Bayeux Tapestries

I'm loving taking day trips out of Paris like Versailles and Fontainebleau. Yesterday's day trip took only 2 hours by train to Bayeux, Normandie. Instantly your whole frame of reference changes like stepping back in a time machine.

Go on a weekday and miss the lines and massive groups. You'll have the town to yourself.

The church is a must stop

After the obligatory look into a courtyard, I went on to forage for regional specialties. Shops close for lunch in these small towns while the museum stays open all day so treats come first like dessert.

A lovely Ciel Bleu patisserie

Where you can stop for tea and

A slice of tarte Normande/apple.

Would you believe 'D-Day' jam? Made of apple, pear, cider calvados and lemon.

After many tastings of caramel confit and Calvados in every variety including creamed I was ready to forget the Bayeux tapestries and just hang out.

I ended up with a lovely bottle of rhubarb jus with sans alcohol to speak of. YUM.

Are these regal hounds waiting to get into the tapisseries?

Inside two more hounds of Baskerville embroidered on the tapestry. 70 meters long and from 1090.

You get an audio that describes every pictogram in the story of William the Great and Harold. The designs are riveting and completely contemporary in their sparse simplicity. What can one say other than pretty terrific!

Do not leave town without the essential Bayeux dishtowel (10 euros) though somehow I managed to. I'm still working on my Moulin Rouge dishtowel.

What to wear to Bayeux? Definitely not armor. You can get away with anything. Large groups of Brits come over to catch their history in 🧵 

As for lunch I'd recommend picking up something at the charcuterie on 8, bis, rue Larcher. Plus bread from the boulangerie. There are plenty of nice spots to sit outdoors by the museum and picnic. Most of the restaurants looked to be set up for large tour group seating.

The railroad station is walking distance from town and easy to spot thanks to the traditional Hotel de la Gare.  It looks like Inspector Maigret's kind of place.

Paris Leaf Greens

Yesterday it was green, green, green in Paris.
Does anyone know anything about 'green' almonds?
What do you do with them?

This picture was shot a few Sundays ago when it was drizzling. Little green squares that pop up out of nowhere in Paris.
 

Macarons of green apple, mint, cucumber and Rocquette. Next time I'll taste instead of shoot.

Yesterday at the Tour Eiffel. I got off #42 bus several times to shoot the greens.
 

Love how Sadaharu Aoki plays with the color green.
 

Another bus detour for the wall garden by Patrick Blanc near musee Branly - these are evergreen - year-round green.

Boissier green tins look like they were created in the 1890's.
 

Poubelle green is not the same word as pourboire, easy to mix up.
 

Latest Les Jardins has real green turf in it - you pay extra for this.
 

Green silk jacquard fabric on the walls of Chateau Fontainebleau.
 

I never noticed the patisserie across the street from me is forrest green. Le Figaro gave them 2nd place for their chocolate religieuse. I almost never go in but suddenly lines out the door. I was not bowled over I have to say but then the religieuse sat on my table waiting to be painted for days - a no-no with French pastry which basically has a shelf life of about 24 hours.
 

In Printemps I fell in love with this vendeuse's little grass green bows going down her back.

Today I'm off to see the Bayeux tapestries in Base-Normandie. I will eat every local specialty except les tripes, les moutons de mer, and espace d'andouilles.

No way will I miss out on le caramel d'Isigny!

L'Art du Jardin

When I got back from Fontainebleau Saturday, I returned to l'Art du Jardin.

Experiencing the exhibit on press day was very much 'serenity now'. But I wanted to see how it felt with loads of people everywhere.

And there were loads. Plus a very long line outside waiting patiently. Yet it still felt peaceful and serene within.

Quite a few unusual structures were created to help compliment the Grand Palais' high ceilings.

The most interesting was this tree house. Again long lines waiting for a chance to climb to the top - just 4 people at a time plus the guide (who mentioned she was getting vertigo!).

The French are very good at waiting and evidently not afraid of heights. I'm neither of these so I didn't wait. There was another tall pillar-like column filled with intense scented plants and flowers and almost completely dark inside. That I experienced on Thursday fortunately. But lines were again long.

Back down on terra firma, beautiful roses...

Of all kinds and all for sale for your balcon or terrasse.

Or if you have room for a lilly pond...

Buy these!

If not you can make do with lilly pad earings.

Everyone was shooting like crazy.

And there were artists showing work that hadn't been there on Thursday. French families were present en mass from the tiniest bebe to all ages. No dogs though ahem. Paris Chronicles said if your first name was a flower or plant you got in free!  There is to be a l'Art du Jardin next year, by the way, so plan accordingly.

Chateau Fontainebleau

Tarte Rhubarbe, watercolor, 9" 11"

Yesterday I went to Fontainebleau again. If you have a monthly Metro card, on the weekends you can travel free within the Ile de France region on trains and buses. Friday is NOT considered the weekend by the way.

Who knew Fontainebleau had such gorgeous pastries? Strawberries plus a raspberry set on top of a caramelized rhubarb base with a poof of créme brûlée vanille. Where was my crust person when I needed you?
 

Like Versailles, this is a very pretty town with lots of pedestrian walkways and tiny shops.
 

An event was going on - Festival de l'histoire de l'art - but it turned out to be all lectures and no art. So I decided to take a stroll through the chateau where there is heaps of art.
 

Including a plate room
 

The walls are covered with embedded plates d'accord.
 

And of course there is ice cream at the chateau. This is the same company at L'Art du Jardin, Versailles and Rond Point in Paris - La Ferme de la Metarie, with 16 hand-made BIO fruity sorbets, perfect for a hot afternoon.

Dressing in one color is quite OK in Fontainebleau as well.
 

Though I think he should have been hanging out near the orange tea tins at Chocolatier Frederic Cassel.
 

This beautiful white bouquet inside the chateau.
Looks a lot like the specialty of the town, Le Fontainebleau made of fromage frais and crème fouettee(crème Chantilly). I wish there were signs when you enter a French town, that instead of welcoming you, reminded you not to not leave until you ate such and such specialty. Now I have to go back and taste this! HMPH.