Vaux-le-Vicomte (or, LeeAnn and Claire's excellent adventure)

Posted 5/7/2014

Yesterday my generous and gracious landlady, Claire, took me on a drive to see a castle about 50 km outside of Paris, Vaux le Vicomte.  I chose this because (1) even though I have not seen Versailles, it's more likely that I might visit there in the company of one or more of my upcoming guests and (2) my guide book described Vaux le Vicomte as "one of the most beautiful chateaux in all of France".

It also has an interesting history.  The original owner, Nicolas Fouquet, a wealthy and ambitious statesman, became Superintendent of Finances for Louis XIV at an early age.  He had it built when Versailles itself was just a hunting lodge, and it set the stage for Versailles and later European chateaux.  In fact, the architect, interior artist, and landscaper who designed the chateau and gardens also later designed Versailles.

Fouquet was very loyal to the monarchy, and when Vaux le Vicomte was completed, he hosted Louis XIV, his court and other notables at an extremely grand opening celebration.  Unfortunately, this backfired, because Louis (who was also quite young at the time) was jealous and resentful that a non-royal person should have such an estate.  Though not immediately, this contributed to Fouquet's downfall, as his enemies managed to turn the king against him.  He was eventually arrested (by D'Artagnan of the Royal Musketeers) and tried by a group of judges selected by his enemies.  The sentence (banishment from France) was nonetheless not harsh enough for Louis XIV, who sentenced Fouquet to life imprisonment.  (The location and time of his imprisonment coincided with the setting for "The Man in the Iron Mask", but it wasn't him.)  This allowed the king to make off with many of the furnishings and decor of the castle, so much of the present decor is not original.

Back to the present...  Claire had to follow her GPS to find her way to the chateau, since she had not been there for many years.  (She grew up in the French countryside and has lived in Paris since her university days.)  Once we had been on the autoroute (big highway) for a little while, I was startled by a strange sound coming from the GPS.  Claire explained that one of her clever sons had programmed it to moo like a cow whenever she exceeds the speed limit!

We got sidetracked into the wrong little village, so Claire asked a bus driver for directions.  Soon we were headed down this classic country road lined with trees:

We arrived and bought our tickets (actually, Claire paid for everything, even though I offered), including the extra 3 euro to go up inside the dome.  We first toured a museum of carriages, which was interesting but too dark for decent photos.  We then proceeded inside the castle.  The interiors were pretty fabulous, but I did not take too many pictures-- again, the light was often problematic, and I assumed I could get a book in the gift shop that would have better pictures.  But I did get a few:

This armoire now holds the archives of the estate.  The wall sconces remind me of those from the B&W French version of "Beauty and the Beast" (though the arms appeared to be alive in the movie!).

I thought the rug and chairs accompanying this writing desk were surprisingly modern looking:

The writing desk below was from the "king's apartment" section of the castle, which one was expected to have just in the case the king decided to stay the night, even if no royal personage ever actually graced the king's bedroom (which was the case here).  To the right, you can see a tapestry featuring the emblem of the Fouquet family, the squirrel (because it climbs to high places).

Soon it was time for us to climb up inside the dome.  This was the staircase!  I told Claire (in French of course) that you would never see this in the US, at least not without warning signs all over:

Here is Claire going up the tiny staircase (she wasn't moving that fast; I was just using a slow shutter speed because of the dark):

Some more of the interior structure of the dome:

Hey, at least they have a fire extinguisher! (lower left)

But we were rewarded with some pretty nice views:

After descending and touring the rest of the interior, we walked in the gardens.

 

And finally, here are a couple of shots of the chateau itself: 

 

(Our scenic vistas were from the little gazebo-like structure on top of the dome.)

I did buy a souvenir book in the gift shop, and Claire (unbeknownst to me) bought me a souvenir coin which she gave me when she dropped me off at the apartment!  She is such a gracious landlady; it's amazing.  And on the way home, she went out of her way (first unintentionally, I think, but then by design) to drive us around the Place de l'Etoile (around the Arc de Triomphe, which may be the world's largest and craziest traffic circle), showing off her Parisian driving techniques! -- and then down the Champs-Elysees.

We did speak French most of the day, which was great practice for me.  I did pretty well, only occasionally having problems when I tried to refer to something totally out of context.  Claire also loves grammar, and when I asked, she confirmed that a lot of French people do not use the subjunctive in everyday speech.  Too bad-- we do use it in our emails to each other (when appropriate).

So this was a big day!  Just a few more days till the arrival of a good friend from Portland-- the adventures will continue!

A bientot,

LeeAnn