Stepping into Provins, France, is like travelling on a time machine and being transported back into the medieval times. Almost the entire Le Ch
âtel area is surrounded by fortified walls built in the 13th century and it almost feel as though you were entering another country, another world. Only that it isn't, and that Provins, a town listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001, is only about 1.5 hours train ride away from Paris.
We reached Provins shortly before noon and started our journey from the main tourist office along Chemin De Villecran. There are plenty of parking spaces there and we grabbed the handy Provins map to go. The map offers suggestions for sightseeing walks and provides a comprehensive list of all the attractions so you can follow the routes easily without any prior planning.
To beat the lunch crowd, we had our lunch early at 11:30 at
La Table Saint Jean. It looked rather empty on the outside and we wondered if it is really as good as the online reviews say. Surprisingly, most of the seats are hidden in the petite two-storey building and the entire restaurant quickly filled up with guests during our meal.
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| Cosy interior |
For the weekend, they have the Gourmand and the Traditional Menu sets priced at 32.90 EUR and 20.90 EUR respectively. Choices are available for starters, mains and desserts. English menu is available. We took one of the sets each, and I honestly feel that the lower priced Traditional Menu was good enough.
My Traditional Menu set:
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| Three flavored homemade Terrine |
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| Duck leg confit with local potatoes. |
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| Homemade Apricot Pie |
The three flavored terrine was great, and the accompanying toasted bread was perfect too. The bread was much better than the sliced baguettes served at the beginning of the meal and we regretted eating so much of those just because we were starving. My duck confit was perfect, the fatty parts almost melt in your mouth and really, you can't get sick eating the fats. There was so much meat packed into that small duck leg that I couldn't finish it all. The potatoes were rather dry and not exactly crunchy, but it was a good side to the juicy and flavorful duck. The only regret I had was the apricot pie, which you would probably have noticed from the photo, is charred on the crust. Inside, the part of the pie near the crust is actually under cooked and felt doughy and moist. I'm sure they could have done a better job for the other fruit pies looked "okay". To be sure, maybe it's better to order a non-pie dessert instead.
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| There were also pies such as apple, strawberries etc. |
There are several shows in the Provins to showcase the various aspects of life during the medieval times. The two most popular shows begin in late March and ends in October. We read online that The
Eagles of the Ramparts is the best of three, so we purchased our tickets from the booth right in front of the Saint-Jean's gate. It was 12 EUR per adult, which is really not too expensive for an hour long performance.
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| Promotional Poster |
Our show is scheduled to start at 14:30 but we were told that we can enter the premises at 14:00. It's a rather long and quiet walk from Saint-Jean's gate (and be assured you are not on the wrong path!). It is definitely worthwhile to reach there early as you get to take a good look at the different species of birds before the show begins. There were so many species i almost thought we were at a bird park!
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| This one's probably angry that he has to perform in the rain |
Most unfortunately, at this point of time, it started to drizzle and even that evolved into a rather heavy downpour. I was worried that the show will be cancelled and that we wouldn't be able to get any refund on the tickets, but the performers carried on in the rain! I felt really sorry for the birds though, I'm sure it's never part of their instinct to fly in the rain.
It's really a pity that it had to rain at this time, and as we didn't have any raincoats or umbrellas, we were reduced to hiding under a "bridge" some distance away. The birds were flying low right above the viewers head, but of course none of them could appreciate that with the umbrellas. :(
Even so, the performers were really kind and keen to share their experiences with the audience. They actually brought their birds and let each and every single person get the chance to have the bird trot on their arms! They even specifically came to engage us (the bunch of people without any rain gear and hiding at the far end). It was really memorable and I would definitely recommend the show to anyone coming to Provins. I'll pray for you though, that it doesn't rain during the show!
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| The professional crew carried on with the entire show in spite of the rain. |
Annoyingly, the rain ceased after the show ended and making us all drenched. We continued walking along the ramparts and got to enjoy some really good view of the city from above the fortifications!
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| I can almost imagine the army defending the town from invaders. |
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| Caesar's Tower and the Saint-Quiriace Church in the distance |
The
Provins Rose Garden is also one of the main attractions of this town. Count Thibaud IV of Champagne brought back the signature rose: "Rosa Gallica Officialis" and that is how the people of Provins fell in love with the rose. It is a rather far walk from the show venue, down the slope of Rue Saint Thibault and then further down Rue Des Jacobins.
Along the way, we passed by the Libraire Medivale, and it was lovely to just take a look inside!
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| A small hidden shop |
I've read that the majority of the old houses in have underground basement built in since the days when Provins was a famous and successful market town. This must have been one of those underground chambers!
By the time we reached the Provins Rose Garden, it started to rain again. Urgh!!!
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| You have to enter the shop front first before going to the garden |
On the day when we were there, they happened to have The Easel Competition, a painting competition for the amateur and young talents. We were pleasantly surprised to see all the paintings (and painters) congregating at the Rose Garden! No wonder we saw so many painters around the town earlier!
As you would probably have guessed, this is my favorite painting. It depicts the rainy gloomy day at Provins all too well...
We didn't stay to hear them announce which is the winning art piece, and we decided not to enter the Rose Garden as well cause of the rain. From the outside, we could catch a glimpse of the garden and it didn't look like many of the plants are in blooming season anyway... It probably would have been very nice in summer though!
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| I can only imagine the beauty... |
The whole town was just lovely to explore and stroll around, and there were few traces of modernization as we walk towards the Caesar's Tower and the Church. There were also few tourists so we could really take in and enjoy the atmosphere.
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| Alley up to the tower and church |
The Saint-Quiriace Collegiate Church looks too plain and lonely compared to those our more recent years. Accordingly, it was never completed as the French Kingdom fell into financial difficulties midway through its construction. I wonder if it would have been more lavishly decorated given the status of Provins town in the medieval days...
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| Even the dome is unadorned |
Perhaps at this point of time, I should mention that Provins flourished in part due to its prime location for trade in Europe. It subsequently evolved to hold the Trade Fairs of Champagne and introduced several policies and architecture to enhance its reputation and ensure safety of its inhabitants and the tradesmen. At some point of time, Provins even minted its own currency which could be used throughout Europe. The counts therefore constructed a fortress and tower,
the Caesar's Tower, to showcase their power and protect their palace.
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| It does look amazing considering that it's built in the 1100s |
With the affordable ticket price of 4,30 EUR, you get to explore the exhibits inside and climb all the way to the top for splendid views of the entire town of Provins. At the end of the tour, there is also a looping video (with english subtitles) sharing some history of Provins.
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| View of the tower from the South and the old road from Paris |
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| Miniature model of the tower |
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| One of the best views of Provins must be from the tower |
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| Video on the history of Provins in animated cartoon |
Provins is a really lovely and unique town for a day trip out of Paris and there's definitely more to explore than those I've mentioned, For example, there is the Tithe Barn, which was used as a covered market and where goods were stored in the lower room. You could also explore the Underground galleries with a guided tour or visit the Museum of Provins which houses collections related to the history of Provins. Regrettably, it is common that most of the information and description in these sites in the smaller towns of France are only in French. Some of it is fine, such as the Eagles' show we caught which was only in French, but others just doesn't make much sense visiting if you don't understand the language. Of course, you could always read up beforehand but I've always preferred looking at the place or artifact and reading up on it there and then. Nevertheless, I would still highly recommend everyone to take a trip here if only to experience the unique medieval atmosphere.
Our souvenir from Provins!
(By the way, the jam is really good, with a light fragrance of rose in it!)
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| Rose petal jam, hand-crafted bowl and magnet :) |
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