Bois de Vincennes

In addition to the many parks in Paris, the city has two forests (bois): the Bois de Boulogne at the western edge of the city, and the Bois de Vincennes at the eastern edge.  Today I explored the Bois de Vincennes, which has forest, lakes, a botanical garden, and a medieval castle.  The Metro line 1 takes you right to the entry of the castle -- the Château de Vincennes.  Entry to the compound is free, and you can also explore the buildings/museum with a ticket.  Since Kevin is sick and I plan to come back with him, I just walked around today but did not go inside the buildings.  A drawbridge across a moat leads to the entrance.

The château was constructed in the 14th century by Charles V.  The walls of the fortress encircle a keep, a chapel, and at one time a royal manor (although that was destroyed in the 18th century).

The keep, or donjon, is the tallest in Europe and stands 50 meters (164 feet) tall.  The walls are ten feet thick.

A moat surrounds the exterior walls protecting the compound and an additional moat encircles the keep.

The church (Sainte-Chapelle de Vincennes) was constructed between 1380 and 1552.

The château is still in use and now serves as a museum and main archival site for France's Defense Historical Service.

After leaving the Château, I walked past the Parc Floral de Paris, a botanical garden.  Again, I saved the interior of the park for another day, but the sign outside was to impressive to miss.

I then began to walk in the bois itself.  The forest is huge -- almost three times as large as Central Park in New York.  It is criscrossed with paved roads (no cars) and dirt walking trails.  While walking, I saw joggers, bicyclists, and riders on horseback.  But the park is so huge that mostly I had the trail to myself.

I saw some beautiful flowers on the trail.

There were also wild berries, waiting to be picked.

There are four lakes within the forest.  I walked east, to the Lac des Minimes.

There were several flocks of geese resting on the grass, and many ducks and swans swimming in the lake.

The lake has three islands, and you can rent a rowboat to get to them.  I'll save that for another day, as well!