Soissons, France

Abbey Saint Jean des Vignes

The main reason for stopping in Soissons was to revisit Chateau de Coucy.  I recommend reading The Distant Mirror by Barbara Tuckman. It is a historical novel covering the dynasty of Coucy and life during medieval times.             

The day we walked around Soissons was a big wedding day.  We saw a bride and groom parading around town in their VW bug and another couple being driving in a Rolls Royce.  They drive all around the town in a procession with lots of honking and horn blowing.  Noisy and festive.

Happy bride and groom

Popular church where many weddings take place.

The Abbey Saint Leger was turned into the Museum of Soissons.

Interior view of the Abbey Saint Leger, Soissons

In the museum are pictures of what the town looked like after WWI

Painting by Louis Philastres dealing with murder.  Quite a bit of the artwork in this museum dealt with macabre subjects.

The children of Soissons are raised on the famous story of the Vase of Soissons

We visited Saint Jean des Vignes which was first built towards 1220 and dismantled from 1805 onwards.  The stones were sold off as building material.  It’s been around 12 years since we last saw Soissons.  They have continued to excavate and hence opened more of Saint Jean des Vignes for us to explore.

Back view of Abbey SaintJean des Vignes.  We listened to a band practicing in the building to the left.  They certainly needed the practice.

We found some interesting characters hanging out in the armory.

Another view of the armory

The gallery used to be the centre for monastic life.

From there we drove to Chateau de Coucy for a revisit.  In 1228 Chatau Coucy was one of the largest fortified enclosures in France.  It had 33 towers!  In the 14^th Century the chateau was transformed into a luxurious palace.  It was absolutely criminal that in 1917 the German army destroyed much of this historical site while retreating.

I’ve included a few pictures for you to get an idea of the immensity of the original chateau.  If you are ever in the area I recommend a visit.

Entrance to Chateau de Coucy

A model of what the structures at one end looked like

Photo taken before 1917 when the Germans destroyed the Chateau

Part of a tower

View of the countryside from the Chateau

Original stairs that haven't been restored.

View of remaining walls

Artist rendition of what this area looked like.

More remaining walls

Photo taken before 1917

Remaining walls

Remains of the original spiral staircase going to the lower basement.

View of the countryside

View from outside of the Chateau.  Very impressive

WWII memorial we found alongside the road.

REIMS, France

Chagall windows  Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Reims

Another view of the cathedral interior

Having been born and raised in Southern California I find the weather here different from what I’m accustomed to.  An example would be what we went through recently.  We had sunshine and heat accompanied by high humidity.  Then dark clouds appeared. We had lightning, thunder, an amazing downpour, and then we started all over again.  The reason I mention the weather is because it has slowed us down.  Tom and Julian would prefer not running the boat during these electrical storms.  I can’t say as I blame them.  Standing outside with lightning all around is cause for concern. The rain (and sometimes hail) makes things uncomfortable.  The storms continue to attack us with a ferocity we simply do not experience in Southern California.

Going for a walk

It is a shock returning to civilization.  That’s what it feels like after being on the River Aisne.  Leisurely cruising while listening to the birds singing and watching them flit from tree to tree, admiring the infinite colors of green, seeing the ripples on the water…and then this morning we walked into the local village to get our baguette.  Traffic!  Noisy cars were whizzing by as we walked along the edge of the road.  We grabbed our baguette and quickly returned to the magic of the waterways.  Even with the drone of our engine and whine of our rudder it is infinitely more peaceful than the cities and towns with all their people.  

A view on a walk

Can someone please explain why our deck is covered with thousand of dead bugs?  We are experiencing many aspects of ”nature” while cruising.  Bugs I could do without.

We have returned to Reims, the champagne capital of France.  For bubbleheads like us it’s like visiting a little slice of heaven on earth.  We found the wine shop we used last year.  They were so nice and helpful we returned.  This time we purchased champagne.  They are located in an old cave!  First we walked along an old cobbled driveway.  Then we went down an ancient stone stairway, ducking so we didn’t bump our heads.  The champagne was down another steep set of stairs.  I wish I had thought to take some pictures.  The employee who helped us was a lovely young woman with beautiful blue eyes who spoke English!  She remembered our being there last year.  She was willing to deliver the champagne, which meant we could buy more!

