FrenchMystiqueTours

We've had some beautiful weather recently and with the fall foliage being at its peak I decided to head out in the country and do a little biking. I started in Moret-sur-Loing and then more or less followed the course of the river and its associated canal to the town of Nemours. There are a number of lovely villages between the two places that have some interesting history, albeit little known, that mostly revolves around the fact that these villages were major destinations for artists from the early 19th to the early 20th centuries.

Mostly inspired by the Barbizon School of Artists, many lesser known but highly talented artists and writers flocked to these villages seeking their muse and they came from all over the globe. The biggies like Monet, Renoir, Pissarro, Cézanne and others spent time here too, if you need a reference point for these villages' importance. I don't dwell too much on history but if you'd like to see some photos of what awaits you in these lovely country villages you won't be disappointed.

http://tinyurl.com/647nxx7

cigalechanta

Very nice FMT

I see few people, was it early morning?

Coquelicot

Your photos do the talking so you don't have to.

Everything looks so beautiful. I'm bookmarking this trip report so I can return to it frequently during the long winter months coming up. That way I can feel like it's still fall and I'm still in France.

taconictraveler

this is a gorgeous photo essay, FMT! it's because of your lovely bike trips that we stayed in Barbizon on our recent trip to France! Wish we'd had even more time to do what your Country Roads trip covered.

farrermog

Thanks FMT for another delightful report. I had a very pleasant few hours in Moret sur Loing on a nice day in March (that Mobilis Pass looks the way to go - my return fare Gare de Lyon to Veneux les Sablons, the station for MsL, was €16,80).

FrenchMystiqueTours

cigal - No. The deserted streets is just representative of what every country village in France that doesn't attract tourists looks like. Leave the big cities and major tourist sites behind and it looks like someone dropped a neutron bomb.

coquelicot - I'll have a few more fall trip reports soon to keep you distracted and give you more to dream about on your cold winter days. Thank you for being a serial reader of my reports.

taconic - Really? You stayed in Barbizon? Did you see any of the other villages nearby that I covered in my reports? I see you just posted a trip report so I'll be sure to give it a read to see where else you went.

farrermog - You'd be surprised how many places in Ile de France are within the zone 5 limits of a Mobilis pass (Provins is one of them). If you get it before you get on the métro to Gare de Lyon you get even more bang for your buck. It's good all day on any public transport (including buses) in zones 1-5. Almost all the villages I visited have train stations and you can bounce between them with the Mobilis pass.

kerouac

Excellent report as always, FMT.

Zone 5 has become much bigger than it used to be, because there were actually 8 zones in the past. That was dropped to 6 a few years ago and it dropped to 5 this year. It is great for people using a Navigo pass valid for zone 5, but if you are still buying individual tickets, there are still major fare variations depending on which station is your exact destination.

FrenchMystiqueTours

Thanks kerouac. Lovely villages to visit but why does your friend want to live there?

bilboburgler

tres beau
Blue sky in yorkshire all day today as well

cynthia_booker

As always, I save FMT's reports to read on a quiet evening when I have plenty of time read it at my leisure. Thanks for another lovely report.

jh2011

I love your trip report. Indeed it's a painter's trail. If I know how to paint, I could have painted a hundred sceneries from the place.

FrenchMystiqueTours

bilbo - Thanks. Like your website.

cynthia - Thank you for the lovely compliment.

jh2011 - It's even more beautiful in person, if you can believe that.