Bonjour ma famille et mes amis
I was not planning to write an update tonight but this afternoon we found ourselves in a most enchanting villa in the delightful town of Le Vesinet. I wanted to share this discovery with you.
As you know The French and I enjoyed a whirlwind two days in Paris last week before heading to Pierre La Treiche and then Switzerland. In a few days time we will be exploring the Normandie Coast but before then a return trip to Paris to catch up with friends from Australia - more on that in the next update.
So, a few days ago we were discussing where to stay in Paris - back to the apartment of Madame Bilbaum, peut-etre ... or somewhere in St Germain where we will be meeting Libby for dinner tomorrow evening? But this time around we would have Domi's car. The thought of driving into the centre of Paris and finding - let alone paying for - parking was not at all appealing. So we began to look at other options. In the car on the way to Pierre la Treiche I googled 'Paris bed and breakfasts'. One of the first sites to come up was www.bedandbreakfasts.com. And listed on the first Paris page was Villa la Riante.
www.villalariante.com
The house looked gorgeous and, though I'd never heard of the town and Domi wasn't au fait, the website said Le Vesinet is a quick and easy RER train ride into the centre of Paris. Close to Versailles, Monet's Garden in Givenchy and Saint Germain en Laye, where Louis XIV was born and Mary Queen of Scots spent part of her childhood - we would be spoilt for choice for something to do after our arrival today. Or we could hop the train into Paris for the afternoon.
We did none of those things. We spent the afternoon hours wandering through the streets and gardens of this delightful residential town. From speaking with a local we met during our wandering, and with our hostess expat American Kristie (who has lived in France with her husband Jim for more than 20 years), Le Vesinet is something of a well kept secret, compared to its better known neighbours. For the French and I, we are thrilled to be in on the secret.
If you're planning a trip to Paris, and the RER train ride is as quick and easy as we've been told, I would recommend Villa La Riante as a wonderful alternative to staying in the heart of the city. It seems to me to offer the best of both worlds. Will report back on the RER in the next update.
Before I sign off, thanks so much for being in touch Helen (mum), Aelwyn and Rosanne. Lovely to hear from you.
Sending love and best wishes. A bientot.
Jenny and The French. xx
PS. Le Vesinet also has quite a few restaurants to choose from. Couldn't resist including a photo of tonight's salad. In case you're wondering what's on the toast - it's goats cheese with honey and pesto sauce. Miam Miam. It's French for Yum!
