Category: Our Continuing Journey

It’s the fourth of July and what better way to celebrate then a visit to an Historical Monument.  OK, it might be in Normandy region of France, but still it’s historic.  This morning we ventured out to The Château de Vendeuvre located near Lisieux about 45 minutes away from our Gîte.

Classified as an Historic Monument, both for its exterior and interior, Vendeuvre is an sample of what a Norman country house should be. Built between 1750 and 1752 it is a great example of a country house of the eighteenth century. 

Classified as an Historic Monument, both for its exterior and interior, Vendeuvre is an sample of what a Norman country house should be. Built between 1750 and 1752 it is a great example of a country house of the eighteenth century. 

Over 200,000 shells were used to create the The Shell Grotto.

Our plan for the day was to arrive late morning at the Château and have a picnic lunch on the grounds prior to exploring the gardens and interior of the building.

The original owner, Alexandre Le Forestier, coming from a Cotentin family that claimed descent from the Counts of Flanders, wanted a modern summer retreat built in the style of the day. The old manor-house was demolished and a new house built partially into the hillside slope (allowing the kitchen to be below grade at the front).  The family didn’t emigrate during the Revolution, as many did, and thus the chateau was saved from destruction, preserving the original décor and most of the furnishings

The château is famous for its eighteenth-century interiors. The Architect paid particular attention to the highly sophisticated interior circulation and decoration. The facade is deliberately not ostentatious, as, according to architect, ‘it is absolutely vital to avoid useless ornamentation and excessive facades that detract from the quality of what is inside’. 

The château was damaged during the Second World War, and the present Count of Vendeuvre, a direct descendant of Alexander of Vendeuvre, set about the complete internal and exterior renovation of the château.  Following the completion of the interior renovation, the park’s restoration followed using the original 1813 plans as a basis for the garden’s classic French style. In 1983 the Orangery was restored to its former state, having also been badly damaged as a result of action during the war.

The Orangery is now home to the ticket office and to a collection of miniature house furnishings; models, maquettes, mini-masterpieces, ivories, silverware all minuscule in size.  This collection of small-scale objects includes over 800 pieces of furniture and other objects.  

In 1983 the grounds and first floor of the château were opened to the public – with the family continuing in residence living on the upper floors (which they still do).

After touring the gardens, we headed into the basement area for a look at the kitchen and a quite interesting collection of pet beds.  Why anyone would have a unique collection of pet-carriers, baskets and kennels is beyond me but they do. 

 Small dogs and cats were the object of much care and attention, as testified by the refinement and variety of sumptuous places in which they lived, slept and travelled. Some were even provided with bedding matched to the full-sized furniture of the room in which they were placed, others were miniature versions of the furniture, but gilded.

The kitchen area is filled with copper and tin vessels of all shapes and sizes, with old earthenware and containers giving the impression that this beautifully arranged kitchen could still be used. Under the stone vaulted ceiling, in the huge fireplace, stands a mechanical rotisserie, still in working order. In a corner of the fireplace there is an oven, which was used for broiling and pot-roasting. In the other corner of the fireplace, lumps of wood were permanently smoldering.

These were transported, using large pans, to the oven opposite, or to one of the five smaller fireplaces situated in the wall opposite, where slow-cooked dishes, such as soups and sauces were prepared. Set into the wall of another corner is a smaller oven once used for pastry-baking. All the wood ash would have been collected and sifted for use in the household laundry.  The kitchen was in use as recently as the early 20^th century.

After touring the basement, we went to the front entrance and entered the main floor of the château.  The floor plan is twice as wide as it is deep, with a series of rooms around a central hall supported by columns. The layout of the rooms and the rounding of all the corners, help to spread the natural light throughout each room. 

On the first floor, there is a remarkable set of furniture all period pieces from the 18^th century.  Yes, these ARE the real size.

It was a very pleasant visit and an interesting spot to see all the miniatures, pet beds and the historical Château.

Today’s adventure would be taking us to a zoo.  Now, having grown up in San Diego I know world class zoos – we have visited both the San Diego Zoo and its offshoot the Wild Animal Park many times (including going to the Zoo on our Honeymoon all those years ago).   However, we were unprepared for how nice a zoo could be and only about 30 miles away from our Gīte.

