Pretty pictures biking the Brie region in France

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Usually when I write trip reports about biking I spend a lot of time doing research on the places I visit so I can include tid-bits of history and maybe a few interesting anecdotes to entertain the reader. But I'm feeling really lazy today and I decided to just post pictures I took along the way without all the historical details documenting each place I visited. This will be a report about biking nowhere in particular through towns that have nothing of interest to offer the visitor (I doubt that these towns ever get visitors). Wait, wait...don't go away just yet! You'll still get to see lots of pretty pictures of the French countryside and some quaint villages so I can promise at least some visual stimulation.

The Brie region is the closest area to where I live where one can find themself in the middle of nowhere so that was my destination for the day. I hopped on my bike and pedaled to the adjacent town of Champigny-sur-Marne where I could take the RER line E to get to the country. Naturally since I am in France I discovered that train service was interrupted due to a ''mouvement social'' (a strike) and if that wasn't enough there was also an interruption of service due to work being done on the rail line. I was getting a taste of life in the real France. Actually, only a few trains were not running and I only had to switch trains at one stop so I wasn't terribly inconvenienced. My train arrived at Tournan-en-Brie and after exiting the train station I followed signs to ''Centre Ville''. Here it is.








Saturday is wedding day in France and if you are near a town hall (Hotel de Ville) on a Saturday chances are pretty high that you'll see a wedding. The last photo was of the town hall and indeed there was a wedding.






I said I wouldn't recount any history for you but if you are interested in discovering some for yourself here is the link to the town website where you can learn about the history of Tournan from 1147 to the present:

www.tournan-en-brie.fr/Tournan.asp?IdPage=3535

There were a few other nice streets in Tournan but I didn't get any pictures. It was kind of a pleasant town actually. I was looking around for some place to grab a sandwich for the ride but had no luck. I went to the patisserie and settled for two quiche oignons lardons (quiche with onions and bacon) and a tasty looking pastry. I stuffed them in my backpack and off I went. After pedaling though the ugly industrial zone on the outskirts of town and crossing the highway I arrived at last in the middle of nowhere.
















You never know when you might get a nice surprise so I was pleased to see this sign.

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This seemed like a nice place to enjoy my picnic lunch so I got out the food and grabbed a seat on the wall in front of the château.








Lunch finished I hopped back in the saddle and moved along.




The next town I entered was Liverdy. I often make jokes about always encountering the village lunatic whenever I ride through small villages and Liverdy was no exception. The village lunatic was there to greet me as I entered town. You can see him sitting in front of the wall on the left of the photo. He mumbled something to me as I rode by but I had no idea what he said so I mumbled back something equally unintelligible in what I considered to be lunatic talk. He smiled so he must have understood.














As I was heading out of the village I noticed this standing stone off to my left. There were no signs near it but I'm pretty sure it was a menhir (ancient standing stone) based on its shape, its smoothness and the fact that it wasn't the same type of stone as most of the other large blocks of stone in the area.






Due to the drought we've been experiencing it appears that the wheat and oats are maturing early. These seem to be among the primary crops in this area and the shimmering golden hues of oats waving in the breeze and changing color with the passing clouds and sunlight was a beautiful site to behold throughout the day.




Another dominant crop is colza (for canola oil) which is past its most beautiful stage. Earlier in the season it bursts with bright yellow flowers.

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Here I am approaching Châtres.
















As you can see there are no major sites of interest in any of these villages but they are peaceful and tranquil and there are always old houses with beautiful gardens and an old church in the center of the village. Sometimes you get lucky and there is a bar tabac where you can hang out with the locals. Back to the countryside.






I like taking pictures of old run down buildings. This barn suited me well.




As a compliment there was even what appeared to be an old abandonded house across the street which was being overtaken by trees and weeds.




Here's a field of wheat.

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In between the huge expanses of agricultural fields there is always a little area of shady green forest to break up the ride and provide a change of scenery.






I'm sure you've always wanted to visit Fontenay-Trésigny so here it is.




They were renovating the old farm building which you see covered in scaffolding. I wish it had been open as it looked lovely but this was the only picture I could get.




This was a lively and nice little town. Still nothing much to see but it was pretty and there were plenty of stores and cafés to check out.
















I enjoyed my visit to Fontenay. While there I noticed signs to a château. It didn't say how far away it was but I decided to see if I could find it. This road looks like it leads somewhere, doesn't it?






