The Paris Effect
  • Welcome
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Press

The Crooked Smile of Troyes

2/5/2016

1 Comment

 
Picture
Dreaming of France, we usually picture an idyllic beauty -- picturesque
cobbled streets dripping with flowers.... majestic cities glittering in unimaginable
splendor.... countless images of a country whose countenance never disappoints.

  But dig a little deeper and consider the alternate faces of France -- funny
little towns too often neglected by the average tourist -- those who
may be missing the good looks of her celebrity sisters but
 with perhaps a tad more imagination, texture and historical weight.
Why always search out the one-dimensional when you
can unlock the magic of a more intriguing thumbprint?

I'm thinking of Troyes, a lovable little town full of unconventional complexity.
Sure, her teeth are a little crooked and she could use a trip or two to the
beauty salon -- but oh boy, her half-timbered houses and historical
credentials more than make up for any gaps in her appearance.

Before the Revolution, Troyes (pronounced twah) was the capitol of Champagne.
Devoid of the champagne houses just down the road in effervescent Epernay,
(just 52 miles to the north), Troyes doesn't come up the least bit short.
  Immersing yourself in the Champagne region is always a good idea,
but in Troyes, you'll find reasons to drop anchor
that have little to do with the bubbly. 
 
Offering visitors a different persona than most mainstream travel darlings,
an overnight or two here offers a true trial of the often overused expression
"getting off the beaten path".

Picture
Picture
Troyes' sassy character didn't just happen overnight. 
You can start with the Romans but I prefer to begin
with the era of the famous trade fairs.
Held here during the late 12th and 13th century,
these events were the medieval means to market cloth,
furs, leather, dye, spices and some agricultural products.
 
Each commodity had its own special day of commerce,
an influential badge of economic honor for the region.
In contrast to what we think of as market day today,
the fairs in Troyes (held twice a year) lasted just over a month each.
  In most cases, commerce was between merchants rather than
the typical merchant-customer arrangement that's currently in vogue.
Much of the stock came from Genoa and Florence, crossing
the Alps on the same roads the Romans built.
  It was a cultural event, an exchange of goods as well as ideas.

Troyes' mix of medieval alleys, Gothic churches,
Renaissance mansions and spooky wood carvings cook up
a whole passel of character in its compact center. 
The main bosom of the township is famous for being shaped like a champagne cork
and you'll be ready to make a toast or two after a day of unconventional discovery.

Troyes' exceptional charisma lies not in its looks but in its deep-seated fiber. 
Personally, I'd swap a bad complexion for a good soul any day of the week.
Case in point, Ruelle des Chats (Alley of the Cats) made me flip my lid.
 I freaked out over this skinny-minny passageway made up of dilapidated
structures barely held together by aging timber and suspicious looking
supports -- looking as if they were going to fall in at any moment.
Seemingly built for wenches and ruffians of the era,
it looks like the dream set of a high-strung mystery writer.
  But don't despair, the scariest thing I experienced was the sight of a neighborhood cat  jumping from one rooftop to the next in a brave show of architectural faith.

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
The Middle Ages show up at every turn.
  From the flamboyant Gothic of the Cathédrale St. Pierre et St. Paul to the
splendidly Gothic rood screen of Église Ste-Madeleine, you'll witness
a fantastic array of stained glass windows, organs and gargoyles,
some even brazenly displaying the family jewels.
  Église Saint Nizier, Basilica St. Urbain, Église Saint-Jean-au-Marché
and others -- the numbers will startle you.

Don't miss the covered marché and be on the lookout
for Troyes' most famous culinary delicacy.
  Put the caution light on because it's the only food in France I personally
find scary -- and I'll famously eat just about anything.
Troyes' little andouillette, a renowned specialty made from pork intestines,
wine, onions and spices is a favorite in this land.
Famous foodies --  tough guys like Anthony Bourdain and
 Andrew Zimmern -- seem to enjoy it's -- uh -- interesting aroma
and -- um -- extraordinary flavor.

  But don't take my word for it, go for it.
  I've tried tripe three different times -- once in the form of an
andouillette -- always hoping to like it, to be cool -- but no, it's not for me. 
Bring mouthwash and don't despair,
 there's plenty of wonderful food in Troyes.
I recall a particularly memorable feast at a classic little restaurant
featuring some of the best vegetables I've ever tasted,
paired, quite naturally, with the most gorgeous local champagne.

