11th April Milly-la-foret

Yesterday was another cracker day, hot, blue sky and sunny. Late morning I went for a bike ride around the area, to a couple of small villages and past the Chateau de Courances. I took Hilary's camera but unfortunately the lense is jammed and it won't work. I did a repeat today though, with my camera, went a bit further and will share some pictures later.

Yesterday afternoon Nick, Jackie, the girls and us went for a walk in the forest not too far from here, it is called 25 Bosses, (25 hills), as the name suggests it is an interesting area geologically, with white sand, and enormous boulders. Apparently before the ice age it was covered with sea, hence the sand, but very odd many dozens of miles inland.

Hils by boulder

Looking out from one of the Bosses

Hilary and Josie playing on a swing, white sand in the background

It is also a fascinating area historically as it is an area which features largely in the resistance movement with many being dropped in the area by parachute. They lived/sheltered/hid in the area causing as much trouble to the Germans as they could. Many were killed or captured and sent to camps of course, on top of one of the bosses is a large memorial to these brave souls, called La Croix St Jacques.

Nick and Elena in front of the memorial

It was also rife with wildlife, many lizards, butterflies, and also wild boar, though we didn't see any of the latter.  It was a lovely, hot walk, it smelled like  Hawkes Bay in summer with the heath/ericas flowering under foot.

Wriggly little caterpillar things

Josie's "favourite tree".

Barbara wallowing in the white sand to cool down

The link to WWII is very fascinating for me, I've also been drawn to stories about the war or more correctly the activities of the resistance, and have read books like one about Nancy Wake (NZ/Australian heroine) and seen many movies too, some horrific. At the moment I am reading Hilary's "Horrible History" about WWII as well so all very pertinent.

Today as I said, I went for another bike ride, probably 20km or so in the end, re-tracing my "steps" from yesterday, up through a couple of little villages,

A house in Dannemois

to wide open fields of rape,

and past Le Chateau de Courances. This is a XIIIth century chateau which specialises in water features, ponds, and has a Chinese garden. Unfortunately it seems as though it's only open at weekends so we will miss it this time around

.La Chateau de Courances