Walking, Bois de Vincennes, & Château de Vincennes

Okay, I like to walk. But I also wanted to avoid the metro and busses because bedbugs have been sited there. So walking from the 12th arrondissement to the Château de Vincennes seemed like a great way to spend a beautiful October Saturday. And I read about La Promenade Plantée, a former rail line now a lovely walking path, that would lead walkers “to the country.” Here’s a picture of the map of the walk that I should have taken yesterday morning before I left the hostel.

I left about 9 am and had my hiking boots and water and snacks. I even found the green way fairly easily and headed in the right direction away from Paris.

I crossed the bridge to the left and never found the rest of the green way. I ended up past the Périphérique (the ring road around Paris) in the town of Charenton.

So I sat down in the shade and enjoyed American tunes with an amazing vocalist and lots of brass. Many families with children were there for the music and the little children’s fair rides. Talked with a gentleman who told me to watch a French TV show with world traveler Antoine. Title: J’irai dormir chez vous or I am going to sleep at your place. Have you heard of it? Not me. I’ll check it out soon. But as you can see, I got distracted from my goals, but I loved it all! I asked which direction for the Château de Vincennes, and was pointed back toward Paris, giving me the idea that I had gone too far or at least gotten of track. Oh well, it was still before noon.

I asked a young mom pushing a stroller how I could reach the castle. She suggested I take a metro. But I wanted to walk. She looked skeptical and said I could get there through the woods. So off I went!

I tried to enter from this side of course. But was directed to the left and had to walk all the way around this HUGE walled medieval forteresse. The official entrance was to the right! (Much closer) It was after 1:00 pm when I figured all this out. I decided I needed to rest and have some lunch before attempting to tour the Castle grounds.

I later learned that Bois de Vincennes is the largest public park in the greater Parisian area. About 2,500 acres. 50 miles of crisscrossing walking paths and paved lanes. So, I actually did pretty well, all things considered. These woods were mentioned by the Romans, who referred to them as Vilcena. The word Vincennes comes from that. Later, various French kings hunted in these woods.

Some folks say it’s not the destination but the journey that matters most. I think that works pretty well for my Saturday and my destination of the Castle of Vincennes. For pilgrims walking all the way to Santiago, it’s not Santiago, but everything that happens along the way. For us, it’s not heaven (or hell) after this life, but rather the moments of beauty, love, joy or pain that we experience each day.

Although the Castle of Vincennes was not used as a royal residence much after Charles V, it did serve the monarchy and France in many different ways. It was a prison among other thing & is today not only a historical monument but a repository of some of the archives of the French Military. I’m not exactly where they all of them are located.

My day included 13 miles of walking, several folks helping me find my way, one man giving me a bus ticket (when I was trying to buy one from the bus driver) after I finally accepted that I needed public transportation ( short ride) to get home before dark. It was a good day. I got back to The People Bercy hostel about 7:00 pm.