Monday, June 30, 2014

La nuit de Varennes (sur Fouzon)

Not far from the château at Valençay is the small town of Varennes-sur-Fouzon. It's not a place we knew before we met L. & J. from Arizona. They have rented a vacation house in Varennes several times over the years. This past weekend, they invited us for lunch. Saturday's meal started with tasty stuffed mushrooms, followed by chicken Marbella and a lovely risotto. After salad and cheese, we capped it all off with an apple tart.

The main road through town.

As will happen, we continued enjoying the afternoon with wine flowing freely and eventually found ourselves gathering around a campfire as the evening darkened. Our friends offered a bed for the night as we were not in a good condition to drive. We enjoyed a hearty breakfast of eggs and sausage on Sunday morning before setting off for home.

Just before breakfast, I got up and out for a walk with Callie. The town on Sunday morning was very quiet and pretty, and I had my camera.

The title of this post is a reference to the 1982 film, "La Nuit de Varennes," which tells the story of king Louis XVI's and Marie Antoinette's attempt to flee France in 1791. They were intercepted and arrested in the town of Varennes-en-Argonne in the Lorraine region, then taken back to Paris to stand trial before being executed.

6 comments:

  1. Well all I can see are the traffic signs as I am still studying the "code". Ask me any question about any of those signs and I'll answer in 10 seconds. I now also know the penalties for driving when one shouldn't, so I think you made a wise choice the other night!

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  2. I loved "La nuit de Varennes" when it first came out. I always think of that movie when I see how some privileged persons are so out of touch with reality and how we forgot to learn from history.
    It seems to me that the gendarmes are finally getting a handle on reckless driving in France. That is a good thing.
    I am glad you feel better.

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  3. Oh, cool! It's great to think of Callie enjoying a visit, too :) And, I can just imagine what it was like to be out early in the morning, walking around with Callie when the town was quiet :) The food and bonfire and company of the night before sound very nice :)

    I now live on a street called Argonne Drive. The town I live in is part of a somewhat historic area (for this country), which was settled in the early mid 1800s. I've learned that our street used to be called Main Street (it does go right through the center of town, about a mile away), but I don't know when it was changed to Argonne. I'm thinking that it must have been shortly after WWI, no doubt in honor of the souls lost in the battle in the forest of Argonne.

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  4. I love quiet small town they are lovely.

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  5. You made us hungry and longing for a trip to the French countryside. Miss you both!
    L&L

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