An Hour from Paris [Anglais] [Broché]

Ile de France Profonde...relatively unknown places that you can reach by a local train ride from central Paris. --Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.

Offers just enough historical, architectural and cultural background along with practical details that the independent traveler needs. --Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.

The best get-your-feet-wet introduction to the Ile de France currently on the market. --Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.

Anyone with... a yearning for the charming and the weathered and off the beaten track, would love this book. --Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.

A guide to 20 destinations in the countryside around Paris, chosen for their interest, accessibility by train and absence of crowds. --Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.

The Ile de France—the countryside around Paris—is perhaps the most interesting and least–known of French regions. Its old towns hold the key to the history of France but have been so eclipsed by Paris that they now offer the paradox of being easily reached yet hardly touched by tourism. Annabel Simms, who has spent ten years discovering the region, now offers this splendid guide to a score of destinations within an hour of Paris. A suggested itinerary might include a château, a market, a riverside restaurant, a boat trip, a country walk. Better–known destinations include the châteaux of Chantilly, Ecouen, and Rambouillet, but the reader will also discover the Roman town of Senlis; the medieval town of Crecy–la–Chapelle, with its moats and canals; and the water mills of Moret–sur–Loing, which inspired the Impressionists. Each destination is described in detail, with particular emphasis on the historical, literary, and artistic connections, and maps and color illustrations complete this refreshingly unique guide. --Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.

New edition of a unique guide.

This is a book about the old-fashioned pleasures accessible, by train, within an hour of Paris, if you know where to look:

discovering half-hidden châteaux and artists'country houses,

walking, boating or dancing by the river,

exploring old towns and country footpaths,

eating in family-run restaurants with 1950s decor - and prices to match.

An Hour From Paris describes 20 destinations in the Ile de France, the fascinating yet little-known countryside around Paris. Written with humour and a flair for the unusual, the text is illustrated with original photos and specially-drawn maps based on ten years' experience of exploring the region by train. Unique and extensive practical information helps you discover places that are unknown to many Parisians.

Annabel Simms is a Londoner who has lived in Paris since 1991. She indulges her interest in eating, walking and discovering by exploring the countryside around Paris, in between teaching English at France Telecom and the OECD. --Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.

Preface

Several years ago I found myself in the middle of a wood, as completely lost as if I were in Africa, rather than 19 kilometres from Paris. Three paths lay in front of me with no indication of where they might lead and there was not a soul in sight. It suddenly occurred to me that no one knew where I was and that I would never dream of venturing out alone like this near London.

On impulse I took the left path, which soon brought me to houses at the edge of the wood, and knocked on the door of the nearest one. Five minutes later, following the owner's directions through the same wood, I saw the rooftops of an elegant château emerging through the trees and came out onto a sweeping lawn leading straight up to it. Feeling as if I had stepped into a fairytale, I skirted the château, which looked as if it might vanish as unexpectedly as it had appeared, and peeked over a stone balustrade to the left.

Sunny rolling countryside lay below me, stretching into the distance as far as I could see, crossed by the moving shadows of the clouds overhead. A few planes purred in the distance and I realised I was under the flight path to Charles de Gaulle airport. Otherwise, I could have believed myself back in the sixteenth century, when the château behind me had been built.

This particular château houses the Museum of the Renaissance at Ecouen, 23 minutes from Paris by train. I had rung the Museum and been told it was 'about five kilometres' on foot from the station. In fact it is just over one kilometre, and the woodland paths are now signposted. But it was this early experience that first made me aware of just how interesting and accessible the countryside around Paris is, and how little-known to the French themselves, as well as to foreigners... --Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.