Wednesday 14 April from Coignières to Chevreuse

This week Mary Lynne will lead a 15 km walk in the Chevreuse Valley from Coignières to St Rémy lès Chevreuse. We will pass through the hamlets of Levis St Nom and Maincourt sur Yvette before reaching our picnic spot facing the 17th century Chateau of Dampierre built by Jules Hardouin Mansart. 

You may wish to stay behind to visit the chateau and its gardens designed by Le Nôtre , but we will continue our hike towards Chevreuse and its lovely “promenade des petits ponts” over the Canal de l’Yvette, ending at the RER B station at St Rémy. (There is bus service between Dampierre and St Remy, 17 minutes, leaving Dampierre at 13:23 and 14:21)

If there is sufficient interest we could have a group admission to the sculpture gardens at the Coubertin Foundation located just outside St. Remy. (3,50€) You'll need to tell me in advance so that I can reserve.

Most of the terrain is relatively flat although there is one short, steep climb. Bring the usual picnic lunch, sun and rain protection, and be prepared for a short stretch of wetland.

Getting to Coignières:  Take the train DOPO which leaves the Gare Montparnasse at 8:58, direction Rambouillet, and arrives at Coignieres at 9:47. This train stops at Versailles Chantiers at 9:24.

Return: The RER B trains leave St. Remy every 15 minutes. There is a bus which connects St. Remy with Versailles Chantiers.

If you plan to join us, please inform Mary Lynne at mlfich@yahoo.com or 01 47 41 98 20 and 06 70 88 18 59. We hope that the train strike will not interfere with these plans.

See you on Wednesday!!

Wednesday 7 April from La Villette south

Dear Hikers,

Due to the train strike projected for next Wednesday, 7 April, we think it safer to plan a hike accessible by metro.

Virginie has graciously volunteered to lead us through Eastern Paris from the Porte de la Villette in the north to the Porte d’Ivry in the south, passing through three parks along the way.

The hike will cover 18km with lots of zig-zagging and the possibility to leave the group at any time along the route.  Bring a picnic lunch, and it will be possible to stop for a drink at the Place de la Nation.

She would like to take the Voguéo from the Bibliotheque Mitterand to the Porte d’Ivry where the scenery is more pleasant from the water than on land.

Meeting place: the exit of the Metro Porte de la Villette, sortie Cité des Sciences at 10:00.

See you on Wednesday !

Wednesday 31 March, "the Venice of the Brie"

Daniel Perot will lead this week's walk, the second Spring walk, yeah, yeah.
Let's hope this wonderful weather continues. Here is Daniel's info:

On Wednesday March, 31st, Daniel will lead the walk around Crécy, "la Venise briarde" in the Brie with its river the Grand Morin and some lovely brooks.

We will go by train from the gare de l'Est to the station Crécy La Chapelle (zone 6).

• Départure gare de l'Est 10:30, direction Meaux. Arrival Esbly at 11:01.
• At Esbly, transfer to Crécy en Brie La Chapelle 11:07, arrival 11:22.

Then... we will chose to do either a bucolic or a sporty walk (same trip).

• For a bucolic walk, return from Crécy en Brie 16:34, arrival in Paris 17:30.
• For a sporty hike, return 15:34, arrival in Paris 16:30.

We will cover 12 kilometers in 3 or 4 hours. Altitude will vary from 49m to 130m. We will walk through fields and woods, along rivers and over some hills.

Remember to bring water and some lunch... rain gear, sun gear (if necessary), hats. Come see the "Venice of the Brie" in its springtime colors. Just bring your sturdy shoes and enjoy a lovely walk.

Looking forward to seeing you on the hike, let me know if you are
coming.

daniel.perot@free.fr
Phone 09 50 56 65 26 or 01 45 90 65 26
Mobile 06 99 20 70 79 only on the day of the walk.

Wednesday 24 March at Auvers

the church at Auvers sur Oise

Dear hikers, 

This week Serge Gallice will be our leader. Here is his information:

We will have a hike whose theme is Van Gogh, the unique, famous, awesome painter Vincent Van Gogh. I'm planning to do this hike between L’Isle Adam and Pontoise going through Auvers/Oise. This hike is roughly 10 miles (16km) long.

Let me now describe a little bit this great hike to you. It will start at L’Isle Adam Parmain, a town located in the Oise Department. We will linger by and along the Oise River. Then we will arrive at Auvers/Oise where we can visit the church, have a look at the cemetery at the Van Gogh brothers' tombs, Vincent and Theo's tombs. There is too the Van Gogh's room to be visited for a small fee. We can have lunch at the Park where there is a beautiful statue of Vincent. Do not forget along the way we can see reproductions of his paintings. Then, after Auvers sur Oise, we will proceed to Pontoise.

We'll start our hike from L'Isle-Adam Parmain.   So we'll take the train POVA from Paris Gare du Nord (surface) at 09:13 direction Persan Beaumont and go to L'Isle-Adam Parmain, arriving at 10:08. 

We will finish at Pontoise from where we'll take the train back to Paris.

There's a possibility to visit Van Gogh's house for a fee of 6€.

You will need the usual good hiking shoes, rain gear, water and a picnic lunch.

