A Castle in the Air

The good thing about weather forecasts is that, while they are sometimes right, they are often wrong. The forecasts had predicted inclement weather every day beginning on Friday, May 5, and while it's raining steadily today (thus keeping us in the town of Compiegne for another day), the last few days have not been all bad.

Proof that we actually saw the sun at times as we cruised on
Saturday, May 6, on our way to Compiegne.

We cruised only for a short time on Friday, May 5, travelling from Creil to Pont-Sainte-Maxence during a morning respite from the rain.  On May 6, it took us about 4 hours to reach our destination, the town of Compiegne. We are now only 4 kilometers from the end of our Oise River cruising, and our "right turn" onto the Aisne River. We had spent a lovely few days in Compiegne last August and decided that we wouldn't mind spending a little more time in the area.

We are moored in just about the same spot we were last year.

In this location we have a front-row seat to the happenings on the river. 

We see all of the working barges go by, heading to or from the locks that are just downstream
of our mooring spot. Some barges, like this one, get a little close to us and push out some
fairly hefty wake as they pass. 

Sunday was a day when, despite the damp greyness, rowing club
boats and other water recreation craft--including these dragon boats--
were out and about.

The water view is lovely, but the opposite side of the boat is very close to pedestrian and bicycle traffic. Most of the attention that C.A.R.I.B. III gets from passersby is positive. . . . . . 

The little boy was fascinated by our boat, so we invited the
family aboard to take some photos.

 . . . . . . but the "good vibes" are not universal. At about 10 p.m. on the first night we were here, we heard voices outside the boat, then a small "clunk", as though something had been thrown against the side. By the time we opened the door to look, there was no one around, but we couldn't see that  anything was amiss. However, the daylight of the following day told a different story, and we could see that one of our mooring attachments had been interfered with.

With no bollards or cleats to tie to, we 
had to wrap lines around concrete, and
used a U-bolt to close the loop. We had
a set-up like this both fore and aft.

 

The U-bolt had been unscrewed from the aft
line. We found the screw in the grass by the
concrete piling, but the "U" was gone. The "clunk"
 we heard was probably the metal hitting the hull as
it went into the water. The noise likely scared
 the perpetrators away before they could do
 additional mischief.

It never ceases to amaze us that some people find their entertainment in trying to create dangerous situations. This is not the first time we've heard of miscreants untying boats, but it is the first time that we've been the recipients of the action. Needless to say, we reconfigured our attachments.

On Monday, May 8 (a holiday in France, Victory in Europe Day), we made an excursion to the nearby village of Pierrefonds. A 10-mile bike ride through the forest of Compiegne to the east got us to our destination, whose claim to fame is the amazing, fortified chateau de Pierrefonds.

The chateau de Pierrefonds rises over the village of Pierrefonds.

The current chateau is a 19th century restoration of a castle that was originally constructed at the end of the 12th century as a strategic, defensive stronghold for Paris. In 1617, King Louis XIII decided to dismantle several fortresses in order to weaken his political opponents. The chateau of Pierrefonds was one of the castles slated for destruction.

A photograph from the mid-1800's showing the extent to 
which the original castle was damaged by cannonballs and time.
It was looked upon in that era as a "romantic ruin." The castle
was too large to destroy completely.

In 1857, the Emperor Napoleon III (a nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte, and former President of the Republic, who staged a coup in order to hang onto power), decided to transform the ruins into an imperial residence and symbol of the Second Empire.  He retained the services of Eugene Viollet-le-Duc, and this was the first restoration project designed by the French architect who became famous for his restoration of many of the prominent medieval landmarks in France, including Notre-Dame de Paris and Mont Saint-Michel. 

The restoration work extended over thirty years--beyond the deaths of both Viollet-le-Duc and Napoleon III. The result was not an exact replica of the original building, but a reinterpretation of the Middle Ages and the "perfect" castle of that age. It was never a royal residence, although it did serve as barracks in World War I. 

Pat waiting to enter the castle 
courtyard via drawbridge.

Interior of the chapel

The chateau looms over the town. It is undergoing repairs,
 hence the scaffolding over an extensive portion of the castle.

The inner courtyard. 

Fantastic water drain; it made
us think of Florida alligators.

Mythical creatures line the stairwells.

The guard (or mercenary) room. The stone fragments
were found during excavations prior to renovations.

Definitely not a feature of the Middle Ages:
a flush toilet!

A model of the castle, created for an exposition in Paris in 1878.

Lon in the Reception Room.

The base of the cellar walls is 14th century, but the vaults
are 19th century. The cellar contained nearly 100 funerary models
of people prominent in French history. 

We had hoped to leave Compiegne today, but the rain is constant and it just seemed too wet to deal with locks. So, we've used the time to do some needed shopping, and then just relax. Tomorrow the forecast calls for the rain to be lighter, so we hope we'll be able to head out in the morning. Meanwhile, it's a perfect evening for soup!