A Day in Vincennes

Yesterday was a full day excursion to the lovely little town of Vincennes in the southeast suburbs of Paris. We tried leaving the house by nine but that turned out to be an extremely unrealistic goal. So after leaving the house at half ten, we rode the metro line 1 to its terminus, Chateau de Vincennes. This metro station is actually right next to the entrance to the castle but we decided not to pay attention to our surroundings and accidentally walked the whole way around the fortress to find the entrance. Going around, we were able to see the wall and moat from every angle.

This one is cleverly titled "Mott in the Moat." Photo credit goes to my dear friend and fellow blogger, Hatty. Check out her blog here, it's better than mine!

On this side of the castle is also the entrance to the Bois de Vincennes, the largest public park in Paris measuring 2,459 acres. Inside the park there are many things to see and do including a hippodrome, farm, and Parc Floral de Paris. Needless to say we didn't see it all today. Be on the lookout for another full day dedicated to this park alone!

After spending way too long climbing on top of Paris, we continued circumnavigating the massive fortress and found our way to the entrance. This was the royal residence of French royalty for about four centuries before the king moved to Versailles.

Entrance to the courtyard is free and fairly extensive. Our first stop was the Sainte-Chapelle. The chapel was a smaller recreation of the lovely Sainte-Chapelle in Paris. Construction started years ago to restore the facade and since this is France, it's still not finished. We are vaguely told that the reparations will be complete in 2017. The scaffolding definitely takes away from the beauty of this building, but I'm still impressed by the windows and gothic architecture.

It's plain to see the building itself is gorgeous but it's impossible to admire in it's current state. I'll come back in a few years.

Just across the yard is the keep (le donjon) which is the tallest fortified tower in Europe measuring 50 meters high.

After exploring the castle, we spent some time in the town of Vincennes. This is one of the cutest towns I've ever seen and I'd definitely recommend taking a short detour from Paris to check it out. It's a small town and it's a nice contrast to the hustle and bustle of Paris.

Our next adventure was the Coulée Verte. It was formally a railway until it was abandoned and repurposed in 1993 as a footpath and bike trail. The 4.7 km path stretches from Bastille to Vincennes and includes covered walkways, parks and many forms of art on the way. The Vincennes end felt rather secluded and quiet but the closer we got to Bastille, the more crowded and industrial it felt.