There's a bit of Knights Templar history here, too, as well as a storied
  heritage of persecuted Jews and royal weddings, but Troyes' most
famous legacy is when Joan of Arc and the future Charles VII
stopped by on the way to his coronation in Reims.

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
There are a number of good museums in Troyes, including an
engaging art installation gifted from a generous bequest
from the Lévy family of Lacoste fame.
Who knew pink alligator shirts could buy a Picasso?!
The Musée d'Art Moderne de Troyes offers a collection of 2,000+ works by
master artists such as Degas, Picasso, Courbet, Derain, Bonnard and Matisse.  
The palace-turned-art-museum has an impressive sculpture collection as well
 as inventive art deco glassworks by local talent Maurice Marinot.

Nearby, two museums, Musée de la Bonneterie and the
Museum of Tools & Craft (Maison de l'Outil) include hundreds of
tools used during the age of manual labor.
Knitting machines, power looms, and blacksmithing instruments pay
 respect to Troyes' long legacy of artisans in ancient trade enterprises.

But my favorite of all has to be the pharmacy museum,
the Apothecary of the Hotel-Dieu-le-Comte.
  An 18th century wood paneled pharmacy holds the mysteries of medieval medicine.  Who knew my back problems could be cured with a
mixture of ground dog turds and rose petals?
  And for more serious ailments, feudal pharmacists recommended
you boil and grind two fresh puppies, mix in a handful of worms, drink and enjoy! 
No wonder the popular sausages here make me a bit queasy.....

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
History credits Troyes' 12th century poet Chrétien de Troyes
with creating the Arthurian legend in Europe.
  His words ring true still today.

"Love without fear and trepidation is fire without flame and heat,
day without sun, comb without honey, summer without flowers,
winter without frost, sky without moon, a book without letters."
English translation by D.D.R. Owen

I will add -- A trip to the Champagne region without a stop in Troyes
is much like starting a journey with your glass half empty.

Admittedly, Troyes is an alternate universe
in the vivid landscape of beautiful France.
  But it's a universe you'll be glad you met and after all,
isn't diversity one of the main reasons we travel?

  I dare you not to feel a combination of affection and amazement.
  Embrace the other side of France -- freckles and all.

Picture
1 Comment
    Picture

    AUTHOR
    MICHELLE MOGGIO

    Thanks for visiting  my blog!

    I've been experiencing the joys of Paris since the ripe old age of eleven.
    As a big fan of duck fat, raw oysters and bad French movies, my long career in advertising helped pave the way for drinking at lunch. When not living la vie en rose, my husband Gary and I live in Brentwood, TN, where we stay busy planning our next travel adventure and offering unsolicited advice to our daughter.

    Archives

    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014


    RSS Feed

    Click below to buy
    The Paris Effect 
    book today
    Enter your email address to receive blog updates -
    Subscribe Now
    Buy Now