Regards,

Serge

village house at Chaponval

Wednesday 10 March in the New Athens

After experiencing the bucolic spendors around Mantes last Wednesday, this week we will walk closer to home with Marcel Kohl. Here is Marcel's information:

La Nouvelle Athènes (9th arrondissement de Paris) et visite du musée de la Franc-Maçonnerie le 10 mars.

Ce jour-là, nous verrons l'église de la Trinité, le square d'Orléans (souvenirs d'Alexandre Dumas, Chopin,George Sand, Delacroix) la place St Georges, le musée de la Vie Romantique, l'Hotel des Ventes Drouot, etc.

Nous déjeunerons (pour les volontaires) au Bouillon Chartier, 7 rue du Faubourg Montmartre, à 12h. Le restaurant est unique pour le cadre (19e siècle, classé aux Monuments Historiques) et les pingouins qui nous servent. La nourriture est plus ordinaire que le décor, mais ce n'est pas très cher.

A 14h30 visite du musée et du temple du Grand Orient, 16 rue Cadet, avec une conférencière (7€).

Le rendez-vous est devant l'église de la Trinité (métro Trinité, ligne12) à 10 heures.

Ce n'est pas la peine de me prévenir si vous venez ou ne venez pas, ou venez à
une partie du programme, je le constaterai de visu.

Amitiés à tous,

Marcel Kohl

For the friends who are not so fluent in French

On March 10th we'll be in the romantic 19th century:

• Meeting-point: Trinité Church (Paris).
  
  
• Then sightseeing and lunch in a celebrated Art Nouveau restaurant: 325 places and 16 waiters—wonderful.
  
• Then back to the Free-Masons' museum (with Lafayette's sword) and the masonic lodge.

Ciao,

Marcel

No need to tell me if you're coming. It'll be a nice surprise.

Wednesday 17 February the Bièvre from Igny to Arcueil Cacan

Dear Hikers,

This week we will hike the third section of the valley of the Bièvre River, about 14km, 4½ hours walking time, from Igny to Arcueil Cachan.  As we progress the environment will become more and more urban, and the Bièvre will disappear underground for at least half of the itinerary.  Most of the mills and all of the laundries and tanneries have long since disappeared, with modern constructions taking their place. There have been efforts in the towns of Fresnes and Cachan to bring the Bièvre back to the surface and to reintroduce vegetation that once grew along its banks.

We will meet at the Igny (zone 4) station at 9:54.  Getting there:  Take the RER B, train Plan, direction St Remy lès Chevreuse, which leaves Châtelet les Halles at 9:11, St Michel - Notre Dame at 9:13, and Port Royal at 9:17 and get off at Massy Palaiseau at 9:36. At Massy, change to the RER C, train Cime, which leaves Massy at 9:51, direction Versailles Chantiers and arrives at  Igny at 9:54. I believe there is a 6 minute walk between the RER B and RER C stations.

There are other ways to arrive at Igny, but at this time slot, this is the suggested itinerary on http://www.transport-idf.com/frontal?controller=Default.

Return:  From Arcueil/Cachan on the RER B.  It will be possible to leave the group early if you are tired.

Bring the usual picnic lunch and rain/snow gear. I suspect that there will be mud at the beginning of the hike. If you want to be notified if, for some unforeseen reason, we need to cancel, please call or email me with your phone number(s).

See you on Wednesday!

Mary Lynne

mlfich@yahoo.com          01 4741 98 20         06 70 88 18 59

Our blog:    http://idfwalks.blogspot.com/

Wednesday 10 February along the Vaucouleurs

Next Wednesday, February 10, Claude Faure will lead us on a hike near Mantes, in his own back yard, so to speak. Here is his info.

Autour de la vallée de la Vaucouleurs

La Vaucouleurs est une petite rivière, long d’une vingtaine de kilomètres se jetant dans la Seine à côté de Mantes-la-Jolie dans les Yvelines. Son cours est jalonné de lavoirs et d'anciens moulins. Cette randonnée de 17 kilomètres et avec un dénivelé de 350m. nous conduira d'une rive à l'autre afin d'admirer les paysages valonnés qu'elle a creusés, ainsi que quelques charmants villages.

For those of you not yet fluent in French: We will explore the valley of the little Vaucouleurs River, which empties into the Seine near Mantes-la-Jolie in the Yvelines. We will hike from one bank to the other, passing charming villages with their old washhouses and former mills while admiring the undulating landscape. The distance is 17km with a 350 meter level change.

Aller

Gare St Lazare 9h07 train 51001 direction Evreux pour une arrivée à Mantes la Jolie (zone 6) à 9h39 où je vous attendrai, puis bus Tam I à 9h45 pour Magnanville.

Retour

Magnanville bus Tam I à 16h50 pour prendre le train de 17h08 à Mantes la Jolie arrivant à Paris St Lazare à 17h40.

You will need a picnic lunch and sturdy walking shoes as there may be muddy places. Please let me know if you will be coming and give me your cell phone number.

Ce serait effectivement bien que les participants me préviennent + mon numéro de portable pour le jour de la randonnée.

Claude7.faure@orange.fr

01 30 92 04 95
06 84 14 55 35

See you on Wednesday!

Claude