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In France for 2 Weeks - Overwhelmed! Interested in all things Medieval - Any Recommendations?

In France for 2 Weeks - Overwhelmed! Interested in all things Medieval - Any Recommendations?

Old Nov 9th, 2005, 08:11 AM
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Choose an area of France and get a book about seeing villages of France. I used Mihcael Busselle"s Discovering the Villages of France, which is a coffee table book with photos of villages in different areas of France. To get a sense of what is to be seen in the Dordogne, you can try linking to my photos:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessa...2&tid=34610102
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Old Nov 9th, 2005, 08:13 AM
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If you ahve time for Provence, there are any number of medieval villages perchées, of which St-Paul-de-Vence is arguably the best known. But our favorite is Le Poët-Laval in the Dromme, a former stronghold of the Knights of Malta.
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Old Nov 9th, 2005, 11:51 AM
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You guys are awesome!! Thank you so much for all the info - it really gives me a place to start my research. I am bound to the metro and bus system, but with all of these great ideas I am sure something will fit the bill.

Thanks again,

Murphy
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Old Nov 9th, 2005, 01:42 PM
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Métro and bus--are you going to spend all your time in Paris? Even without a car you can cover a lot of space on France's excellent train system.
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Old Nov 9th, 2005, 01:44 PM
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France followed by Greece, my idea of a perfect trip. These are two of my all time favorite countries.

I would recommend Carcassonne as well. I also recommend Loire Valley, a lot of the castles are Medievil and the towns are all quaint and charming.

Have fun.
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Old Nov 9th, 2005, 06:51 PM
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Underhill: I am very fond of the cathedral of St Lazarus in Autun, but it is Romanesque, not Gothic. (It does have some exterior Gothic-style additions.) The cathedral was dedicated in 1130, making it pre-Gothic. Highlight is the Tympanum over the West Doorway, by a master sculptor, Gislebertus. Gislebertus was allowed to sign the work (under Christ's foot), seemingly the only artist of the time so permitted. I'd caution against Carcassonne: It was very heavily 'restored', but not very authentically, by Viollet-le-Duc, and is now a first-rate tourist trap. Fontenay Abbey is one of the best sites I have seen in France. The buildings are Cistercian in style and 12th century in time, and extremely beautiful.
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Old Nov 9th, 2005, 08:09 PM
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Just a short comment about Provins. I noticed it's rarely mentionned on this board, despite being an easy daytrip from Paris. There are indeed a number of medieval buildings in the old city, and they have restored large parts of the walls during the recent years.

Actually, I think that for people who're interested in medieval towns, *and* will only stay in Paris, it's the best/ most convenient pick, since the Paris region doesn't have that much to offer in the way of medieval sites. (Les Andelys is great, but can you go there without a car? Also, you're not going to stay a whole day visiting the ruins of Chateau-Gailllard, as impressive as they are)

However, it still IMO cannot compare with majors medieval sites and towns that can be found in other french regions and have been mentionned by many posters in this thread. So, if the visitor doesn't intend to stay solely in Paris, and particularily if he has a car, I would certainly advise to go elsewhere to find medieval sites. Generally speaking south-western France, from Dordogne to the Pyrenees seems to me to have the most to offer. But a car becomes rather necessary there.





(the reason why this town was preserved contrarily to others in the region is because it was a major european trade center during the middle ages that suffered a complete economical collapse when trade was deplaced to the Flanders. It shrinked, never recovered, hence the old building stayed while in other towns they were razed to make room for new building or an increased population)
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Old Nov 10th, 2005, 11:39 AM
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Don't forget St. Denis basilica...Paris Metro line 13, last stop (North). Have fun
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Old Nov 10th, 2005, 11:53 AM
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Angers, at the western end of the Loire valley.

The chateau is more like a fortress-one of the oldest. And there is an amazing, fabulous, gigantic, hundreds-of-meters long Tapestry of the Apocalypse in a specially designed display (dimly lit) inside the chateau grounds.
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Old Nov 10th, 2005, 07:37 PM
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Um, now is probably not the best time to go to St-Denis.
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Old Nov 10th, 2005, 08:40 PM
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would second other posters for the Cluny Museum and Chartres.

One smaller church I really liked was St Germain des Pres. (Please forgive me if I misspelled or left out an accent.)
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