Meaux – 10 Reasons to Choose Meaux for a Paris Day-Trip

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Meaux Brie – you went to Meaux? What/Where is that? What made you choose Meaux for a Paris day-trip? Those are just a few of the question directed to me when I told people my plans to take a day-trip from Paris to Meaux. Why go just for Meaux brie was another question ? Why not? But I have  since discovered at least 10 good reasons to day-trip to Meaux.

Due to the Gilets Jaunes protests taking place each Saturday and the subsequent disruption to some metro stops in Paris, I just wanted to escape the city for a leisurely day. Although in other towns these protests had proven to be calm affairs, Paris’ history with these protests was not quite the same.

#1 Meaux Brie – the Famous Cheese at the Saturday Market

In researching easy destination points, I discovered Meaux, home to Brie de Meaux. CHEESE! What better reason to choose Meaux. They have a huge Saturday market that lines the streets around the covered market pavilion, Halle du Marché Couvert. My first purchase was a piece of their famous brie.

Meaux cheese

Halle du marché

Honey

Pain d'Epices avec cerises (gingerbread with cherries)

Books for every age

I love France’s outdoor markets, so after discovering that Meaux has a fairly large Saturday market AND is the home of Brie, I began to look for what else was on offer in Meaux.

#2 Cathédrale Sainte-Étienne de Meaux

I discovered Meaux has a lovely church, Cathedral Sainte-Étienne de Meaux. Dating from 1175, it was initially romanesque in style. The discovery of defects in the 13th century design meant the virtual rebuilding of the church –  this time in the gothic style of the times. Just displaying a few pictures here will not do justice to this beautiful church so there will be an additional post with more details to come.

Cathédrale Sainte-Etienne de Meaux

#3 Bossuet Garden

Making destination decisions when I travel can often be a good example of stream of consciousness thinking! Upon reading about the Cathedral along with the beautiful Bossuet Garden I had yet another reason to visit Meaux!

The historic sign in the garden credits French gardener Andre Le Notre with designing the garden in 1642. Although difficult to see at ground level, the garden is designed in the shape of a bishop’s miter. This makes perfect sense because the garden is part of what was the Episcopal city and is adjacent to the Episcopal Palace.

The view from the first floor of the Episcopal Palace is evidently the best. The garden was created on the site of the former canon’s houses and is named after bishop and writer Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet.

View of the Bishops Palace and Cathedral from the Bossuet Garden.

Bossuet Garden behind the Bishops Palace

Part of the old city wall, remparts, in Meaux

Another section of the remparts featuring an old well.

Along the back and side, you can see the old remparts of the town. I’ve included this photo in the slideshow as well because I just think its too lovely not to see twice! It exemplifies perfectly the beauty and peace found here.

Meaux Remparts with a well

#4 Chapter House

To enter the Bossuet Garden, you first pass through the courtyard of  the old Episcopal District. The District would have extended from the cathedral to the rear wall of the gardens in ancient times.

There is a huge courtyard  here between the cathedral and the gardens and to one side stands the Chapterhouse. It would have been used in days past as the headquarters of the cathedral’s canons chapters and a tithe barn (see details) Today, the Chapterhouse is used as a sacristy and the covered passageway connects it to the Cathedral.

Meaux Chapterhouse, rear view with connecting passageway

I entered the Episcopal City courtyard from the street behind the Old Chapterhouse, through the gate shown above. From the front side, facing the courtyard, the turrets and grand staircase immediately caught my attention. That spectacular staircase dates from the 15th century.

#5 Episcopal Palace

Turning around, the vast courtyard which was behind me is now in front, with  the entrance to the gardens and the Episcopal Palace on the right and the majestic cathedral just to the left. The Palace dates from 1134.

Episcopal Palace

#6 An Unexpected Discovery in Meaux- the Hôtel de Ville

I arrived early to be able to visit the market, including sampling the Meaux brie,  and then have the remainder of the day to explore. As I wandered across the river from the market, I spotted the Hôtel de Ville, not far from the Cathedral. I’m so glad I followed my heart and visited this beautiful building.

Meaux Hôtel de Ville

The inside of the Hôtel de Ville turned out to be just as lovely as the cherry blossom views outside!

Magnificent stained glass which can be seen through the main entrance door.

Such a spectacular Art Nouveau door.

Just in front of the Hôtel de Ville, this curious group of people definitely piqued my interest as I was headed toward the Cathedral. It didn’t take long to discover why the antique military dress!

#7 World War I Museum – Musée de la Grande Guerre

Meaux has the largest museum in Europe on World War I. If you are a history buff, it’s a must see.  They have more than 65,000 items in their collection!

I was in Meaux on April 6, which just happens to be the day in 1917 (102 years ago) that the US entered World War I. Combine that interesting piece of trivia with the WWI museum and I realized that the re-enactors I had seen earlier  were part of something bigger.

Beside the Cathedral, I discovered the re-enactors’ destination.  Unbeknownst to me, there was a festival going on for the whole weekend.

This particular weekend in April was a living history weekend with re-enactments and parades celebrating the first world war.

New Friends and Acquaintances

In connection to this interesting discovery, I also discovered the people of Meaux to be very welcoming. While taking photos of the re-enactment around the Cathedral, a gentleman “of a certain age” (my guess – mid 80s) tapped me on the shoulder and asked if I’d visited the cathedral. I told him I was on my way to explore it when I came across the re-enactment.