Le Cerza (Center for Zoological Study and Reproduction Augeron), also called Cerza Zoological Park or Lisieux Zoological Park is in the Calvados Region of Normandy.  The Park was created in May 1986 by two brothers, Thierry and Patrick Jardin. Today, the park is managed by Thierry Jardin, while brother Patrick Jardin takes care of another zoo, Parc des felins near Val-de-Reuil.  It seems these brothers are committed to helping rare and endangered plants and animals.

Le Cerza seems to be a magical place as they have been successful in reproducing some very endangered animals.  The San Diego Wild Animal Park tried for years to successfully bred White Rhinoceros and this park has a herd of 16 white rhinos just wandering around!  

Births have include three lions, two red pandas and a white rhino thus enabling Cerza to fulfill its role of safeguarding and reproducing species. In 2018, the park created an enclosure for two polar bears one of the largest enclosures in Europe.  In 2019, the park was able to expand by 20 acres with the establishment of a second African plain accessible via the Safari Train.

Open from February to November, the park extends over 200 acres and presents more than 1,500 wild animals of 120 different species reflecting 5 continents.  It has two walking circuits, the red route (which we walked) and the yellow route, as well as a Safari Train and a 3D cinema. The Cerza aims to preserve wildlife and presents visitors with animals that are often threatened with extinction.

We arrived late morning just in time to visit the giraffe feeding station.  This was backed with kids so we just watched and tried to listen to the narrative being given.  

After visiting with the giraffes, we took the red trail where we were able to see and visit a number of animals where the enclosures are almost non-existent really just low fencing with a moot or two and some electrical wire barricades to keep the animals in but generally very open and accessible.  

After our walk, we stopped for lunch and then headed to the safari tram.   I should point out that there are accommodations on the property – from tent camping to a full hotel and the restaurant provides meals for all to all dinners. 

 From the restaurant, we boarded the Safari Train –

the train wanders through a number of areas where you can get up close and personal with the animals as you go through their enclosures – no fencing what so ever.  Along the way we saw a group of American bison with some reindeer.  

Past the enclosure with lions, another with tigers and even one with bears, O’my!   The train includes a travel through the African plain where we saw zebras, antelopes called Mrs. Grey’s waterbuck, blue wildebeests and ostriches.  

As we passed around the rhino area there were more ostriches (including a nest of eggs), scimitar-horned oryx and giraffes.  

We were all very impressed with the place and it will be a spot we return from time to time when visiting in the region.  

After completing our adventure, we headed back to the Gīte for dinner and the reveal of what would happen the next day.

During our visit to the area, Ryan had planned adventures for each day which he ‘revealed’ at dinner for the following day.  On Sunday, we were heading out to a bike-rail adventure.  It seems in a number of locations where train rails have been abandoned, these bike-rail cars have been established allowing adventurers to pedal along the track.  This trip was a 13 km round trip on the railway bridges between Pont-Erambourg and Berjou.  Fortunately, the pedaling part was being done by Ryan and Chris so all we had to do is relax and enjoy the adventure.

When we arrived, for our late morning adventure, we found several old postal rail cars sitting on the tracks.  These train cars have been transformed into mini-museums with artifacts and descriptions about the rail service of the area.  It was enjoyable to walk through and see the various displays.

There were 6 or 7 bike-rail cars being cued up for our adventure.  Once everyone was gathered together, we were shown how to put the car on the round table to turn it around for the return trip.  We took the first car and loaded up our Picque Nique (picnic) lunch Chris had arranged and headed out.  Ryan and Chris had done a similar bike-rail adventure a few weeks ago so understood the process.  Fortunately, the track was relatively level so there wasn’t a lot of hills to climb and Janeen and I got to just enjoy the ride.  There were a couple roads we crossed but no clanging bells or arms came down to block the cars on the road so we had to stop and let them pass before proceeding.
  

We got to the end of the road where a fence closed off a long tunnel over the track.  We got out, and turned our car around which wasn’t that difficult.  

Of course, one ‘crew’ that arrived after we did, got their car off the tracks so others had to help out to get it all straightened out.  After some car shifting, we headed out and looked for a spot to have our lunch.  We went by a couple of benches but left them for the group of 8 or so behind us who needed a large space.  We ended up stopping along the track and having a lovely lunch before heading back to the ‘station’.

After the bike-rail trip, and a coffee and crépe, we got into the car and headed to our next spot – Musée des Automates in the town of Falaise.  For those of you who have been in Paris over Christmas, besides all the Christmas Markets, the major department stores do really elaborate window decorations.  

Many of these use animatronics (automate) figures in their displays.  These have been happening for over 100 years and this is the museum those displays come to retire.  

