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Post by htmb on Aug 15, 2014 19:55:10 GMT
I thoroughly enjoyed looking through this marvelous thread again and, though I've kicked myself repeatedly for not making an effort to visit Pierrefonds on my last visit to France, I bet the autumn season would really be the most beautiful time to go. I can only imagine how delightful it would be to also enjoy the paths through the woods in the area. There really does seem to be a lot there for feasting ones eyes.
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Post by Marie on Feb 5, 2016 0:40:13 GMT
Best blog ever!!! We're going there this spring. Thanks for the inspiration.
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Post by lola on Feb 5, 2016 1:20:49 GMT
Enchanting, magical photos. So glad Marie found this, because I missed it the first time. I want to go too.
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Post by bixaorellana on Feb 5, 2016 4:49:56 GMT
I will be forever grateful for being taken to see Pierrefonds under the best possible circumstances & with the best possible companions. My desktop image is a picture I took that day and I never get tired of looking at it and remembering the magic. I well understand how Kerouac likes to revisit the place at different seasons!
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Post by breeze on Feb 5, 2016 13:29:47 GMT
Kerouac, I also think it's one of your best. Because of this thread we tried to watch Merlin but couldn't get into it. The architecture was the best part of the show, for me, and the actors got in the way.
Your photos enable me to see more than I'd be able to see if I were there, and I don't mean just on this thread.
We drove through Saint-Jean-aux-Bois and I felt it calling to me, but E or I would have to learn French and get a high-paying job in Paris before we could hope to park our Ferrari, or maybe a Jaguar, behind a hedge in that posh village.
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Post by htmb on Feb 5, 2016 13:49:09 GMT
Bixa is correct. Pierrefonds is a magical place and I enjoyed my visit there, too. I'd return in a heartbeat!
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Post by kerouac2 on Dec 16, 2018 17:01:31 GMT
I had been wanting to return to Pierrefonds for a long time, so I finally did it. i.postimg.cc/wB9nGSt2/Pierrefonds-2018-015.jpgAt first I though "Oh my god, it's closed!" but they are simply renovating the main entrance drawbridge and have built an alternative entrance in the meantime. i.postimg.cc/yWqbX54F/Pierrefonds-2018-016.jpgThe former ticket office and museum shop are still closed, but I think it's permanent now. They have a very good reason for having relocated these places. i.postimg.cc/j55msP4J/Pierrefonds-2018-017.jpgAnyway, I was the one and only visitor in the entire château, a situation which I absolutely love. i.postimg.cc/vmXCF3fs/Pierrefonds-2018-018.jpgi.postimg.cc/tJPjjF9N/Pierrefonds-2018-019.jpgi.postimg.cc/Hkwf3pLj/Pierrefonds-2018-020.jpgI confess that I got a bit lost, even though I have been there about 5 times now. They change the setup each time I go, it seems. i.postimg.cc/T2WGgvn5/Pierrefonds-2018-021.jpgI had gone in the "monster" entrance because the principal entrance seemed to be closed. But then I walked out because I could not find a passage to see the rest of the château. i.postimg.cc/L4q4D1FX/Pierrefonds-2018-022.jpgThere had to be some trick. I returned to where I had been and found a discreet passage to take me elsewhere. If it had been an escape game, I would have already lost. i.postimg.cc/ydb5WxLp/Pierrefonds-2018-023.jpgThe ticket office had informed me that there is an exhibition concerning Arthurian legend at the moment. It was using a number of rooms not normally open to the public, yay! i.postimg.cc/bYKyBwqR/Pierrefonds_2018_024.jpgActually, the "new" rooms are pretty much identical to the usual rooms, but it is always nice to have a bigger space to explore. i.postimg.cc/sxGLWz8j/Pierrefonds_2018_025.jpgThe engravings from the Middle Ages are fascinating. i.postimg.cc/vZyQG2gg/Pierrefonds_2018_036.jpgi.postimg.cc/zXKzZYBY/Pierrefonds_2018_037.jpgThere were major series of images of Guinevere hooking up with Lancelot, and Arthur fighting Mordred, not to mention horny Gawain. i.postimg.cc/zfcvDSYs/Pierrefonds_2018_026.jpg i.postimg.cc/0yZrF1W2/Pierrefonds_2018_027.jpg i.postimg.cc/JnHnsD1G/Pierrefonds_2018_028.jpg