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May 18, 2013, 10:41am

Any Port in a Storm :: The Beacon :: Putting Down Roots :: Public Gardens :: Parc de Sceaux

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Topic: Parc de Sceaux (Read 346 times)

kerouac2
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Parc de Sceaux
« Thread Started on Nov 10, 2012, 6:23pm »

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For people my age, for many years Sceaux was a mythical place shrouded in mystery. That's because in every Paris metro station, there were the metro maps but also the map for a strange line that was not the metro at all and which went out to the southern suburbs. Since it started at the Luxembourg station, there were a few stations in Paris where you could go with your normal metro ticket, and that is why the maps were displayed.

I knew all about the commuter train lines that left from the major Paris train stations, but it made no sense why the RATP -- the Paris metro authority -- was in charge of this strange line. And what on earth was Sceaux (pronounced so in case you are wondering). Obviously you could see it on the maps, but the line in question actually went far beyond this minor station to the equally mysterious Saint Rémy-les-Chevreuse.

So one of the things that sticks in the mind of a child is "I must resolve this mystery some day. I must find out what is in Sceaux!"

Actually, if you do a little research, you find out that this train line was built in 1846 and that the first terminus was Sceaux. Apparently there was some sort of major financial crash in 1847 and it went bankrupt along with the Paris-Orléans company, the Bordeaux-La Teste company, the Marseille-Avignon company and the Paris-Lyon company. They were all nationalized in 1848.

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Anyway, it was more or less given to the Paris Metropolitan Railway Company in 1937 which doubled the number of people using it in just one year.

I actually finally went to Sceaux to see what was there in 1973. I still remember the day vividly because it was in December and everything was frozen solid, but it was amazing anyway. I went with a friend and we pulled big blocks of ice out of the canal and took pictures through the sheets of ice (must find those photos somewhere!).

In 1977, the Ligne de Sceaux disappeared forever when it became the southern end of the RER B regional express line. Younger generations have probably never heard the name, but I remember the clunky old trains very well.

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I had actually not been back to the Parc de Sceaux itself since that trip in 1973 although I have grazed it driving in a car from time to time. I decided that it was time to return there this week.

The approach is quite impressive due to the carefully trimmed trees.

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The little château is a minor museum which I chose not to visit this time.

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It is a long walk to circumvent the château and get to the amazingly huge gardens.

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kerouac2
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Re: Parc de Sceaux
« Reply #1 on Nov 10, 2012, 9:58pm »

They happened to be ripping up part of the gardens, special for my arrival.

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Never a pleasant thing to have to see when you think of the effort that has gone before.

I wanted to continue down to the giant expanses, so I walked along the wooded edges for awhile.

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People were training their dogs.

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The last roses of the year struggled against the November chill.

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The side lanes are endless.

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kerouac2
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Re: Parc de Sceaux
« Reply #2 on Nov 10, 2012, 10:02pm »

I appreciated the autumn colours.

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Re: Parc de Sceaux
« Reply #3 on Nov 11, 2012, 3:18am »

Oh, the autumn colors are nice, indeed!

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kerouac2
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Re: Parc de Sceaux
« Reply #4 on Nov 11, 2012, 5:47am »

I've only walked in a little section of the park so far.

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The tiny château looks so insignificant from here.

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« Last Edit: Nov 11, 2012, 5:57am by kerouac2 »

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Re: Parc de Sceaux
« Reply #5 on Nov 11, 2012, 6:06am »

I can't even begin to imagine how many gardeners work here.

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There's a place to let your dogs loose in the woods.

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These people had just left the dog zone.

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Re: Parc de Sceaux
« Reply #6 on Nov 11, 2012, 6:20am »

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Re: Parc de Sceaux
« Reply #7 on Nov 11, 2012, 10:56am »

After walking the long lanes, it was time to see the Grand Canal.

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Here we are at the bottom at last.

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Re: Parc de Sceaux
« Reply #8 on Nov 11, 2012, 11:30am »

I know nothing about royal economics, but I absolutely cannot imagine how anybody could afford to create and maintain such huge expanses back when places like this were designed and ripped out of the forests.

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A busload of children was leaving after picnicking here.

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I see a family resemblance in the hair.

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Re: Parc de Sceaux
« Reply #9 on Nov 11, 2012, 5:06pm »

I liked how these statues had taken on protective colouring.

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Re: Parc de Sceaux
« Reply #10 on Nov 11, 2012, 5:15pm »

Back up to the château level...

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You don't see many squirrels in France compared to the U.S. But Sceaux has some red ones.

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The park café is still open on November weekdays, surprisingly enough.

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Any thought I might have had about taking original photos was squashed by the outdoor photo expo.

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The photos allowed me to discover that there is an exact replica of Mount Vernon in France.

