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Post by Deleted on Oct 31, 2011 20:59:55 GMT
Pierrefonds is a village with one of the most amazing châteaux less than 100 km from Paris. (The actual distance is 89 km.) There is no point in debating the authenticity of the restorations of Viollet-le-Duc. It is pretty much a given that his restaurations all over France are not authentic but rather a dream of how things ought to have been built in the first place. Carcassonne is perhaps the most famous example, with its pointy roofed round towers that never existed in olden times. Regarding the château of Pierrefonds, Viollet-le-Duc said outright that he never intended to repair the ruins with historical accuracy but instead to recreate such buildings as they "should have been." My own opinion is that Viollet-le-Duc was extremely talented and he gives full meaning to the term "artistic licence." I should admit right out that my interest in the château of Pierrefonds was spawned by watching the BBC series "Merlin" which is filmed there. There is no lack of castles in England, but Pierrefonds has a wow factor that one rarely experiences when looking at one on the horizon, so I fully understand the choice by the BBC. I wanted Pierrefonds all to myself on Sunday, so I left Paris at about 5:45 in the morning, even though I knew that the château would not open until 10 a.m. I needed to make the terrain my own. I took the A1 autoroute to the Compiègne exit and followed the signs from there. It was rather dangerous driving before dawn, because it was still "Saturday night" for a lot of the drivers. I know that entering Compiègne, I was passed by a car driving at least 150 km/h, but 2 minutes later I saw it smoking in a bunch of bushes after having missed a roundabout. Another car had already stopped to make sure that everybody was all right, so I felt exempted from any intervention. Pierrefonds is only about 16 km or so from Compiègne, but I was amazed at how small the road was for something that I knew to be a major sight. It plunged into the dark forest of Compiègne, which has always been a place of legends, druids and sorcery. And then I suddenly arrived in a lovely little town -- Pierrefonds. The sky was just beginning to lighten, but the muncipal lighting suddenly went off, as though they knew I had arrived. Frankly, I had not even spotted the château yet, but when I did, it was one of those OMG moments. I just found a place to park and decided to explore the sleeping town, since it wasn't yet 7 a.m. In any case, it was an enchanting place, still slumbering at the base of the behemoth towering above.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 31, 2011 21:21:28 GMT
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Post by fumobici on Oct 31, 2011 21:49:19 GMT
Whoa. That may be a little Disneyfied but still. Breathtaking.
The town seems oozing in charm as well and without meaning offense your photo skills are getting quite advanced. Particularly with the doors.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 31, 2011 22:43:05 GMT
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Post by nycgirl on Nov 1, 2011 3:35:14 GMT
That castle certainly does have that wow factor, because "wow" is the first thing I thought when I saw it! It's spectacular. And I love all the stunning fall foliage you captured.
By the way, how is that Merlin series? I heard about it but I don't know anyone who has seen it.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 1, 2011 6:52:15 GMT
Now that I had my bearings, I decided to go exploring elsewhere since it was still two hours until the castle would open. I decided to drive through the forest to the neighbouring village of Saint Jean-aux-Bois, also nestled in the middle of the forest of Compiègne. I had to promise myself that I would return just to spend some time in the forest one of these days. It is breathtaking all by itself.
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 1, 2011 7:05:56 GMT
Charmed. Charmed right down to my socks, yes I am. The part of me that wants to believe in magic looked at this thread & thought yes, yes it's true!
You really captured the excitement of going to a place that calls out to you. When I got my first glimpse of the castle in pic #8, I wanted the car to go faster. ;D
Besides the obviously anachronistic roof combs and the pointy towers, is the rest of it pretty much authentic? The film set is great.
The only complaint I have is that I threw down my camera in disgust and stomped on it after seeing your photo of the road through the trees. Truly, all the pictures are wonderful.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 1, 2011 8:11:05 GMT
Small French towns are absolutely charming on a Sunday morning. Not so much anymore, but one of the first signs of people getting up in the old days at this time of year was the smoke of newly lit fires coming out of the chimneys. Shortly afterwards, people come out for a quick trip to the boulangerie, usually one of the adults, but sometimes the kids can be convinced to get bread and other breakfast items if they are hungry enough. After breakfast, it is traditionally the womenfolk who go to the butcher, the grocery store, the charcuterie or whatever. The menfolk have their own duties, usually to play the first video games of the day with their children.
