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Bernay
Jan 4, 2016 15:20:29 GMT
Post by breeze on Jan 4, 2016 15:20:29 GMT
If you’re a fan of half-timbered buildings, Bernay will keep you happy for a few hours. It’s in the Eure departement, west of Paris. We made a brief stop at Bernay after reading the Michelin green guide, which made it sound interesting. I really liked the town–it’s lively, with varied and interesting buildings, a park, and water channels running through it. Supposedly its position in a valley fed by two rivers, the Charentonne and the Cosnier, kept it so foggy in World War II that the town escaped bombing. Water rushes through the town and on this sunny day, ducks and people were out enjoying the sun and water.
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Bernay
Jan 4, 2016 15:27:53 GMT
Post by breeze on Jan 4, 2016 15:27:53 GMT
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Bernay
Jan 4, 2016 15:47:23 GMT
Post by mossie on Jan 4, 2016 15:47:23 GMT
That style of building is quite distinct, I would almost call it fully timbered. A bit similar to the cheshire stuff.
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Bernay
Jan 4, 2016 15:53:57 GMT
Post by breeze on Jan 4, 2016 15:53:57 GMT
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Bernay
Jan 4, 2016 16:04:09 GMT
Post by bjd on Jan 4, 2016 16:04:09 GMT
Lucky that number 27 in the photo just above is stuck between two buildings! It looks as though it will crack apart.
I have never heard of the place but it certainly looks nice. It's good that most of those old houses are being kept up and used.
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Bernay
Jan 4, 2016 16:35:01 GMT
Post by breeze on Jan 4, 2016 16:35:01 GMT
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Bernay
Jan 4, 2016 16:38:05 GMT
Post by breeze on Jan 4, 2016 16:38:05 GMT
There are I believe two buildings that keep vestiges of their medieval storefronts. I took photos of one of them.
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Bernay
Jan 4, 2016 16:45:30 GMT
Post by breeze on Jan 4, 2016 16:45:30 GMT
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Bernay
Jan 4, 2016 16:52:47 GMT
Post by breeze on Jan 4, 2016 16:52:47 GMT
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Bernay
Jan 4, 2016 16:58:38 GMT
Post by breeze on Jan 4, 2016 16:58:38 GMT
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Bernay
Jan 4, 2016 17:05:25 GMT
Post by breeze on Jan 4, 2016 17:05:25 GMT
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Bernay
Jan 4, 2016 17:08:08 GMT
Post by breeze on Jan 4, 2016 17:08:08 GMT
Somehow I managed to delete the photo I was hoping to get an explanation of, the checkerboard building.
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Bernay
Jan 4, 2016 19:32:42 GMT
Post by bjd on Jan 4, 2016 19:32:42 GMT
The French Wikipedia article about Bernay has a picture of this building. It says it's a former abbot's house from the end of the 16th century and used to be beside the convent buildings.
Googling further, it is just mentioned that the building is a checkerboard pattern of brick and stone and is an example of early 17th century architecture. No mention of it being specific to that town or area. It became a private residence after the revolution and was bought by the city in 1887 to house a museum.
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Bernay
Jan 4, 2016 21:20:30 GMT
Post by breeze on Jan 4, 2016 21:20:30 GMT
Thanks, bjd. I've seen this style in one other place (that I recall), also in Normandy, but for some reason I think it's not limited to this region. It reminds me of something I saw in a book about France from my childhood. For some reason I think of Perigord--is that possible?
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Bernay
Jan 5, 2016 2:52:23 GMT
Post by cynthia on Jan 5, 2016 2:52:23 GMT
About when were these lovely photos taken, Breeze? This past spring or summer, maybe? A really nice series.
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Bernay
Jan 5, 2016 3:08:02 GMT
Post by breeze on Jan 5, 2016 3:08:02 GMT
cynthia, it was in May 2014. We went from one architectural treat to another on that day. Hmmm, I feel another photo report coming on.
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Bernay
Jan 5, 2016 6:09:23 GMT
Post by Deleted on Jan 5, 2016 6:09:23 GMT
It looks like a lovely town. I'm sure I've driven through it before, but there is no visual trace of it in my memory so it's nice to get a closer look. It is indeed lucky that it did not get destroyed in the way, because most of the towns in the area were flattened in 1944.
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Bernay
Jan 5, 2016 7:59:47 GMT
Post by bjd on Jan 5, 2016 7:59:47 GMT
Breeze, I'm not all that familiar with Périgord, but would say they use a lot of stone and not much brick. Brick seems to be the fallback building material in areas with little stone -- like around Toulouse.
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Bernay
Jan 5, 2016 12:30:19 GMT
Post by breeze on Jan 5, 2016 12:30:19 GMT
bjd, I'm sure you're right about the Perigord being mostly stone. We see a lot of brick in the fairly narrow area of France we visit but I realize that stone is more widely used.
One building with the checkerboard that I remembered was in Touques, toward Deauville. Last night I remembered where else I've seen it--there's a small section of the chateau of Saint-Aignan-sur-Cher that's a checkerboard, and there's a picturesque little turret in Bagnoles de l'Orne which is too spiffy to be ancient.
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Bernay
Jan 5, 2016 17:27:18 GMT
Post by mossie on Jan 5, 2016 17:27:18 GMT
kerouac, thanks for reminding me there was a war about 70 years ago, I had been thinking that a lot of the timbered detail was done with machine cut modern timber. A lot of the rebuilding had no doubt to be done in a hurry, and in less historical places the attention to detail didn't happen.
It is good nonetheless that the rebuilding was carried out sympathetically and not in the Brutalist fashion of some places.
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Bernay
Jan 5, 2016 20:44:44 GMT
Post by htmb on Jan 5, 2016 20:44:44 GMT
Looks like a nice little town for a stop!
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Bernay
Jan 6, 2016 5:56:57 GMT
Post by bixaorellana on Jan 6, 2016 5:56:57 GMT
I so much enjoyed this architectural smorgasbord, Breeze. It occurs to me that these towns with all the timbering must have once been surrounded by old forest. They must have cleared fields and built houses at the same time. I love that great old slab of a door -- chesnut? Your sunny green pictures are lovely, too.
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