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Vegetation must be tamed in France!

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Am I the only person who sees a vegatal circle in this hedge? (You may need to step away from the screen.)

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One of the gateposts of the château seemed to be taken from a page of the equine Kama Sutra.

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The other gatepost was perhaps from the canine Fight Club.

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And then I left, marveling once again at the avenue leading to the château.

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« Last Edit: Nov 11, 2012, 5:17pm by kerouac2 »

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Re: Parc de Sceaux
« Reply #11 on Nov 11, 2012, 6:25pm »

This looks like a very lovely place to visit, and how nice there's a dog park! Am I correct in thinking a trip south on the RER B will get you to Sceaux? Are bicycles allowed in the park?

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kerouac2
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Re: Parc de Sceaux
« Reply #12 on Nov 11, 2012, 6:39pm »

Yes, bicycles are allowed -- I wished I had had one while walking the length of the park as all of the bicycles passed me.

The RER B has a station called Sceaux and another station called Parc de Sceaux.

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auntieannie
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Re: Parc de Sceaux
« Reply #13 on Nov 15, 2012, 7:41pm »

This is gorgeous! Your pictures of the wooded areas are particularly lovely. You really capture details beautifully, K2.

As for the red squirrel... you'd get a prize here in the UK just talking about them. They have been decimated in most areas of England - apparently by the bigger american grey squirrel. Or that's what fanatics will tell you, the lip aquiver, wet eyes... (I am exaggerating a bit...:-))

I almost forgot.. the fountain figures seem rather angry/slightly demonic?

« Last Edit: Nov 15, 2012, 7:42pm by auntieannie »

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Dans les grandes choses, les hommes se montrent comme il leur convient de se montrer; dans les petites, ils se montrent comme ils sont.

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Re: Parc de Sceaux
« Reply #14 on Nov 15, 2012, 7:57pm »

I agree that those fountain faces did not look friendly to me.

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auntieannie
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Re: Parc de Sceaux
« Reply #15 on Nov 16, 2012, 7:08pm »

well... I wonder what face I would make if my mouth was a fountain spout...

gorgeous autumn colours!

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Dans les grandes choses, les hommes se montrent comme il leur convient de se montrer; dans les petites, ils se montrent comme ils sont.

bixaorellana
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Re: Parc de Sceaux
« Reply #16 on Nov 17, 2012, 6:46am »

This is absolutely SUBLIME!

It's so vast, so formal, so very French, & absolutely beautiful. Thank you for going there & thank you for taking such downright exquisite photos.

Like most gardeners, I balk at formal gardens, but when you see one rendered so perfectly and in such dazzling scale, it's easy to be converted.

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tod2
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Re: Parc de Sceaux
« Reply #17 on Nov 17, 2012, 10:29am »

This is just the kind of photo essay which I love! Being able to see what's just outside Paris so that when the crowds in Paris get too much, this makes a lovely escape into the countryside. Well, maybe not countryside but far off suburbs

The photos are beautiful and you got some good reflection of the trees and chateau in one of them.
I can see I would never be able to walk all that great distance you did Kerouac, so thanks for the bike tip!

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RichardRFC
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Re: Parc de Sceaux
« Reply #18 on Nov 17, 2012, 11:52am »

Nov 10, 2012, 9:58pm, kerouac2 wrote:

They happened to be ripping up part of the gardens, special for my arrival.

Never a pleasant thing to have to see when you think of the effort that has gone before.

They look like box hedges that they are removing. My wife tells me that there is a disease called box blight which is untreatable. If the disease has taken hold, you have to remove the hedge. Perhaps that is what happened here. As you say, not a pleasant sight.

Wonderful set of photos, though. Thanks, K2.

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auntieannie
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Re: Parc de Sceaux
« Reply #19 on Nov 17, 2012, 3:55pm »

I keep taking breaks from studying by looking at this thread.
How lovely it would be to lose myself in the parc de Sceaux for a few hours!

« Last Edit: Nov 17, 2012, 3:55pm by auntieannie »

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Dans les grandes choses, les hommes se montrent comme il leur convient de se montrer; dans les petites, ils se montrent comme ils sont.

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Re: Parc de Sceaux
« Reply #20 on Jan 14, 2013, 7:35pm »

How I enjoyed reading this thread and looking at so many wonderful photographs. Thank you K2

I particularly enjoyed seeing the Rodin angry fountain masks and the so typically French garden design . It is just so good to see gardens such as this now open to all - walkers , cyclists , dog lovers et al.

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kerouac2
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Re: Parc de Sceaux
« Reply #21 on Jan 14, 2013, 8:34pm »

I admit that it is hard to imagine when these places were private and nobody could see them except for the owners and their friends.

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