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Post by bjd on Nov 1, 2011 10:35:16 GMT
It's beautiful, especially with the colours of fall. I hadn't realized that you would get so many reds in the forest there. Another area I don't know and should visit.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 1, 2011 13:18:07 GMT
I actually still had an hour to wander around before the château opened, so I decided to walk along the lake and examine other little details here and there.
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Post by tod2 on Nov 1, 2011 14:38:17 GMT
Oh my goodness Kerouac - talk about the WoW factor in this impressive photo essay You have surpassed yourself with the photography. Outstanding! The colours of autumn are more superb than superb.....(that is the description one in Africa would give) ;D I can't thank you enough for showing us this splendid little French village and making our tongues hang out with the deliciousness of every wonderful scene! Say we mere tourists would like to venture to this quaint enclave - how would we go about it with out a car? Thanks.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 1, 2011 15:08:32 GMT
Say we mere tourists would like to venture to this quaint enclave - how would we go about it with out a car? Thanks. Well, first you just take a commuter train (TER) from Paris-Nord to Compiègne. Then you have to take a bus from there to Pierrefonds (2€), but there are almost no buses. None on Sundays and holidays, in any case. The bus trip takes 29 minutes. The www.oise-mobilite.fr website seems to indicate that ride-sharing by private vehicle is possible and cheap. When you enter a departure time and date, the site also gives you a list of people, the number of passengers they can take, and the days of the week they drive that route -- and a contact link. Participation is 1€ for the ride.
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Post by patricklondon on Nov 1, 2011 15:40:55 GMT
Wonderful photos. Sorry to lower the tone, but I'm guessing the property prices reflect a certain proximity to Paris and attractiveness to people willing to commute by car. Or does that not happen so much in Paris as here?
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Post by Deleted on Nov 1, 2011 15:46:06 GMT
So, just before 10 a.m. I returned to the château and joined the crowd of at least 6 people. The ticket office and gift shop swung upon its huge doors and revealed a modern installation with a glass revolving door and sophisticated lighting housed in -- well, this was bigger than most village churches, but it may have been just a big barn or stables in the past. Besides all of the usual stuff -- the historical books, guidebooks, postcards, souvenirs -- we were also in the world of Merlin t-shirts, figurines, plastic swords, dresses for little princesses, little breastplates and helmets, capes. You can imagine. I got my ticket and went to the gate. It's time for the little history vignette. The castle was built in 1393 by Louis d'Orléans as a fortified residence destined for the surveillance of trade routes between Flanders and Burgundy, clearly with a little toll to be collected along the way. The Burgundys were rivals of the Orléans in any case, so too much travel from one area to another was suspicious business, no matter what. Anyway, in 1616, Louis XIII laid siege to the place for some reason, conquered it -- and had it demolished. Well, actually, they lost interest in demolition about half way through because, jeez, it was a massive piece of building! But they tore down the outer walls, destroyed the roof and gutted the towers. It was pretty much just a heap of rubble when Napoleon bought it in 1810. (Why would he even need to buy it? Who owned the ruins?) But it wasn't until the 19th century that something was finally done, because "romantic ruins" suddenly became fashionable. Napoléon III decided to put the place back together as an "occasional residence" probably during hunting season but also as a museum open to the public. The original plan was to just restore a portion of the place and leave lots of "romantic ruins" to admire. But Viollet-le-duc found inspiration and there was no stopping him. Viollet-le-duc worked like hell on the place from 1857 until his death in 1879 and then his son-in-law took over until he died in 1884. All of the heavy work was finished by then and all that was lacking was some interior decoration. I realized only later that I didn't even get a photo of the full central courtyard, because when I walked in, I didn't want it spoiled by the other half dozen people wandering around, and then later on there were more and more people.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 1, 2011 16:14:32 GMT
