Wednesday 29 September: La Défense, Ile de la Jatte, Nanterre, an urban look at Ile de France

Sunday afternoon on the Ile de la Jatte 1881

This week Prudence will lead us through two parks and among the fascinating contemporary skyscrapers and sculptures of La Defense. Here is her info.

 

We will start at Nanterre Prefecture, go through Parc André Malraux, up to La Grande Arche, down the esplanade, through a little of Courbevoie, over to the Ile de la Jatte, and back up to La Defense. There will be many, many, interesting and unexpected sights along the way; "photo ops" galore! Bring your cameras, comfortable walking shoes, lunch (plenty of places to get some food and drink) and an umbrella (to ward off the rain).

 

Take the RER A to Nanterre Prefecture, one stop after La Defense, there are plenty of trains, for example one every 3 or 4 minutes from Chatelet, an 11 to 13 min trip. I'll meet you at Nanterre Prefecture at 9:45, take the exit to esplanade Ch de Gaulle, parc Andre Malraux. We'll walk about 12 km.

 

At the end of the walk we will meet up with our blog-meister, Ed Troupe, in a cafe at La Defense. It will be nice to see him and thank him for the beautiful blog.

 

This will be a change from our usual tromping thru mud, over hill and dale - a new look on Ile de France.

 

See you next week.

Prudence

01 46 26 03 06, prukupka@aol.com

 

for the day of the walk:

06 63 44 60 09

La Défense from the pont de Becon

Wednesday 22 September at Maintenon

Château de Maintenon

The Château de Maintenon and the Eure River Valley

In 1674, Françoise D’Aubigné, widow of the poet Scarron and future wife of Louis XIV (1684) bought the chateau of Maintenon and the lands around it. She enlarged and embellished the chateau, giving it a more modern and less medieval look. Our hike this week will end at this castle and those who wish to visit it can do so for 6,50 euros.

In the 1670's, Louis XIV was formulating a grand plan to bring the waters of the Eure River to Versailles for his fountains. He needed a lot of water! The work was gigantesque, but was interrupted by war in 1688. The only remains that we will see are a canal and part of the aqueduct.

Our hike will be about 15 km. on mostly flat terrain around Maintenon,  along the Canal XIV, the river and lakes, and through villages and countryside of the Eure Valley.

We will take the 9:33 SNCF train, 62477, direction Chartres at the Gare Montparnasse which arrives at Maintenon at 10:22. This train makes a stop at Versailles-Chantiers at 9:46 where I will board. Those who board at the Gare Montparnasse can meet as usual at the head of the quay and board the first car (last one going out). 

Return: Trains leave from Maintenon at 16:17, 16:47 and 17:17.

You will need a picnic lunch, good walking shoes, etc.

If you wish to be informed of any eventual changes/cancellations, please r.s.v.p. tomlfich@yahoo.com  with your cell phone number if you have one and your home phone if not.

Mary Lynne’s numbers: 01 47 41 98 20 and 06 70 88 18 59

See you Wednesday!

Maintenon, the modernized château

Wednesday 15 September at Neaufle le Château

Neauphle le Château, chez Marguerite Duras

This week, Krystyna will again be our leader. This time we will walk in and around Neauphle le Château with visits to the church of Neauphle and to the Grand Marnier distillery. Here's her info:

The walk includes:

• A stroll in the historic village of Neauphle le Château.
• A tour of the village church with the historian Marc Leroy (bring 4 or 5€) — plus a nice surprise.
• Picnic in the village park.
• A guided tour in English of the Grand Marnier distillery with a free tasting session and an opportunity to do some shopping.
• A stroll in the forests of Sainte-Apolline and Crâne.
• A look at an historic tree planted in 1556 by Diane de Poitiers, famous mistress of king Henry II.

To get there:

At the gare Montparnasse take the 9:40 train DAPO going to Dreux. Get off at the station Villiers Neaufle Pontchartrain (zone 5) at 10:09.

Return in the late afternoon from Villiers Neauphle Pontchartrain or Plaisir or Clayes sous Bois, so don't buy your return ticket in advance.

