Chateau du Champ de Bataille

Literally called the Castle of the Battle Field, Champs de Bataille is impressive in every way, with its classical French architecture and beautiful formal gardens. The name dates from the 10th Century, in 935 a large battle was fought in the vicinity of the present day chateau. Two local families contested the battle, one led by Guillaume Longue Epée (William Long Sword) the other by Robert le Danois (Robert the Dane). Guillaume won the day and gained Normandy its independence. Although there is not much archaeological evidence it is believed that there have been several castles built on the site. In 1651 Alexandre de Créqui rebelled against the young Louis XIV and was exiled from court by Mazarin who was Regent. Créqui decided to build a magnificent residence to remind him of the splendours of the Royal Court which he believed he would never see again. The castle remained unfinished at his death and passed to the Marquis de Mailloc who inherited both the property and its debts. It was not until the Duke of Beuvron, nephew to Mailloc and Governor of Normandy, inherited the property that it achieved its full splendor. The Duke made the Chateau his principle residence, but even he was unable to finish the work. The Revolution interrupted the mammoth task, with the castle being looted and quarried. In 1992 the castle was bought by its current owner Jacques Garcia who finally managed to complete the building and to restore the gardens to their planned splendor.

A day at the Chateau de Versailles

Today, I visited one of the most famous castles in Europe: the Chateau de Versailles. I had not been there in probably 20 some years. I’m not going to write its entire history, it would be too long and you can read about it on the internet. So I’ll just give you some tidbits.

The Palace of Versailles was the home of King Louis XIV and Marie Antoinette, who ruled France. King Louis XIV declared himself as the state and the Sun God (Roi Soleil). The entire Versailles site (the palace and the gardens) is set on 19,262 acres, which is larger than the island of Manhattan.

The Chapel took 28 years to complete (from 1682 to 1710) because Louis XIV demanded absolute perfection in design, construction and materials. Towering above the roofline of the palace, the Chapel is by far the most notable aspect of the palace architecturally. Louis viewed the Chapel as a statement of his devotion to the Catholic church, and a statement of the Church's supremacy in France. Thus, perfection was required. The entire complex was completed with the ultimate in opulence and luxury. The Queen's bedchamber was one of the largest rooms in the private apartments because protocol required her to give birth in public. During the birth of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette's first child, the doctor panicked when 200 courtiers pushed into the room.

One of the most important modern day event that took place at Versailles was the signing of the treaty to end WWI. The Treaty of Versailles, ending World War I, was signed in the Hall of Mirrors. This famous Hall contains 17 large chandeliers and 26 smaller ones each made of solid silver and a total of 1000 candles.

Went dancing in Paris

Had fun last Wednesday with some of the managers from Dentsply. We went out to an old nice restaurant in Paris 8th district: the Barrio Latino is classified as a historical monument, its façade and metal structure are the work of the illustrious Gustave Eiffel. On the ground floor, a tapas bar and the “Red Bar” decorated with beer bottle caps are warm, friendly areas where you can enjoy tapas at any time of day. In the evening, a contagious frenzy takes over the room and temperature rises as the DJ takes over with his sensual bossa-novas and wild salsa rhythms. On the mezzanine, the restaurant, the patio winter garden and the table d’hôtes in the dining alcoves, offer a menu of South-American delicacies. At the Cuban stopover on the 3rd floor, the swirls of “Romeo y Julieta” overlook the superb bar adorned with cigar bands. A VIP Salon on the top floor provides a luxurious and more exclusive to discover new cocktails or enjoying a cosy dinner in the loggia or Moroccan room. After the succulent dinner accompanied with a bottle of wine, we danced until closure, 2am. And yes, we all showed up at work a few hours later.

Easter in Giverny

Easter, Paques, 2012

This Easter weekend, we had the pleasure of welcoming some of our family members from Germany; my dad's aunt, his cousin and his wife. My uncle and aunt (dad's sister) from Auvergne also came. After breakfast this Monday morning (Easter Monday is off in France and is a holiday), I surprised everybody with an Easter hunt. I had bought earlier in the week and secretly hidden before breakfast big chocolate bells and bunnies out in the yard. They were excited, like children, to search for them. After the hunt, we drove to Giverny which is known worldwide, and especially by Americans, as Claude Monet's house and beautiful gardens. Giverny is a small village with no more than 1000 inhabitants, about 50 miles west of Paris.

Claude Monet, the renowned painter, noticed this village while looking out of a train window. He made up his mind to move there and rented a house and the area surrounding it. In 1890 he had enough money to buy the house and land outright and set out to create the magnificent gardens he wanted to paint. Some of his most famous paintings were of his garden in Giverny, famous for its rectangular Clos normand, with archways of climbing plants entwined around colored shrubs, and the water garden, with the Japanese bridge, the pond with the water lily, the wistarias and the azaleas. Monet lived in the house with its famous pink crushed brick façade from 1883 until his death in 1926. He and many members of his family are interred in the village cemetery.

Claude Monet's property at Giverny (house and gardens), left by his son to the Académie des Beaux-Arts in 1966 became a Museum opened to public visit in 1980 after completion of large-scale restoration work: the huge Nymphea's studio was restored and the precious collection of Japanese engravings was displayed in several rooms, hung in the manner chosen by the master himself, the gardens were replanted as they once were. The house become a popular tourist attraction (the Fondation Claude Monet), particularly in the summer when the flowers are in bloom.

Flea market





Today in Gaillon was the annual flea market, in french called "la foire à tout". As the French government doesn't allow garage sales, every city is entitled to hold one flea market during the spring. So the individuals wanting to sell their marchandise buy a meter or two of space in the street to set a table or simply lay their stuffs on the ground. It was a beautiful day for it, our small city was full of visitors.