There was a little exhibition on dance through the ages in the "throne room" (I call it that because that's what this room is in Merlin, with the throne in front of the row of statues.). I saw that there are regularly events at night in the château -- fancy dress balls and more creative events. I saw that on the night before my visit, there was an "interactive deambulation" whereby small groups were to go from room to room where they would be met by one or more dancers who would have them choose some musical item to which they would improvise. In the final grand room, all of the visitors were invited to dance along with all of the professional dancers, from tango to techno. And what did they charge for this? 5€.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 1, 2011 18:39:19 GMT
One of the final things to see during the inner wanderings of this part of the château was down here, in the crypt. Now in Merlin, when you go down into the guts of the castle, it is either to see a prisoner or sneak down to see the dragon in the cavern for advice. But in the real château of Pierrefonds, there is something totally different and somewhat amazing. It is "le bal des gisants" or the "ball of the dead." A "gisant" is a reclining statue, usually of the deceased, such as you can see in certain cemeteries. One place to see them is in the basilica of Saint Denis, where the kings of France are buried, but the other main place is Pierrefonds. The statues here were stored in the crypt in 1953. Most of them had been displayed in the gardens of Versailles on order of King Louis Philippe during the Restoration. The idea was to allow a reconciliation of the French with the monarchs of the past. Whatever that is supposed to mean! It was in 2006 that the administrator of the château had an idea for displaying this remarkable collection of orants (kneeling figures) and gisants. It is the principal reason that I want to go back when I have more time. What was totally magical and mesmerizing were the sound effects. Each statue whispered stories of its life in poems of its dreams. "I lost my wife at the birth of our child and remained inconsolable during my reign. All of the royal families of Europe came to present their daughters...." "I was poisoned by my brother..." "During a fierce battle in Flanders, a sword pierced my heart..." "My husband locked me away for 20 years while my children were raised by his mistress..." All of the whispers overlay each other and make you feel as though you are in a crazy person's head, with voices coming from every direction. The lighting effects were spectacular and at the same time spectacularly low-tech. There were simply concave cups of coloured mirrors in various places with a small halogen spotlight.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 1, 2011 19:21:21 GMT
There were a few things left to see in the château, of course. The chapel was appealing for its almost complete emptiness. There is also a collection of hammered lead and copper on display by one of the main artisans of the past, the Monduit workshop. This place worked on most of the roofs of the cathedrals and monuments of France between 1867 and 1970. In Paris, one can mention Notre Dame and the Opera for their spires and weathervanes, or else the spire of Mont Saint Michel. The works displayed are not "copies" but "duplicates" that were made at the same time as the originals for the precise purpose of display in World's Fairs (this was clearly a big preoccupation a hundred years ago). There were also a few rooms devoted to Viollet-le-Duc and of course what I found the most interesting was to see engravings of the pile of rubble of Pierrefonds before he began his work.
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Post by Jazz on Nov 1, 2011 19:22:08 GMT
Magical! Beautiful, with the quality of perfect stillness. I was surprised to see the colours of autumn, not something that I thought you found very much in France. A worthy day trip.
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Post by bjd on Nov 1, 2011 19:37:55 GMT
Except for that gisants/orants area, I think I prefer the outside and the park and ponds nearby. Maybe it's the fall colours and the emptiness, but it looks like a fine place to wander around.
I'm not really a big castle fan and don't like to visit those huge empty rooms, especially with fake statues.
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Post by fumobici on Nov 1, 2011 20:07:30 GMT
This is frankly astonishing, for me perhaps the most impressive photo essay I've yet seen here. Words fail me.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 1, 2011 20:19:41 GMT
So, what about this Merlin business? It is a primitive show, but I enjoy it. The good guys are the goodest possible and the bad guys are the baddest you can imagine. Treachery comes with a big neon arrow pointing at the bad guy, or at least it seems so. The cast has excellent chemistry and everyone is quite appealing. Of course that's just my opinion. It is very restful mindless entertainment, but aren't so many of the things we watch? I go to see challenging stuff at the movies, but generally I like simple stuff on the small screen.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 1, 2011 20:29:06 GMT
I'm glad you enjoyed our little visit. I certainly loved every minute of it and will return there, perhaps investigating more of the forest of Compiègne next time. Kudos to Viollet-le-Duc and his reinterpretations of the past as it should have been. On the road again....
