Massangis and Noyers, Yonne, Burgundy, France 8/16/2010

Our last two nights in Burgundy we stayed in the village of Massangis at a wonderful B&B called Carpe Deim.  I won't spend time here raving about Patrick, the proprietor.   If you are interested, I suggest you just click on Carpe Diem and read all about it on Trip Advisor.


Massangis is a fairly isolated, small rural village.  It's in a farming area, not a wine region, although it's not far from Chablis.  But just up the road about 5 kilometers from Massangis is a village called Noyers.  Here is Noyers on Google Maps (you can pan down from Noyers to find Massangis):




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Noyers is a walled city that looks like it still has one foot in medieval times.  I was amazed that many of the structures were still standing.  Some looked like they would fall over if they weren't sandwiched between two other structures supporting them from each side.


It's a charming place to visit, with merchants catering to a somewhat tourist crowd.  I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

The entrance to the walled city of Noyers.  

You can't find these planters at Home Depot.

I think the tarps catch the rain drops leaking through the old wooden timbers.

I'm guessing that whoever lives here is trying to grow flowers on that little piece of ground and someone else keeps spraying Roundup there to kill the weeds.  Just a guess.

Some examples of the venders' wares from the shops of Noyers.

An example of a structure that appears to be supported by the two structures on each side.  This one houses a merchant that sells pottery.

This is what the wall around the city of Noyers looks like from the outside.


If you want to get away from Paris and explore the Chablis region, I highly recommend Carpe Diem.  Make sure you request a seat at the dinner table, which is by reservation only.  Patrick, the host, is a fantastic cook, and he pairs his meals with exceptional local wines.  Make sure to save a few hours to explore Noyers, just down the road from Massangis.

Chateau de Fountainebleu - August 16, 2010

Unfortunately, I was unable to post for a few days while we were out in the countryside, so I accumulated a backlog of posts.  What's more unfortunate is that it's now been about two months and I have forgotten most of what I would want to say about the pictures.  So this post and the remaining posts from France are out of sequence chronologically and will contain mostly photos, with little description.


Since we had the rental car, and it was an easy drive back into Paris on our last day in the Burgundy region, we decided to stop by Fountainebleu.  


For information on Fountainebleu, the place where Napoleon Bonaparte abdicated, click on this link to the Wiki page.


It is certainly comparable to Versaille and the great castles of St. Petersburg, that we have seen.  Not only is it magnificent architecturally, but it houses a substantial collection of art and royal memoribilia.

I have a couple of shots of the outside,  some of the interior rooms that I thought were exceptional, and some of Napoleon's personal possessions, including his armor.  

If you are ever in Paris with time for a day trip, Fountainebleu is only a couple of hours southeast of the city.  Unfortunately, we did not have time to visit the surrounding forest, a royal hunting ground, which is equal in reputation to the chateau itself.