Sitting amidst many of the wheat/oat fields are old farmsteads, many of which have been here for centuries. Some of them go back even further and are of the fortified type common in this area during medieval times when it was neccessary to protect yourself from marauding gangs of thieves.






I was in search of a different château but since I noticed this sign pop up out of nowhere I decided to follow it and have a look.

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I started down the road and in the distance I could see a line of cars approaching, all of them honking their horns. This is typical of what cars do in a French wedding procession so I decided to see what the bride and groom were up to.




The wedding procession was turning into the château. When the last car had entered I tagged along behind it, looking very inconspicuous on my bike. Since no one stopped me I decided I would crash the party. I know it's not proper etiquette but who doesn't want to party with French Mystique?! Besides, in my shorts and t-shirt I was quite sure I would blend in well with all the elegant people in their fine tailored suits and lovely dresses. I made a little video of my entry to the wedding.




It's a good thing there was a wedding today or I wouldn't have seen the château since I believe it is only open when there is a function. Here are some pics I took.

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Back on the road I found the sign to the château that I was originally looking for.










I finally reached the end of the road leading to the château....



….but even though it is open to the public it was closed today so I had to settle for this shot of the grounds from behind the fence.












The next village I entered was Chaumes-en-Brie.

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Time to head out of town.




But I took one final look over my shoulder at Chaumes.

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Next up is Beauvoir. Beauvoir means beautiful to see and I'll agree that it was.














Beauvoir has a pleasant château.












And on to the next village.

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In the distance I could see Courtomer.












Entering the village.
















Are you ready to see some more wheat?

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I was approaching another château but it was private and had a big wall in front if it.



This was the only picture I could get through the fence.














Here is Bernay.

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Instead of wheat, how about some colza?






Here I am approaching the nice little medieval town of Rozay-en-Brie.






Here's the old lavoir (washhouse), something every small village seems to have preserved. I've read about some villages in this area that were using these right up to the 1970's.

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Here are some remains of the medieval ramparts which once surrounded the village.






Here is a statue. Perhaps you've seen one of these before?








And the now familiar back into the country photo.




At this point, who doesn't love colza?

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Okay, at this point I was approaching something I really wanted to see and had planned into my trip. I think everyone is familiar with Lafayette, friend of George Washington during The American Revolution and at first a hero of The French Revolution but later despised by the revolutionaries and forced into exile. His exile was supposed to be for life but he did return to France. However, he could not return to Paris so he had to settle for life in the countryside. He lived in a château I was approaching called La Grange Bléneau from 1802 until his death in 1834. Behind the farm in the above photo I could see several spires poking above the tree line and I was getting excited to see it as I approached. The château dates from the 14th to 15th centuries with some additions in the 17th century.

I've seen photos and it is a gorgeous castle with that fairytale medieval type appearance with towers and turrets and a gate and drawbridge and all that cool stuff. The castle has been untouched since Lafayette's death and is owned by a descendant who has a charitable foundation devoted to its preservation and that of its historic contents.

The history is all fine and well but I wanted to see the castle. I rode down a pretty little country road and I spied what I was sure was the entry drive to the château. There were no gates restricting the entry and no signs stating it was private property so I was expecting to ride right up. There were two teens in the driveway working on a motorcycle and as I passed them entering the domain I heard them call out ''C'est interdit!'', which means no trespassing. I reflexively spun around and uttered the same phrase with a question tonality ''C'est interdit?'' and I received a ''Oui, monsieur'' in reply. Damn it! I was so looking forward to this as the highlight of the day. I was totally bummed out. I left but I was still scheming about maybe cutting through the woods and trying to sneak a photo. I found a trail from the road and followed it but it only lead me to a locked gate where the only thing I could see was a garden. Here is my disappointing photo of the garden.



I'm still trying to find out if this château is open to the public but I'm not having any luck. Perhaps it is open in September during the Journées du Patrimoine and if so I am definitely going back.

It was getting late in the day and I had to get to the town of Nangis to catch the last train back to Paris, which was at 8:15 and it was almost 7:00 with Nangis some 15 kilometers away.

The town of Courpalay was also a place I had in mind for a visit.



It is a bit ugly on its outskirts as there is a large grain processing plant that greets you on arrival.




There are a number of these factories dotting the surrounding landscape and though they are not pretty you've got to have someplace to process all the crops that are grown in this area.