After the wine shop we went to the cheese shop.  The owner pointed out that he did NOT carry supermarket types of cheese.  His were from little boutique cheese makers.  We made good progress that day.  We had started by finding the light fixture store where we bought lights last year for our kitchen and living/dining room.  We needed an additional kitchen light and I wanted it to match what we had.  He carried the same fixtures so we carried off with us our new light.

The next day we were pleased to have unexpected visitors.  Our accountant was in Paris with his wife and son and had been following Tom’s blog (www.authortommiller.com).  We planned for them to take the train to Reims and spend a day with us.  Unfortunately there was a train strike.  Instead of arriving in the morning they didn’t arrive in Reims until 2 pm.  They then came to the boat for lunch.  We couldn’t take them on any champagne house tours because the English tours were all at 2:30.  After our champagne lunch aboard Rabelo we walked around Reims, did a champagne tasting and they then returned to Paris.

Lars, Eric and Stephanie having lunch aboard Rabelo

While in Reims we tied up on a canal with a beautiful park on the other side.  The people of Reims get great use from their parks.  They are walking, running, biking, fishing, swimming (seriously), and playing with dogs and children.  It is a beautiful picture.

Very occasionally we find these relics.

.

Compiegne, France

The gardens of the Chateau de Compiegne have about 30 marble sculptures taking inspiration from antiquity.

Look who thought they were coming for dinner.  

We enjoy seeing the various styles of homes along the way.  

Radishes as art.

S. Victoria will never be lonely.  Her bones as well as others are there for viewing for eternity.

The King's Big Tower was a 12 Century Royal Dungeon.

Parc de Songeons arcades left from a former Jacobin Convent.

The Old Isolated House, 15C timber framed house for the Master of the Bridge who controlled the river traffic during the 18th century.

Donjon et Château de Vic-Sur-Aisne

I thought I was done photographing war memorials but I found this one particularly touching.

Compiegne has the largest, most difficult cobbled stone streets I have ever walked on.  The large stones protrude from the ground without enough sand or cement to walk comfortably.  It still amazes me seeing young women balancing on stiletto heels walking these streets. 

Near Compiegne is the site of the Armistice which we had already visited.  If you are so inclined you can also visit the Memorial to the Internment and Deportation – Royallieu Camp and the Deportation Car Memorial.  We missed both of those. 

Compiegne reached its heights under Napoleon III (r1852-70).  His legacy is alive and well in the chateau.  The Chateau de Compiegne is well worth a visit.  Make sure to use the audio guide, which is included in the admission price.  We didn’t take the French guided tours (our timing wasn’t right) so we again missed out on the car exhibit.  The grounds around the chateau (50 acres) are spectacular, well maintained, and popular for hiking, biking, walking, horse back riding (watch where you step) guided tours, lovers, etc.

Chateau de Compiegne

Gardens of Chateau de Compiegne

Hurdles in the garden if you are feeling particularly energetic.

Part way down the gardens looking back at the Chateau.

Here is an example of the sumptuous interior.  What do you think of my new bedroom?  It's perfect if you're into pink and gold.

On May 23, 143 Joan of Arc entered the Saint-Jacques Church to pray before she was captured by the Burgundians.

Saint-Jacques church where Joan of Arc came to pray in 1430 before her capture.  It was built between the 13th and 16th centuries.

The Imperial Palace was transformed and enlarged under Louis XVI, then developed by Napoleon I after the revolution.  It was Napoleon III who brought it to its glory.

This is a lovely town  central to visiting many historical sites.  We found a fabulous Italian restaurant (La Gandelia) with only locals dining.  The Prix fix lunch was delicious!  I wanted to go back for dinner.  When I had a hard time communicating with the owner I told her I spoke Spanish.  Well!  She said Italian and Spanish are the same and commenced to rattle off the menu in Italian.  Giving up I simply ordered the prix fix meal, which was the right choice.

Besides sightseeing we needed to market/shop again.  We managed to buy a bicycle for me, an ice cream maker (RECIPES WELCOME, please), paint for the boat (we are changing the exterior colors)…we shopped til we dropped.  Dinner was at 10:30 PM.