i.postimg.cc/6Q3TNbgV/Pierrefonds_2018_029.jpgi.postimg.cc/2SCV0SxK/Pierrefonds_2018_031.jpg i.postimg.cc/pXHTdL3L/Pierrefonds_2018_032.jpg i.postimg.cc/4yC3Vfdw/Pierrefonds_2018_033.jpg i.postimg.cc/bYbr8tC5/Pierrefonds_2018_035.jpgold Merlin i.postimg.cc/nh1nrKBd/Pierrefonds_2018_038.jpgInformation about subjects like the Knights Errant rekindled my interest in the subject. I need to get a book about it some day. i.postimg.cc/nLRZYHdB/Pierrefonds_2018_042.jpgi.postimg.cc/XqxT3LTF/Pierrefonds_2018_034.jpgi.postimg.cc/hjXn2Hww/Pierrefonds_2018_043.jpgi.postimg.cc/kX3CyYy1/Pierrefonds_2018_041.jpgi.postimg.cc/bvNptGRq/Pierrefonds_2018_044.jpgi.postimg.cc/W3xvC5c4/Pierrefonds_2018_047.jpg
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Post by kerouac2 on Dec 16, 2018 17:08:53 GMT
just a little idea of the presentation
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Post by bixaorellana on Dec 17, 2018 1:49:05 GMT
Ooooo ~ enough newness and differentness to really make your return special! There are a couple of the monsters I don't remember, along with that big head. Happy you got to go and got the place to yourself.
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Post by kerouac2 on Dec 17, 2018 6:12:51 GMT
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Post by kerouac2 on Dec 17, 2018 6:41:10 GMT
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Post by mich64 on Dec 17, 2018 18:19:27 GMT
Like you, I could revisit this beautiful town again and again! It is such a wonderful, quaint town and then when you look up and see the castle, it is takes your breath away and you feel a rush of excitement that makes you want to find how to get up to it and get inside.
Reading through the thread again brought back many memories, two in particular, the road to the town, I remember thinking at the time how narrow it was and how tight it must be during the high season. Two, the forest, I technically live in the forest, however, I never think of it that way perhaps because it is so thick, I am not sure if that is the correct word to explain it. I remember thinking how lovely and delicate the forest was and like you, we arrived very early in the morning and even though there was a bit of fog, it was enchanting.
I enjoy your photos of the crypt and one day I hope to get back and climb down those stairs!
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Post by kerouac2 on Dec 17, 2018 18:23:04 GMT
One thing that I found a bit strange is that it was a sunny and clear day in Paris, but Pierrefonds was shrouded in mist the whole time I was there. The moment I drove away, the sun returned after about 3 kilometres.
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Post by mich64 on Dec 17, 2018 18:33:09 GMT
Exactly! A mist! When you are reaching the town it envelops you, makes you slow down, almost crawling into the village and as you leave the sun breaks through as if to bring you back to modern day life. Part of the magical experience!
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Post by whatagain on Sept 28, 2019 12:39:52 GMT
Whatagain s family is there right now. We had mussels (what else we are Belgians) and will now visit the castle. We were here in 2004-5-6 ? But each time we saw the sign ´ pierrefonds' on the highway we said ´ we should go back ´.
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Post by htmb on Sept 28, 2019 13:58:50 GMT
Enjoy! It’s a wonderful place to visit.
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Post by whatagain on Sept 29, 2019 10:43:09 GMT
We followed a guided tour of the castle and it was fantastic. The guide explained a lot of the things that Viollet le duc did that were uchronic. Such as cats on the roofs when a cat was a sorcerer's friend in middle age or an elefant playing clarinet with his Trump. Inside the way he decorated adding lots of strange animals. Real nice. We also loved the crypt full of gisants.
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Post by whatagain on Sept 29, 2019 10:47:41 GMT
To end the day we visited last clairière de l'armistice - museum closed and the coach inside the museum but still nice to see and show to the girls. There is also a superb FT17 female on static display.
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Post by kerouac2 on Sept 29, 2019 11:54:03 GMT
I have been about half a dozen times and I enjoy it every time, as well as walking around the town.
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