The friends who visited with us in Switzerland then went on to La Raincy, a suburb of Paris, where they had a house exchange. We followed on Friday the 27th and stayed through 8/1, which is Swiss National Day and a holiday for Jon. Although the house was a ways out of Paris, they had chosen this exchange because it included the use of a car. Well, folks, after one day re-visiting Paris (I had been there in 1997, Jon and I in 2005), we were deeply grateful for that car. Our first day we took the train into Paris and spent most of the day touring the Louvre. Yes, we loved the museum again. But getting there and back, through filth and trash and smells and crowds, including a pickpocket attempt, left us wanting no more.
At 'home' with the Patels in La Raincy
At the Lourvre
So for the next 3 days we did what we couldn’t do when we were there before with the bike: toured the countryside in every direction: Giverny (totally loved it), Rouen, Vaux le Vicomte (the lesser-known inspiration for Versailles with much smaller crowds) , Fontainebleau & Chartres (the last two have seen recent improvement and we expect will get better with each year).
Jon & MC in Monet's garden
Giverny lily pond - Monet planned and built his gardens
Rouen Cathedral gargoyles at sunset
Vaux le Vicomte - amazing luxury
Vaux le Vicomte - ceiling detail
Canal at Vaux le Vicomte-far beyond the gardens is a man-made 800m canal
The horseshoe staircase at Fontainebleau where Napoleon gave his goodby speech
Hallway in Fontainebleau palace
Guilt, anyone?
Stained glass windows in Chartres were removed during WWII
Chartres interior restoration - the cathedral is dedicated to Mary
Chartres Cathedral Interior
Our final day we again walked through Paris, visiting the Rodin Museum and a map store we had discovered on our last visit, Au Vieux Campeur, finding two of the maps we will need for our sabbatical next year.
An uncaptioned statue in the garden of the Rodin Museum
We arrived home in time to watch a Swiss Day parade, bonfire and fireworks, then we ran home in a sudden downpour.
Swiss National Day bonfire - we worried the nearby corn field would get roasted!
Swiss Day fireworks above bonfire