I recently asked at the Tourist Office, "What day trips an hour or so from Paris can you recommend?" The clerk suggested Provins, a town of medieval fairs which became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001. And it was well worth the visit!
It turned out the day we picked to go was November 11, Veteran's Day, a public holiday and a once-a- year town fair in Provins. When we arrived at the Gare de L'est station, we were told that train we wanted was not running. So, we made lemonade out of lemons by taking a walk to explore the Gare de L'est neighborhood. Naturally, we had a wonderful time (what a surprise). We walked through Parc de Villemin and saw something unusual:
The continuation of the St. Martin's Canal was close by with numerous pedestrian bridges along the way. So pretty!
Square tower
Round tower
Wavy stone wall of the ramparts
Crenelated wall
View of vast farmland from the ramparts--like a painting!
Ceasar's Tower
View from tower of Saint-Quiriace Church
Another interesting building with a vaulted cellar was the Tithe Barn (c. 1223) which used to be rented to merchants when they came to town for the Champagne Fairs. We were very impressed with the audio guide with dramatized vignettes of merchants, traders and workers of those days in 11 exhibition scenes.
It turned out the day we picked to go was November 11, Veteran's Day, a public holiday and a once-a- year town fair in Provins. When we arrived at the Gare de L'est station, we were told that train we wanted was not running. So, we made lemonade out of lemons by taking a walk to explore the Gare de L'est neighborhood. Naturally, we had a wonderful time (what a surprise). We walked through Parc de Villemin and saw something unusual:
Wooden tractor
The continuation of the St. Martin's Canal was close by with numerous pedestrian bridges along the way. So pretty!
St. Martin's Canal and foot bridge
Finally it was time to get on the train and after 1 1/2 hours, we arrived to Provins. We walked from the station and immediately encountered the fair. This is an annual event where you see all kinds of stalls: food, clothing, gadgets, housewares, electronics, etc. The colorful fair filled many of the small streets and it was fun wandering around.
Provins street fair
This downtown area is filled with narrow streets and stone/half-timbered houses.
Medieval half-timbered houses
Stone house and odd-shaped trees
We then trekked up the slope to see the ramparts which are fortified with various tower shapes.
Next stop was Ceasar's Tower built in the 12th century as a symbol of the Counts of Champagne's power. It was used as a watch tower, prison and bell-tower. We had a lot of fun walking around the many levels and up to the bell-tower.
Ceasar's Tower
We stopped in at the museum (originally in the Jewish quarter, but we saw no evidence of this) which had many interesting artifacts from Provins. I liked this waterspout--half lion/half dragon.
Water spout
Model of spice and seed merchant
We just LOVED this outing. The weather was warm and the sky was blue. Another perfect day. How boring.
What an undiscovered little gem! Provins sounds like a delightful town and it must be special if it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Oh how we would have loved to have gone to that Street Fair. Our kind of place! Loved those half timbered houses and the stone house with the interesting shaped trees. With ramparts and a tower, you have captured it all in your outstanding photographs. Thank you for sharing.
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