Compiègne Chateau de

Compiègne Chateau de Compiegne Built 1130-1150 (13 years before Notre-Dame in Paris was begun), it is the 5th church to be built on the site where the Emperor Charlemagne was crowned King of the Franks in 768; Hugh Capet, founder of the Capetian Dynasty was also crowned here (968). Next door is Calvin’s former home, now the local library with a small museum dedicated to him. There’s no sailing at night, you cruise the winding waterways most mornings, with excursions in the afternoons, which the next day brought us to Compiègne. It’s a vibrant town and its medieval streets are lined with half-timbered houses, shops, and restaurants. There are several museums, and a library in the former medieval cloisters. Joan of Arc came here, and finding her way barred by the Governor who feared her presence would endanger his town, she was taken prisoner by the Burgundian forces (English allies), on 14 May 1430. It’s said that Joan prayed in the town’s 13th century church of St Jacques. It’s richly decorated and has a reliquaries room full of bones and bits. The vast Royal Chateau of Compiègne, one of the biggest in France, is a wonderfully preserved time capsule. Napoleon Bonaparte spent much time here, but not having the funds to revamp it, he left most of it as it was when the Bourbon Kings were on the throne, and it remains just as it was. Filled with furniture, tapestries, and artworks, it sits in the heart of the town and on the edge of the great forest of Compiègne, one of the largest forests of France. Close by, the Armistice museum is home to a replica of the railway dining coach which became a makeshift conference room in which the Armistice ending World War I was signed at 05.00 11 November 1918. It makes for a moving visit. Read more about Compiègne here. The next day we headed to Chantilly to visit one of the most beautiful castles in all of France. Oozing with history, home to one of the greatest collections of artworks in the world, sumptuously decorated, gorgeous Chateau de Chantilly Last resting place of Vincent Van Gogh and his beloved brother Theo, Auvers-sur-Oise Tour the beautiful Loire Valley at your own pace with a guided e-bike holiday Slow Down And Enjoy The View www.loirebrakes.com gardens which cover a whopping 115 hectares and include a hamlet that is said to have inspired Marie-Antoinette to build her own hamlet at Versailles, plus chateau-like stables. And the place where yours truly became a Square of the Knighthood of the Chantilly Cream Whippers! Read more about Chantilly here. Sailing on, accompanied by herons, swans and ducks sharing the glorious countryside with us, we arrived in Auvers-sur-Oise, the town in which Vincent Van Gogh lived his last weeks. We docked a stone’s throw from the famous church that Van Gogh painted. He was here for just 70 days and in that time, he created in a frenzy - 76 paintings of local sites and people. I couldn’t help but think it was almost as if he knew his time was up or was planning to ensure it. After a walk to visit his grave, poignantly next to his beloved brother’s last resting place, we took a guided tour of the town following in the footsteps of Van Gogh and 28 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 29