Why do I bother to vacuum?  As fast as I catch those dandelions more keep reappearing.

Just outside of Rabelo seated on a strip of lawn was a couple playing with their extremely large brown and white pet rat.  Keeping our eyes open we see all sorts of sights.

Cruising along the river enjoying the solitude, birds and beauty.

Off to Soissons next.

Saint-Quentin

Saint-Quentin

I met my new boyfriend in the beautiful town square. of Saint-Quentin.  On second thought he may be a bit too flamboyant for my taste.
 

Before Bruce and Tess left Rabelo we were able to give them one more experience:  A Tunnel.  But not just any tunnel.  This one is called Riqueval.  It is 5670 meters long which makes it about 3.5 miles of darkness.  We are not allowed to run our engine or generator.  Instead, twice a day up to 17 boats are tied together in a line and pulled through the tunnel with a very special electric boat.  The tunnel is very narrow and low.  You pray that you can stay on course because rubbing up against the walls can be painful to your boat.  We did well, but the new boat owners behind us played bump the walls.  Fortunately paint should cover up the damage.

Exiting the Tunnel Riqueval.

After two hours we finally saw daylight again.

Our next project while in Saint-Quentin was finding a car.  What were we thinking?!?  Instead of renting a car for a day to aid in our search, we walked.  And we walked.  And we walked some more!  We walked for hours.  We walked for miles.  Then, realizing that we would need insurance once we found a car we continued walking the streets of Saint-Quentin trying to find an insurance company that would take care of us.  They wouldn’t even consider insuring us.  One company said we would need a French drivers license!  That would mean taking the test in French.  Not me!  Fortunately Julian came to our rescue.  He put us in touch with an agent he had dealt with and they were happy to provide us with the car insurance we needed.

We found a used car lot where they repair and sell cars.  They had a car that sounded perfect which would be delivered to the lot the next day.  But Julian was taking a few days off.  Our French certainly wasn’t going to cover the negotiations involved in purchasing a car.  It was our lucky day.  The owner Santos was born in Spain.  He spoke Spanish.  Somehow we managed to communicate and bought ourselves a 2007 Megane Peugeot. 

Ruminations

Saint-Quentin is a lovely town but not a tourist destination.  They are surrounded by WWI history.  Their cathedral is beautiful.  We had an amazing dinner at the restaurant Ville d’Isle.  We were taken care of by the lovely owners daughter.  After eating she gave us a tour of the restaurant and kitchen, which was once a spectacular home. 

Poached egg in a mushroom cheese sauce.

            

Fish on Risotto with saffron sauce.

Scallops and potatoes on eggplant with olive tampenade.

The Restaurant Ville d' Isle

The second story floor had these glass panes which were lovely to look at from the main floor.

The restaurant ceiling and chandler.

We saw two movies in English:  Last Days of Summer and States of Grace.  While we enjoyed the first, the second kept us talking about it days after. 

The fishermen there are an interesting group.  They weren’t happy with where we were tied up.  It must be the best fishing spot for miles around.  They kept asking when we would be leaving.  On another note, people don’t pick up after their dogs! 

After having the car for one day we needed our first car repair.  Back to the shop we went.  Santos was very nice.  Lets hope that all the air conditioning needed was Freon.

Our car goes in for its first repair.

Life on the Canal

Runners, walkers, lovers, fishermen, families riding bikes together, kayaking, pleasure craft, commercial barges, private boats, swans, ducks, geese, herons, egrets and more.  Beautiful in every sense of the word.

It is time to lay off the pastries but not the baguettes.  It’s fun watching people walking with their daily baguette in hand.  When they receive their baguette they give it a little squeeze.  As they walk they nibble off the top.  They just can’t wait until they get home for that first bite.  Could you wait?

Baguettes and dessert on the run.

Saint-Quentin had a fabulous cathedral.

Our new car is airborn.

Tom and Julian hoist our new wheels onto the deck of Rabelo.

For those of you interested in learning more about food, wine and travel go to my friend’s web site Shaunaburke.com and sign up for her new blog.  She is a food and wine connoisseur.  The pictures of meals she has eaten in her travels made my mouth water. I’m finding her information informative and it is presented in a very professional manner. I can't wait for her next installment.

Next stop Compiegne.