The sign in the above photo sums up the reason for my wanting to visit here. It is a town that produces a local beer called Bière de Brie. I figured it was too late for a tasting but I was hoping maybe I'd have time to at least buy some so I headed down the street to which the sign pointed.







After a few minutes of riding I still hadn't reached the brewery and I really had to get going so sadly I turned around and headed back towards Nangis.




If anyone is interested in visiting the brewery in Courpalay here is the website:

www.biere-de-brie.com/


I was also bummed because I had wanted to visit the old downtown of Courpalay. I knew it was a charming little place but I had to settle for this distant rooftop view with the church steeple.

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[French Mystique Tours]

I was finally on the outskirts of Nangis and while I didn't have time to visit today I did visit another time so why not tell what I know about it and show you some photos?

During the 1st century the Romans established a presence in the area and the town was near a major roadway the Romans had established to pursue their conquest of Gaul. There are a few villages in the region where traces of Roman occupation are still in existence and archaeological digs in the area often uncover evidence of Roman occupation.

The village first enters written history in medieval times when a castle was built on top of a motte (dirt mound), typical of castle construction during this era. The castle was built to serve as protection and lodging for those on the route from Paris to the grand fairs of the Brie and Champagne regions. As later Lords occupied the castle it also served to protect the local inhabitants. Over time it was also enlarged by successive owners. Pretty much the only events of historical importance in town involve the castle, such as when Joan of Arc visited it during her campaign to assist Charles VII in 1429 and when Louis XIV paid a visit to the castle in 1678. Two thirds of the original castle were demolished in 1795 after having been sold to a Paris notary. In 1814 the town and its environs were the scene of battle between Napoléon and foreign troops who had invaded the country to dislodge him. One large battle occurred on the plains between Nangis and nearby Mormant. A troop of Bavarians occupied the town and after dislodging them Naploléon spent a night in the castle and his troops camped on its grounds.

There are still some vestiges of its medieval heritage, such as the moat and part of their ramparts as well as a few of the castle's towers and portions of the walls. There are also a few ancient dwellings scattered about town as well as a 13th century church adjacent to the town hall/former castle. It is one of the larger towns within a 20km or so radius and has the most to offer in terms of commercial services and serves many of the nearby smaller towns and villages. Let's have a look around town.














So there's Nangis for you. Now, back to today. It was 7:55 when I arrived at the train station, still 20 minutes before my train. I went to the ticket machine in front of the station to buy my ticket and everything went smoothly until it told me it wouldn't accept my credit card. This was not right since my card matched the cards the machine said it accepted. These machines don't take bills but they sometimes do take coins so now I had to go rush to find a place to buy a drink or snack so I could break a bill, since I didn't have the required 7.80 euros in change. I managed to find a small supermarket in town that was still open so I grabbed a bottle of beer and headed for the check-out line. Doesn't it always happen when you're in a rush at check-out that there is always someone in front of you with a huge amount of stuff they are buying? And the stuff gets rung up slowly. And then they forget something and go to the very back of the supermarket to search for it while you wait. And then they decide to pay by check. And then the cashier has some sort of problem with their check and they stand idly discussing the situation while you are standing there with you lone purchase, which would really just take a second to buy, and you are watching the clock as it seems to count minutes faster than usual and you are afraid you will miss your train, which is the last train back to Paris? Do you know that feeling? Well, that's exactly what I was feeling. Once the clusterf*#k at the register cleared up I slapped down my 10 euro bill for my 95 centime beer onto the conveyor belt and popped off the top of the beer, simultaneously asking if I could have change for the train ticket machine. The beer was in my mouth and being guzzled before I even hit the exit.

Back at the train station I had 5 minutes left so I grabbed my change and dropped it in the slot. Everything was going smoothly.....until the machine spit my change back out and the screen read ''Due to a technical problem this machine can not print tickets''. Now ain't that sweet? No way I was missing the last train so I figured I'd just explain the story if anyone came to check my ticket, which they didn't. Back at Gare de l'Est I had one last hurdle to clear. There are turnstiles as you exit the platform and you are supposed to use a ticket to exit. However, I have in the past noticed a gate to the side that is unattended and leads out to the main hall. I am a believer in not taking advantage of the train system and never jump a turnstile or try to cheat the system in any way but the system had let me down today and I was in no mood for fairness. I looked around for any train officials and seeing none off through the secret gate I went. Free at last. And so are you, so goodbye.