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Post by frenchmystiquetour on Nov 1, 2011 22:55:47 GMT
The travel forums are full of Viollet-le-Duc bashers. I am not one of them. Carcassonne seems to be the source of much of their wrath but I've seen some of these same posters gush with enthusiasm after visiting Notre Dame in Paris, and I've not seen much criticism of Notre Dame. If it weren't for him a lot of highly visited tourist sites in France wouldn't be quite so highly visited.
BTW, I'd love to hear more about the witches, druids and sorcery stories and their being linked to the forest around Compiègne.
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Post by mich64 on Nov 2, 2011 2:07:19 GMT
Absolutely outstanding essay. Thouroughly enjoyed every single photo and comment. Cheers! Mich
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Post by Deleted on Nov 2, 2011 5:48:47 GMT
Wonderful photos. Sorry to lower the tone, but I'm guessing the property prices reflect a certain proximity to Paris and attractiveness to people willing to commute by car. Or does that not happen so much in Paris as here? Actually, Patrick, it is not at all Paris that raises the prices here, because you can buy all sorts of houses closer to Paris and with a train station in town for half that price. Pierrefonds, and quite a few other little villages in the Oise, are just chic little enclaves in their own right, where people can feel that they are living in an ideal version of France. In fact, it is a badge of honour for some of the towns not to have a train station, making them more inaccessible.
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Post by tod2 on Nov 2, 2011 10:23:35 GMT
Kerouac, I've just enjoyed another look at all the photos. I then wondered if this village of Compiegne was mentioned in my EyeWitness Guide to France, and blow me down there it was!
I don't want to intrude with dozens of details they give but lovers of French history might like to know that Compiegne is where Joan of Arc was captured by the Burgundians in 1430. When you decide to go back one day, heres a bit of info that may be of interest to you: The Clairiere de l'Armistice north of the N31, marks the spot where the armistice of World War I was signed on 11 November 1918. The small Musee Wagon de l'Armistice has a replica of the railwaycarriage where the ceremony took place. which was used again in World War II by Hitler as a himiliating venue for the signing of the french surrender on 22nd June 1940.
The large bird you photographed on the lake is a Grey Heron. These birds stand motionless for long periods waiting for prey.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 2, 2011 12:26:29 GMT
I saw the turn-off for the Clairière de l'Armistice but since I was unsure how far it was, I decided to save it for another day. I did a little report about Compiègne some time ago. And I'm not kidding when I say "little" because the title is 40 minutes to see Compiègne!
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Post by nycgirl on Nov 2, 2011 13:57:55 GMT
What a wonderful trip! I would love to wander around in the castle, especially the gisant area. I like all the interesting details the place has, like the lizard rain spouts and the other stone creatures. But the forest, like you said, looks like a highlight all by itself. You captured some truly ethereal images of the trees. Love all the shots of reflections and colorful foliage. Now I see where you get all your great Image Bank material.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 2, 2011 18:58:38 GMT
The forest was indeed magical. I could easily imagine wizards, dragons, hobbits and knights in armour passing through there all the time.
And of course, the forest is often used in the TV series, because it is perfect for treachery, campfires and attacks by brigands.
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 4, 2011 19:20:00 GMT
Finally getting around to commenting again on this no-superlatives-are-sufficient thread. It's insanely beautiful and most enjoyably informative as well. I've looked at it several times before posting again because I get so ga-ga over the images. Kerouac, you were touched with Merlin's magic, as almost every photo could stand alone in terms of excellence and interest.
Sorry about the gushing, but it's just so damned good.
And just to mount my hobbyhorse for a moment ~~ fellow anyporters, don't you want to share a treasure like this with everyone you know who appreciates beauty, history, and fun? This is a perfect thread to email around or to post on facebook or to link in your blog. Please share what we're so lucky to have in this forum, which is its own brand of magic.
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