The weather today is forecast to be really nice so we figured that it was perfect for a trip to see a medieval tower and 14th to 15th century houses, so we went out to Provins with Patrick. He's never seen anything much older than what's in the Eastern U.S. as far as European architecture is concerned. So it's about 45 minutes out to Provins which is the home to a 12th century tower and a whole town full of half-timbered houses. Deb and I went out there a couple months ago and loved it so we felt it would be a great introduction for Pat and it was.
The day was sunny and bright but not hot as we boarded the train and settled in for a jaunt across the countryside. Provins is as the end of a single spur off of a main line, so we had to spend about 10 minutes at the bottom of the spur to make sure the line was clear and then went in at a leisurely pace past two very small stations and in to Provins.
We got off and walked towards the center of town pausing at the little streams that run through the town on the way to the road that climbs up to the hilltop where the tower and a 12th century church is also located. This was the county seat of the counts of Champagne in that time period so it was a very important town and the site of a major trading fair twice a year. So it was known all over Europe as a place to go for trading. We walked up the hill and into the parvis in front of the church where we sat for a few minutes and read a bit about the history of the church. It was started by the count but he ran out of money and it was never built out to it's full extent. So the pulpit is mounted on the last column before the end of the truncated nave and a priest would be talking to the backs of the parishioners.
After the visit to the church, Pat and I went over and toured "Cesar's Tour" the castle keep that the count built at the same time as the church. It was never a large castle type building but was primarily used as a lookout tower and later as a prison. In the 1800's it was refurbished by Violet-le-Duc the architect who also restored Notre Dame and now it houses the bells for the nearby church. We had an interesting visit and walked and climbed all over the tower, it features fantastic views for 360 degrees around. Once we came out we met with Deb again and continued with a walk through the upper town. It features ancient buildings all over the area within the walls that surround about 40 percent of the town. The walls are being restored because they add so much visual attractiveness from a tourists perspective.
We walked around from one gate to another gate, about a quarter of the way around, and then back into the upper town. It was getting late in the day so we headed back down the hill and over to the train station for our ride back to Paris. A very enjoyable trip to the countryside and a good introduction for Patrick.
The weather today is forecast to be really nice so we figured that it was perfect for a trip to see a medieval tower and 14th to 15th century houses, so we went out to Provins with Patrick. He's never seen anything much older than what's in the Eastern U.S. as far as European architecture is concerned. So it's about 45 minutes out to Provins which is the home to a 12th century tower and a whole town full of half-timbered houses. Deb and I went out there a couple months ago and loved it so we felt it would be a great introduction for Pat and it was.
The day was sunny and bright but not hot as we boarded the train and settled in for a jaunt across the countryside. Provins is as the end of a single spur off of a main line, so we had to spend about 10 minutes at the bottom of the spur to make sure the line was clear and then went in at a leisurely pace past two very small stations and in to Provins. 
We got off and walked towards the center of town pausing at the little streams that run through the town on the way to the road that climbs up to the hilltop where the tower and a 12th century church is also located. This was the county seat of the counts of Champagne in that time period so it was a very important town and the site of a major trading fair twice a year. So it was known all over Europe as a place to go for trading. We walked up the hill and into the parvis in front of the church where we sat for a few minutes and read a bit about the history of the church. It was started by the count but he ran out of money and it was never built out to it's full extent. So the pulpit is mounted on the last column before the end of the truncated nave and a priest would be talking to the backs of the parishioners. 
After the visit to the church, Pat and I went over and toured "Cesar's Tour" the castle keep that the count built at the same time as the church. It was never a large castle type building but was primarily used as a lookout tower and later as a prison. In the 1800's it was refurbished by Violet-le-Duc the architect who also restored Notre Dame and now it houses the bells for the nearby church. We had an interesting visit and walked and climbed all over the tower, it features fantastic views for 360 degrees around. Once we came out we met with Deb again and continued with a walk through the upper town. It features ancient buildings all over the area within the walls that surround about 40 percent of the town. The walls are being restored because they add so much visual attractiveness from a tourists perspective. 
We walked around from one gate to another gate, about a quarter of the way around, and then back into the upper town. It was getting late in the day so we headed back down the hill and over to the train station for our ride back to Paris. A very enjoyable trip to the countryside and a good introduction for Patrick.
No comments:
Post a Comment