He was such a kind gentleman. He spoke slowly and clearly to ensure I could understand what he was saying. Details of the inside church architecture as well as a bit of its history were part of what he shared.  It was a delightful conversation. He welcomed my questions about the church as well as about the re-enactment. It was easy to tell that he held great pride in the history of his church and the town.

#8 Old City Center

After thoroughly exploring the Cathedral and having nice conversation with the Priest and another parishioner, I wandered the streets of the old city center in search of lunch.  The views of the old city center of Meaux from the Marne river are the best in my opinion. This particular image shows both the Hôtel de Ville and the Cathedral.

Hôtel de Ville with the Cathedral in the distance

Walking the little streets, many of which are pedestrianized or of infrequent traffic is the best way to spend the day!

Medieval Streets

Rue de la Cordonnerie preserves many aspects of its medieval life and this door is just one of those. This is actually a gate to a townhouse, which was not open to the public.

18th century gate, #14 rue de la Cordonnerie, Meaux

Lintel

#14 rue de la Cordonnerie, Meaux

Old Jewish Quarter

The Quartier de la Juiverie was located here but was completely remodeled in the 19th century. This lovely historic fountain is where rue Petite Saint-Christophe (see the sign up on the wall at the top of the photo) and rue Donétal form the square on rue de la Cordonnerie

Fountain in the Old Jewish Quarter

Above, I was again on rue de la Cordonnerie, looking towards the Cathedral.

#9 The Remparts

One of the easiest ways to view the remparts is to visit the Gardens of the Episcopal Palace (Bossuet Garden). A portion of the 250 meter long wall bounds the rear of the garden.  Erected in the third century, enlargements occurred several times over the course of history.

Another section of the Remparts de Meaux, lined with tilluel trees.

#10 Meaux is Easily Accessible

Meaux is a short distance from Paris and is located in the Seine et Marne department on the Marne River . It is on the Transilien Paris-Est suburban rail line. This line “P” is a commuter train – part train/part metro. The transilien.com website has a nice map to help you plan your journey. Trains leave from Gare de l’Est about every 30 minutes. You can purchase your ticket at both Gare de l’Est and at the station in Meaux.

I’d recommend waiting to purchase your return ticket after you’ve finished exploring in Meaux. You save nothing purchasing a round-trip ticket and you have more flexiblity for the length of your visit if you wait. Like me, you will likely find more to enjoy than just the Meaux brie cheese here.

Meaux et pourquoi j’adore être bilingue
(en bref) en français…

Bien que mes courtes histoires françaises décrivent, en général, mes activités et les endroits d’une ville particulière, cette fois je voudrais parler d’un seul aspect : le langage concernant ma visite à Meaux.

Dans le premier article en anglais sur cette page, j’ai dressé une liste de dix raisons pour lesquelles vous devez visiter Meaux. Cependant, les expériences de cette visite ne se limitaient pas aux endroits physiques seulement.

À la fin, ce sont les habitants de cette ville qui sont une des raisons pour laquelle je dis : j’adore cette belle ville. Mais, généralement, les touristes ne visitent pas une ville à cause de la gentillesse des gens. Toutefois, je veux vous parler de mes rencontres avec les gens de Meaux.

L’importance du date

Après mes explorations du marché, je me suis rendu à la cathédrale Sainte-Étienne de Meaux. En allant à la cathédrale, j’ai dépassé une curieuse bande de gens portant des vêtements de l’époque de la Première Guerre mondiale. Arrivée en Meaux, j’ignorais l’importance de cette date, le 6 avril. C’était ce jour-là en 1917 que les États-Unis sont entrés dans la guerre et j’étais sur le point de voir une reconstitution…… en face de la cathédrale !

Une rencontre inattendue

Quand je suis arrivée à la cathédrale, tout le monde était là pour cette reconstitution ! Prendre mes photos, comme d’habitude, j’étais absorbée par les uniformes et les vêtements des infirmières et des infirmiers quand un homme d’un certain âge, m’a tapé sur l’épaule. « Avez-vous exploré notre magnifique cathédrale ? » m’a-t-il demandée. Trouvant que j’étais américaine, il m’a parlé ensuite lentement avec élocution claire.

Cet homme gentil, m’a raconté les détails de la cathédrale. Il était un véritable historien. Les détails intérieurs et l’architecture étaient, en part, ce qu’il me communiquait. C’était évident qu’il était très fier de sa ville et de la cathédrale. Il a répondu avec plaisir à mes questions, soit le sujet de la cathédrale soit de la reconstitution.

Après cette reconstitution, j’ai visité la cathédrale, qui est vraiment magnifique. Là, j’ai aussi parlé au prêtre de la cathédrale et un autre homme qui se parlait avec le prêtre. De ces deux hommes, j’ai appris plus d’information sur l’histoire de la cathédrale. Quel bénéfice ! Voici, j’ai rencontré encore deux personnes qui étaient très fières de leur cathédrale. Je suis arrivée à Meaux une étrangère, mais, après mes conversations, je l’ai quitté avec l’impression d’être moins qu’une étrangère grâce à ma connaissance du langage.

The French section of this article has been reposted at LearnParisianFrench.j-ouellette.com.

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