Twenty-two kilometres, two locks, and three hours. If only every day could be like this!
Even if it took twice as long, Soissons would be worth it. It is lovely. You can read about how it was severely damaged in the First World War in Chapter 2025-14-Battle Scars. For now, the more charming aspects of Soissons.
Soissons appears to have more than its share of churches.
They’re not all what they appear to be. Soissons takes to heart the French respect for the environment. Recycle, Reuse, Repurpose applies to churches. This one is now the municipal library.
It took a little bit of adjusting when we moved here. In most parks in France, it is illegal to walk or sit on the grass. But most of them supply chairs and benches. At least the “Don’t Do This” sign in Soissons is pretty.
It’s a bit of give-and-take. While you can’t walk on the grass, you can park for free over lunch-hour. Make that the “lunch two-hours.” Parking in Soissons and throughout France is free from noon to 2pm. Pay for two hours at 11am and you’ll still have an hour left at 2pm. Pay for two hours at 6pm and you’ll be good until 10 the next morning. In Soissons, all of Sunday and Monday are also free.
We had made reservations for dinner – and were a bit disappointed we had. In a parking lot behind a church, we found tables spread out in all directions. A huge dinner was planned and we were going to miss it.
We weren’t going to miss the next day’s market. Clothing, jewelry, and just about every item imaginable are sold outside – in the same spot where the public dinner the night before had been held.
Food is sold both indoors and outdoors.
We took a container of the most delicious strawberries with us back to Aleau. (They taste even better than they look!)
As you can see, eggs are not refrigerated in France. They don’t need to be. In North America, eggs are washed before they are sold. That removes the protective coating that keeps bacteria out. In France, they keep that natural protection in place. No need to refrigerate them. You can also buy them individually – just one if that’s all you need.
I smiled when I saw mattresses for sale. That’s how we bought ours – in a supermarket parking lot on a Sunday when the store was closed. The fellow who sold it to us not only delivered them to Aleau – but climbed up a ladder with them (one at a time) when Aleau was out of the water in a dry-dock. They’re both still very comfortable.
The highlight of the market is what’s inside.
Well, that’s usually the case. But this is August – vacation time. Half the stalls are covered in blue tarps.
In France, many businesses are closed for a full month – for either July or August. There are two groups of vacationers – the juilletistes and the aoûtiens. The former take all of July off and the latter take all of August off. Historically, factory workers had their holiday in July and white-collar workers in August – although that is changing.
It can be frustrating. I wanted an ice cream from Jeff de Bruges.
I was greeted with this sign. No ice cream – or anything else – from July 20 until August 18.
At least we had a large choice of restaurants to choose from.
We chose this one – La Passerelle. Up on the roof.
We could look down on the Aisne as we enjoyed a glass of Champagne.
Beet gaspacho with garlic, toast, and tiny vegetables.
Shrimp tartare with tomato confit on an artichoke bottom with anchovy vinegar and nuts.
Summer salad of potatoes and grilled red mullet with lamb’s lettuce and red onions.
Roasted scallops on a leek confit along with artichoke.
Café Gourmand with almond cookie, strawberry-rhubarb pana cotta, lemon ganache with meringue, and a Rocher chocolate.
After dinner, it was back to Aleau and a view of another part of Soissons.