The museum tracks the history of ‘automates’ many made by Roullet & Decamps which was a French toy manufacturing company operating in the 19th and 20th centuries that specialized in production of automates.  Started in 1866 it created a number of automation items with each successive achievement growing in complexity and originality. 

In the beginning of the 20th century, R & D made the first large automate for shop-window dressing. These large animated showcases, designed by the company, were demonstrated in the best department stores in Paris and London. Automatic scenes for showcases were the direct descendants of mechanical automates and an important part of the decoration of Paris and other cities for several decades.

The firm ceased operations in 1995 but the collections of their dolls was felt to be a National Treasure and two museums were created to hold and display them, one museum in Falaise and the other in Souillac.  We were visiting the museum in Falaise where a number of small and large scale displays were on view.  Much of what we saw had been used in department store windows or in smaller displays.  Virtually all of the displays are in operation being controlled automatically by a computerized system designed to protect the mechanisms from excessive wear.  Most of the displays were accompanied with posters explaining how they were used.

After exploring the museum and learning about the history we walked around the town of Falaise , the original strong hold of William the Conqueror, ultimately stopping for dinner at a lovely Bistro named for William before returning home.  For day two of our visit, it was wonderful and filled with new and very different things to do. 
 

On Friday, June 30^th, we made our way to the train station for our trip to the Normandy Region and a visit with our son Ryan and son-in-law Chris to stay in the Gîte on their property.  The train ride was an adventure all by itself – first the train we were booked on was cancelled, then the second train we were on was overbooked.  Furthermore, along the way there was a track problem and the train had to pause for about 30 minutes!  Good thing we could communicate via text without any issues to keep everyone up to date on our arrival.

About 5 years ago, our son Ryan and his husband Chris decided to go to France for graduate school.  Ryan worked on an International Business MBA while Chris worked on a Masters in Hospitality.  Their programs lasted a couple of years and had them living first in Paris, and Bordeaux, Aix-en-Provence and finally in Lyon.  During this time, needless to say, they were able to visit much of France and experience hospitality via Airbnb, Vacation Rental by Owner and staying with friends.  When they returned to the US, they had a short stint (about 6 months) of actively operating a Bed & Breakfast in Morro Bay (CA).  So, it wasn’t a big surprise they decided to purchase a property and create a B&B in France.

Working with Ryan’s former advisor for his Masters Program, who has subsequently has become their business partner, they settled on a property in the village of Livarot.  

Livarot-Pays-d’Auge is a village of about 6,000 residents and has a major cheese producer plus a large apple cider processing plant.  The cheese producer, E. Graindorge Cheese Dairy has been making cheese in the village since 1910 with ownership being passed down from father to son. 

The company specializes in the production of the four Norman Protected Designations of Origin or PDO cheeses, Livarot,

Pont-l’Eveque, Camembert de Normandie, Neufchatel.  The other major producer is taking apples and making them into cider, both with and without distillation.  

However, neither of these companies are why they choose this village – it was the property and general location in the Normandy Region of France that was the determination.  The property, on one side, faces the main street, while on the other, it is along a small stream called Le Douet Fleury.  On the property, there is an historic wash house, one of but a few remaining in the region.  So, once they had the property, the river became the name of their overall property – Le Douet Fleury.

The property, consisting of several buildings along Rue Marcel Gambier, the main street of the village. 

 The oldest part of the building dates from 1680, while newer portions date from 1810 and 1910.  On the street side of the building, there are two spaces that have been used as storefronts previously and there is an existing Gîte (cottage or small apartment) on the property which has been a rental for some years and a lot of other space which reallyhaven’t been used beyond storage.  

The ultimate goal is to have a 4 suite Bed & Breakfast, 2 Gîtes, and 2 retail spaces.  However, it will take some time to get all of this organized.  Until all the modifications are completed, the existing Gîte is operating and producing some income and where we were booked for our week stay. You could also stay there, by going to www.ledouetfleury.fr!

Once they collected us at the train station, we got back to the Gîte and settled in.  

The following day was a ‘Brocante’ or flea market in the village.  

Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t as cooperative as it could have been with rain falling periodically through the day.  There were treasures for sure, but nothing that followed us home.

While all of this was going on, Janeen was having a Mani-Pedi done and relaxing at the local spa.  Once we were all together we wandered back to the apartment and planned for our next adventure – a visit to Vélorail-Gare de Pont Erambourg and the Musee des Automates the following day.