It Rained All Week!
... except for one late afternoon when we arrived in Provins, Île-de-France, at 4pm on 1st October 2024. By 5pm it was one of my favourite towns. A town with ramparts, the architecture was old, almost Tudor-like but colourful, with some interesting ancient buildings to wander around. Arriving so late in the day, there was too little time to explore inside these monuments but we wandered around much of the town.
We parked, free, for a couple of hours in the lower part of Provins, which was pleasantly busy with many shops and restaurants. The roads are mostly flat cobble-stones and single file - but the system seems to work well. We walked up the hill towards the ramparts to a quieter part of town where there was a quiet square, La Place du Châtel, plus more restaurants and public places to visit (see below).
According to a leaflet about Provins, it is a "wonderful medieval city" with year-round special weekends. If you're thinking of visiting, we saw a hotel that we'd like to stay in when we return - prices from under £100 per night per couple - website link for hotel aux vieux remparts.
Things to do in Provins (not always in October; guided tours are usually in French) include: the rampart tour; illumination of the ramparts; legends and stories told underground; the tithe barn; museum; underground galleries, etc.. There is a tourist train if walking (especially uphill) is difficult.
We didn't find The Rose Gardens. Well, two hours wasn't really long enough to see everything!
We were self-catering so, luckily, we avoided the cold, wet weather by popping to the supermarket! There are many other things to do in the Brie-Champagne area, such as: visit a cheese factory or champagne tasting and, of course, various chateaux. And don't forget that Disneyland is not too far! There is also access to Paris via train from nearby Coulommiers, should you prefer not to drive.
The rain continued all week until our last day - c'est la vie.
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