Johann International Goes To Paris

Yesterday was my birthday and as it is one of those "milestone" years, I decided it was a good excuse to treat myself to a little European tour. It has been more than 33 years since I left Germany, (I will be going there next week) and the last time I was in Europe was 2001 (Amsterdam). I have not been in Paris since I was 12 (things have really changed!) In other words, it has been way too long since I have been back.

"one of the oldest Churches in Paris" the first church on this site was built in
the 6th century, but sadly, almost nothing is left of any of the various stages
of its incarnation. What is visible here is mostly a 19th re-creation

The church, as it was in the early 19th century; a tower had been built over
the apse to serve as an observatory. Notice there is no bell tower.
(picture from Wikipedia)

My agenda for this trip is to try to find anything left of the Middle Ages, (a feat surprisingly hard to accomplish in a city as old as Paris), and to see furniture and woodwork of the 18th century.

To that end, today I took a long trip out of the city of Paris to visit an early 17th century chateau which had been extensively remodeled in the Louis XV and XVI periods.

Chateau Breteuil, built in 1604

I wanted to see woodwork and furniture in the rococo manner and I was not disappointed. An added bonus was a lovely walk in a very mature and beautiful forest of (mostly) beach and oak.

Carved oak paneling, left unpainted

A gilt console table with lovely carving details and an unusual cetre
upright in the back

Gilded carving and faux painted marble.
This is the stuff I came to see

Stay tuned for future posts of more of my discoveries in the coming weeks.