    Categories

    All
    100th Blog
    20th Arrondissement
    Abbaye De Fontfroide
    Absinthe
    Academie De La Grande Chaumière
    Adrian Leeds
    Aix-en-Provence
    Albi
    Aligot
    Alsace
    Ambassade D'Auvergne
    Amboise
    American History
    American Revolution
    Amphitheatre
    Antibes
    Apartments
    Aperitif
    April In Paris
    Arc De Triomphe Du Carrousel
    Architecture
    Arena De Nimes
    Ariége
    Armenian Cathedral Of Paris
    Art
    Art Deco
    Artistic Paris
    Artlover
    Art Museum
    Art Nouveau
    Atonement Chapel
    Auray
    Avenue Foch
    Avenue Frochot
    Avignon
    Baccarat
    Baden-Baden
    Baguette
    Basque
    Bayeux Tapestry
    B&B
    Benjamin Franklin
    Bénodet
    Bercy Village
    Biarritz
    Biot
    Biot France
    Bistros
    Bonbons
    Books Set In France
    Boulangerie
    Brassaï
    Brittany
    Brittany American Cemetery
    Burgundy
    Cagnes-sur-Mer
    Cakes
    Canal Du Midi
    Candy
    Cap D'Antibes
    Caracalla Spa
    Caramels
    Catalan France
    Cathars
    Cathedral
    Cathedrale St-Just
    Cemetière De Passy
    Cemetière Saint-Vincent
    Chantilly
    Chapelle Expiatoire
    Chapelle Saint Vincent De Paul
    #Chapel Of Hospice Saint-Jean
    Charles Aznavour
    Charles Trenet
    Chartreuse Du Val-de-Benediction
    Chateau
    Chateau De Clisson
    Chateau De Foix
    Chateau De Fougeres
    Chateau De Malmaison
    Chateau Grimaldi
    Cheese
    Chinon
    Chocolate
    Choice Vs. Chance
    Christian Constant
    #Church Of Saint-Volusien
    Cimiez
    Cité Des Fleurs
    Cité De Trevise
    Claude Monet
    Clisson
    Cocktail
    Coco Chanel
    Cognac
    Cointreau
    Cole Porter
    Comedie-Francaise
    Cote D'Azur
    Coulon
    Cours Mirabeau
    Cours Saleya
    Coussin De Lyon
    Crêpes
    Dessert
    Dijon
    Dreams
    Duck-confit
    Eating In France
    Ecole Des Beaux-Arts
    Ed Clark
    Edith-piaf
    Eglise Notre Dame De Clisson
    Eglise Sainte-Trinité
    Eglise Saint-Germain-des-Prés
    Elsa Maxwell
    Entrevaux
    Environmental Challenges
    Eric Kayser
    Eugene Delacroix
    Fabergé Museum
    Falling For Paris
    Famous-faces
    Fashion History
    Fauchon
    Fernand Léger
    Fete De La Transhumance
    Fête De Vendanges
    Fish Specialties
    Foix
    Folies Bergère
    Fontainebleau
    Fontaine Du Palmier
    Food Markets
    Fougeres
    Fragrance
    France
    Francois-premier
    Free Museums
    French Atlantic Coast
    French Bread
    French Cuisine
    French Food
    French-food
    French History
    French-islands
    French Musee D'Art Moderne De La Ville De Paris
    French Music
    French Resistence
    French Revolution
    #FrenchRiviera
    French Riviera
    French Slave Trade
    Friedrichsbad Spa
    Fun Fair Museum
    Genevieve De Gaulle-Anthonioz
    Genièvre
    George Sand
    Germaine Tillion
    Germany
    Gertrude Stein
    Gordes
    Grand Mosque Of Paris
    Grand Palais
    Grasse
    Guerlain
    Gustave Moreau
    Harvest Festival
    Haut-de-Cagnes
    Healthy Travel
    Hediard
    Henri Le Roux
    Henri Matisse
    Holocaust
    Hometown Memories
    Hotel Belles Rives
    Hôtel De Soubise
    Hotel Dieu
    Hotels
    Ile De Bréhat
    Ile De Ré
    Isadora Duncan
    Jacques Genin
    Janet Flanner
    Jardin Samuel-de-Champlain
    Jay Z
    Jazz A Juan
    Jean Seberg
    Jewelry
    Josephine Baker
    Josephine Bonaparte
    Juan-les-Pins
    Keith Haring
    La Campagne A Paris
    La Couveroitade
    Lafayette
    La Jourrnée San Voiture
    Lalique
    Language Skills
    Languedoc
    La Rochelle
    La Verrerie De Biot
    Lavinia Wine Store
    Le Bonbon Au Palais
    Le Bon Georges
    Le Capitole
    Le Carrousel Des Mondes Marins
    Le Clos Lucé
    Le Cochon à L'Oreille
    Le Coq Rico
    Legendary Lovers
    Le Grand Véfour
    Le Musée Montmartre
    Leonardo Da Vinci
    Le Rostand
    Les Cocottes
    Les Fauves
    Les Invalides
    Les Machines De L'Ile
    Les Sept Iles
    Lichtentaler Allee
    Lille
    Little Gourmand
    Loire Atlantique
    Luberon
    Luxembourg Gardens
    Maison Carrée
    Malmaison
    Man Ray
    Marais Poitevin