Important:
Please confirm that you're coming as soon as possible. I need to tell the guide at Grand Marnier  how many of us there will be.

chocolat.blanc@yahoo.fr

06 03 53 41 66

Notre balade comprend:

- promenade dans le village historique Neauphle le Château;
- visite de l'église du village avec l'historien Marc Leroy
  (prévoir 4 ou 5 euros) + une agréable surprise;
- pique-nique dans le jardin du village;
- visite du Grand Marnier avec un guide en anglais + une dégustation
  (gratuites), possibilité de faire les courses;
- balade dans les forêts de Sainte-Apolline et de Crâne;
- visite de l'arbre historique de Diane
  (il aurait été planté vers 1556 par la favorite d’Henri II de France,
  Diane de Poitiers).

Aller:
De la gare MONTPARNASSE à 9:40 prendre le train DAPO
direction DREUX
jusqu'à gare VILLIERS NEAUPHLE PONTCHARTRAIN (Villiers-Saint-Fréderic)
zone 5, arrivée à 10:09

Retour à la fin de l'après-midi:
Gare Villiers-Neauphle-Pontchartrain ou Plaisir ou Clayes-sous-Bois
ne pas acheter le billet de retour svp!

Important:
Merci de me confirmer votre participation le plus tôt possible
car je dois donner le nombre de visiteurs au guide de Grand Marnier:chocolat.blanc@yahoo.fr
06 03 53 41 66

A bientôt,
Krystyna

A local product

Wednesday 8 September from Fontaine to Champagne

The Seine at Fontaine le Port

Daniel Perot will lead us on the GR 2 along the Seine from Fontaine le Port to Champagne sur Seine. The walk was to have taken place 23 June, but transport problems required a change of plan. Here's everybody's chance to enjoy the charms of this agreeable stretch of the GR2.


Cette randonnée devait s'effectuer le 23 juin. Ce jour, des incidents dus aux transports nous ont obligés à modifier notre itinéraire. Cette semaine vous pourrez donc tous profiter des charmes de cette étape du GR 2.


Our walk will take us along the Seine, which we'll leave from time to time to visit nearby forests and villages. These include the charming village of Samois, home of Django Reinhardt, the famous jazz guitarist, composer and leader of the Hot Club de France.


The walk is planned for 18 easy riverside kilometers, but it will be possible to return to Paris after 12 km.


Le parcours se fera partiellement le long de la Seine, que nous quitterons plusieurs fois pour apprécier les forêts et les villages environnants. Le charmant village de Samois, où vécut Django Reinhardt, célèbre guitariste, compositeur et chef d'orchestre de jazz français, retiendra particulièrement notre attention. 


La distance de notre randonnée sera 18 kilomètres. Pour les personnes qui le souhaitent, il sera possible de regagner Paris à partir d'une gare plus proche de la capitale. La distance sera alors de 12 kilomètres.


Getting there:
Attention, we will change trains in Melun. We will have only 5 minutes to get from one train to the next, so it is advisable to stick together and listen to station announcements.


Nous ne disposons que de 5 minutes pour la correspondance. Il est souhaitable de rester groupés et d'écouter les annonces.


At the gare de Lyon, take the 10.05 train, direction Montargis. Get off at Melun at 10.31. At Melun, change to train 51439 which leaves at 10.36, direction Montereau. Get off at Fontaine le Port at 10.47.


Return:
Champagne sur Seine 16.45 arriving in Paris at 17.41, or 17.44 arriving in Paris at 18.43.

Purchase a one-way ticket as the return will be from a different station. If you are coming from the suburbs into Paris and then Fontaine le Port, a ''Mobilis'' ticket for 6 zones is perhaps slightly cheaper and certainly less trouble than purchasing separate tickets.

Meet: head of the quay at the gare de Lyon.

Bring: a picnic lunch, water, good shoes and rain/sun gear, just in case.

Daniel
09 50 56 65 26
01 45 90 65 26
Sorry, no mobile this week.

See you Wednesday

Waterfront scene at Samois