The railroad to Paris goes through Bourges. And Orléans.

Bourges through a window of the Palais Jacques Cœur.
Lyon is the bottom heart, then Bourges, then Orléans. All by train as our bicycles have entered winter hibernation.

Looking forward to a month’s stay in Paris we left Lyon, and the sunshine, although we didn’t realize it at the time. And we headed to Bourges. Bourges isn’t a big tourist destination, although Rick Steves tours do stop there to enjoy the half timbered houses and the huge gothic cathedral with its 13th century stained glass windows.

Cathédrale Saint-Étienne de Bourges. Seriously huge. We called it a triple decker cathedral.
The soaring interior and lovely chandeliers.

Bourges has nearly 500 half timbered buildings, more than any other French town, and the ruins of a Gallo-Roman wall. A tea and cake shop, Cake Thé, uses one tower as a dining room, if you follow the path to the shop you will find the remains of the wall and a lovely walking path.

Twilight on a street of half timbered buildings.
The upkeep of the buildings must be very challenging. We saw a few supported with external bracing like this.
It was a great town to explore.
With sweet little cobbled streets.
Lined with small houses.
And more half timbered buildings on a quiet street near the center of old town.
Of course a Camino route goes through town. And, this is the last you will see of our sandals for a while.

One of Bourges’ other sites to see is the Palais Jacques Cœur, a large Hôtel particulier – a grand urban mansion, freestanding and not connected to its neighbors. Cœur was a government official and successful merchant in the 1400s. Too successful, as his ability to lend large sums of money led to his eventual arrest and downfall. It seems never to pay off to have a King in your debt.

He did not get to enjoy his mansion, traveling during construction, arrested before he could live in it.
So many craftsmen were employed to make this building an absolute masterpiece. Gargoyles abound.
Stone carvings on every surface.
You’d need a fireplace this size to heat the massive rooms.
Another view through the old windows.
A bat detail on the mantle piece.
More fantastic stone work.

Although the palais is not furnished, it changed hands several times and was the town hall for a while, the audio guide helps you picture life in the building, and understand the amount of money and work that went into its construction.

And more gargoyle downspouts. Unfortunately for me the rain had stopped. I love seeing these in action.

Our two night stay gave us enough time to visit one of Bourges other fascinating sites, Le Marais, or the marsh, or swamp, in English.

A sign pointed the way as you walked down a neighborhood street.
On the map the Marais looks like a city of water. We caught a glimpse from the train and had to see it on foot.

The Yèvre River is the source of water, and the swamp had provided a defendable space for the town. The 300 acres now hold 1,500 garden plots on which locals grow food, build small summer huts, and enjoy strolling on the levees. Some plots are only accessible by boat.

I imagine the locals know their way around the small paths and bridges, we had to check the map frequently.
Whimsical folk art.
A building being taken back by the vegetation.
Very nice for an afternoon stroll.
A boat ready to carry gardeners to their plot.
We imagined quite a lovely summer scene in the Marais.
Hey bourgeoisie, keep out!

It’s a fun way to travel, a few nights here, a few nights there, get the sense of a place and understand its place in the region and the country, and then off we go! But first, a nice dinner out at a restaurant we spotted our first night, and made a reservation for our second night. La gargouille.

Such a cozy looking spot.
With plenty of namesake decor.
More gargoyles, and Rich, not a gargoyle.
Anticipating dinner.
Gargoyle tartar! (No gargoyles were harmed.)
The second best tartare I have had in France.
And off to the train!
Even when traveling bike free we can’t help but check out the bike spots on the trains.

Our last stop before Paris was Orléans. We went through Orléans on our bicycles when we rode along the Loire River in 2021. We enjoyed it then, in a sunny October, and knew there was enough to see still for a short stay. This is where the grey November weather caught up with us. What the morning news show called la grisaille. The greyness.

The Loire in la grisaille.
The fog made for a very atmospheric walk along the river.
This narrow building caught our attention in the old streets by the river.
The old town streets giving framed views of Cathédrale Sainte-Croix d’Orléans.
The front of the cathedral.
Always crossing Camino routes.
An autumnal display brightens a grey day.
Inside the cathedral on All Saint’s Day.
St. Joan in stained glass.

Joan of Arc, Jeanne d’Arc in French, is honored as a patron Saint of France for her role in defending Orléans in April 1429. You can find her in cathedrals, as statues, and paintings in the Musée des Beaux-Arts d’Orléans. Her story is powerful and poignant, as she was only 19 when she was tried for heresy and burned at the stake.

Many lit candles that day.
St. Joan at night, dramatically lit.
The Happy Travelers looking ahead to Paris.

Next post: Paris!

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cbink

After decades of living and working in wonderful San Francisco we gave it all up to travel the world. Not owning a car allowed us to save money and live hyper-locally. Now we’re living around the globe. Follow along to see where we are and what cats I manage to pet.

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