, finally moving North Miami, then Hialeah, then another moved to Silver Lakes division in Miramar, Broward county, Florida; in Florida I lived a total of 18 years. Finally , moved to France in 2003 ,Versailles call me for its royalty, and working in Paris was great. It was time to seek frontiers again and moved to Brech near Auray, Morbihan in Brittany , and later move to not too far Pluvigner. Total so far in France has been 20 years, and counting. Moving average a home every 5.5 years hopefully this will be my last. Cheers All rights reserved. No part of this blog may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means or stored in a retrieval system of any nature, without the written permission of the copyright holder, me. No part of this work may be modified, without the written permission of the holder, me.No part of this work may be exposed to public view in any form or by any means, without identifying the holder as the author, and with the before mentioned permission.

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