Wednesday, April 2. Today is a big outing: to Vaux-le-Vicomte with Dany (landlord). She picks me up in her car at about 11 a.m. While I'm waiting outside for her, a big truck stops right in front of the apartment building and sits there while two guys unload untold numbers of bags of flour into the boulangerie/patisserie on the ground floor. All during the time that this is going on, the traffic on the street is completely blocked. Needless to say, the people who have been caught behind these goings-on are not happy campers! But I'm enjoying watching the delivery!
Maincy. We drive through the city, passing the Palais des Omnisports de Bercy, the park and the Cour Saint Emillon which I visited last fall. We pick up one of the autoroutes, and the trip to Vaux takes about an hour. Just before arriving at Vaux, we pass through a picturesque little village called Maincy (Seine-et-Marne). I make Dany stop so I can take a picture of the church.
Vaux-le-Vicomte. The day is overcast and gray but it is a perfect day to visit Vaux as we practically have the place to ourselves. After buying our tickets (and following the mandated route through the gift shop!), we finally arrive in the courtyard. We walk through the former stables which contain a great display of carriages and other equestrian equipment. Then we decide to have lunch before taking on the chateau!
The chateau of Vaux is very impressive and more manageable than, say, Versailles. It was built for Nicolas Fouquet, the Financial Secretary for Louis XIV. But Fouquet was also the victim of intrigue on the part of Colbert who wanted to bring him down. On August 17, 1661, Fouquet held a "fete" for the king, complete with dinner, theatre (by Moliere!) and fireworks. Of this party, Voltare was later to write: On 17 August at 6 in the evening, Fouquet was King of France; at 2 in the morning, he was nobody." He was arrested 3 weeks later and spent the rest of his life in prison.
Brico Depot and Ikea. On the way home, Dany stops at a Brico Depot to pick up something for the other studio apartment that she is renovating. This is a big box store, idential to Home Depot in the United States. Second stop on the way home is to Ikea. I'm interested to see this as I've never been to one (I tell Dany that I'm an Ikea virgin!). Huge. Overwhelming. Fatigant. Needless to say, the juxtaposition of Vaux and Ikea in one day is mind-blowing.
By the time I get home, I'm exhausted. Brico Depot and Ikea did me in, to say nothing of speaking French all day!
Des Racines et Des Ailes: the Builder's Dream. Tonight I watch this documentary-type television show which is divided into three sections: one on Viollet-le-Duc, the French architect who was put in charge of the restorations of Notre Dame, Pierrefonds and other; one on Taj Mahal and other buildings of Emperor Shah Jahan; and the last one on Gaudi and Barcelona. It is fabulous.
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