Well, as of May 11 our isolated quarantine has finally been lifted here in France. Though we still have many travel restrictions imposed on us, we are finally able to leave our homes and travel short distances beyond our place of residence. We can go up to 100km away to be exact.
This weekend we jumped at the opportunity to get out of the house and headed to the village of Gerberoy, a quaint little village known for its roses, gardens and for being the home of the French painter Henri Le Sidaner.
With its cobble stone streets, historic half timber homes and flowers literally everywhere, Gerberoy is by far the prettiest town that we have visited in France. It was even prettier than Lyons la Foret which is said to be one of the top 10 prettiest villages in France.
We saw them both on this day and were far more impressed by Gerberoy.
There were quite a few people in the streets taking photos. I'm sure that we weren't the only ones clawing at the walls to get out of the house. This little dog sat in the window checking out the people and barking at the dogs passing by.
As mentioned, the town of Gerberoy was home to the painter Henri Le Sidaner who built a large garden in town that is normally open to visitors at this time of year. Not surprisingly, it was shut down for Covid. I guess that gives us an excuse to go back at another time.
I took quite a few pictures of my wife that day standing under the flowers. The town is basically an Instagrammers paradise.
A small cafe with outdoor seating. Unfortunately it was closed due to covid restrictions.
Blue door and shutters with pink rose accents. In a town like this, curtains are a basic necessity.
There were literally flowers everywhere and it was hard to go more then a few feet without stopping to take pictures. There were quite a few tourists all doing the same thing. I couldn't help but thinking that it would actually be really annoying to live in such a town. They must have loved the quarantine "Finally some peace and quiet!"
Considering the amount of people there that day, it actually wasn't too hard to take photos without strangers in them. The streets are wide and everyone was there for the same reason so most people were very accommodating of each other.
Its hard to say what the town would be like at peak season though when the historic garden is open and there is no virus to keep the majority of people at home. Maybe people aren't so accommodating then?
Another shot of my wife with our dog in the roses.
This landscape shot of the rolling French countryside is one of my favorites. I don't think the that the residents could ever get tired of that view.
Beautiful roses in the village.
Thanks. Yes they were very pretty.
You're welcome :)
So, finally got around to reading... This is a neat little village. France is full of places like this; love the countryside there. If you get a chance to travel just a touch further, check out Beuvron-en-Auge (Normandy, between Caen and Lisieux), another rural gem.
In case you make it down south, try Entreveaux (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence). Flowery village, a great fortress towering above it, and conveniently located on the picturesque narrow gauge railroad between Nice and Digne-les-Bains, which is an attraction in its own right. (Train des Pignes)
Awesome. I will keep those places in mind for when we are allowed to travel a little further. I see that Beuvron is about 200km from us which is double our current boundary limit and a little further than we are willing to risk. But I will definitely make a point of checking it oit when we go to the WWII beach sites in that area. I agree that there are many hidden rural gems in the country. The countryside is pretty amazing in some places as well. It makes for a nice drive.
Exactly. There is lots of interesting stuff in Normandy. Beuvron is just a place to take a break along the way. If you're headed that way, DO NOT FORGET the Bayeux Tapestry among all the enthusiasm about WWII. Also, Honfleur on the mouth of the Seine is pretty neat, and Deauville (famous seaside resort, beach boardwalk, google Hôtel Normandy Barrière).
I love driving around! You find neat stuff in unlikely places. I have some videos farther down in my blog. Like this one:
I will keep those spots in mind for sure. Thanks.
Great video. This is probably a dumb question but was that shot with a drone? Whats the range on those things, looked like it could travel a far distance.
Yes, I do droning. The church was shot with a DJI Spark, goes about 500 m with luck. That's my "always in the trunk drone" because it charges 3 batteries in about 1/2 hour in the car, for an hour's worth of flying, give or take.
The rest is from a DJI Mavic Air. I have had that fly as far as 1,500 m (just shy of a mile). Both drones use WiFi, so they're not going terribly far, but far enough. In Europe, only line of sight is actually legal.
There is a Mavic Air 2 now which is greatly improved. Better camera, 10 km distance, longer flight time and less money than Mavic Air 1 was, if you're interested.
Hmm thats interesting. Looks like a fun hobby. The shots are really cool as well
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