    Marc Chagall
    Marché Beauvau
    Marché D'Aligre
    Marché President Wilson
    Marché Victor Hugo
    Marie Curie
    Market Street
    Marquis De Lafayette
    Matisse
    Maurice Utrillo
    Medieval Festival
    Medieval France
    Memorial De L'Abolition De L'Esclavage
    Memorial De La Shoah
    MFK Fisher
    Minervois Wine
    #ModernArt
    Monolithic Church
    Montmartre
    Montmartre Museum
    Montparnasse
    Montparnasse Cemetery
    Montpellier
    Movies Set In France
    Musee Carnavalet
    Musée De La Chasse Et De La Nature
    Musée Des Arts Decoritifs
    Musée Des Arts Forains
    Musée Des Beaux-Arts De Dijon
    Musee D'Orsay
    Musée D'Orsay
    Musee L'Orangerie
    Musée Marc Chagall
    Musee Marmottan Monet
    Musée Matisse Nice
    Musée Picasso
    Musée Yves Saint Laurent
    Museum
    Museum Of Decorative Arts
    Museum Of Hunting & Nature
    Museum Of Modern Art City Of Paris
    Nancy
    Nantes
    Napoleon Bonaparte
    Napoleon III Apartments
    Narbonne
    Nashville
    Natalie Portman
    Nazi Atrocities
    Nice
    Nice France
    Nimes
    Normandy
    Not-far-from-paris
    Not-far-from-paris
    Notre Dame De Lorette
    Notre Dame De Paris
    Occitanie
    #Occitanie
    Off-the-tourist-track
    Off-the-tourist-track
    Opera-garnier
    Operation Dragoon
    Oradoursurglane
    Our Lady Of Paris
    Palais Lascaris
    Palais Royal
    Paloma Beach
    Pancake
    Pancake Pantry
    Parade
    Parc De Bercy
    Paris
    Paris 1968
    Paris Arrondissements
    Paris Art Museum
    Paris Art Schools
    Paris At Home
    Paris Cafes
    Paris Fashion
    Paris Friend
    Paris Markets
    Paris Metro
    Paris Neighborhoods
    Paris Parks
    Paris Patisseries
    Paris Pets
    Paris Predestination
    Paris Retail Therapy
    Paris Travel
    Parks
    Passage Boudin
    Passerelle Simone De Beauvoir
    Pastis
    Patisserie
    Patricia Wells
    Paul Cezanne
    Perfume
    Pernes-les-Fontaines
    Pet Cemeteries
    Petit Palais
    Photography
    Picpus Cemetery
    Pinching Pennies
    Pink Granite Coast
    Place De Furstenberg
    Place De La Concorde
    Place Des Vosges
    Place Masséna
    Place Stanislaus
    Place Vendome
    Ploumanac'h
    Poilane
    Ponr Alexandre III
    Poster Art
    Promenade Des Anglais
    Provence
    #Provence
    Provence Markets
    Puffins
    Pyrenees-Orientales
    Rambouillet
    Raoul Dufy
    Regional Cooking
    Rennes
    Renoir
    Robert Doisneau
    Robert Wuhl
    Roquefort
    Rue Cler
    Rue Cremieux
    Rue De L'Eole Du Medecine
    Rue De Nil
    Rue Dénoyez
    Rue Des Ecoles
    Rue Des Martyrs
    Rue Irenee Blanc
    Rue Jules Siegfried
    Ruelle Des Chats
    Rue Montorgeuil
    Ruth
    Saintdenis
    Saint-Emilion
    Saint-Emilion Grand Cru
    Saint-Etienne-du-Mont
    Sainteustache
    Saint-Goustan
    Saint-Guilhem-le-Desert
    Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat
    Saint-Malo
    Saint-Medard Church
    Saint-Paul-de-Mausole
    Saint-Remy-de-Provence
    Saint-Vincent Cemetery
    Sculpture
    Senlis
    Serendipity
    Shopping
    Sliceoflife
    Slice Of Life
    Small Paris Pleasures
    Small Town Saturday Night
    Social Media
    So-Pi
    Springtime In Paris
    Square Des Peupliers
    Square Montsouris
    St Nicholas Russian Orthodox Cathedral
    Street Food
    Suzanne Valadon
    Suzy Solidor
    Sylvia Beach
    Texas
    The Avignon Papacy
    The-dreyfus-affair
    The Hunchback Of Notre Dame
    The Louvre
    The Moose
    The National Archives
    The Pantheon
    The-paris-effect
    The Pink City
    Toulouse
    Toulouse-Lautrec
    Tourrettes-sur-Loup
    Travel
    Travel Advice
    Travel Planning
    Troyes
    U.N. World Climate Conference
    Urban Art
    Uzès
    Vacation
    Vacation Planning Food
    Vel D'Hiver
    Vichy
    Vieille Bourse
    Vieux Nice
    Villa Eilenroc
    Villefranche-de-Conflent
    Villeneuve-les-Avignon
    Vincent Van Gogh
    Walking
    Walking Paris
    Willi Ronis
    Wine
    Wine Festival
    WWII
    #WWII France
    WWII Paris
    WWII Provence
    Yachts
    Yves Saint Laurent

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.