Juliette Récamier is – of course – the main personality that inspired La Belle Juliette, but some of the people that marked her life have also marked the hotel. The whole of the third floor, for example, is dedicated to Chateaubriand, and that’s partly why we decided to go and visit his home, dubbed the Vallée-aux-Loups (the valley of the wolves!), just outside of Paris.

It turned out to be a wonderful adventure that included crossing the amazing Parc de Sceaux and encountering a number of other fantastic surprises…

Surprise n°1 – it’s not far, but it’s a real change of scene

The RER B train line will get you there in 20 minutes from Châtelet, right in the heart of the city, but once you step off the train, you’ll feel more like your in the country than the suburbs.

Two minutes from the train you’ll find the park, and that’s when it really sinks in; this is something rather special. The place is vast, trimmed and tended to in every detail. The vast stretches of water and numerous fountains remind one of Versailles. In fact it’s so big they even call it an estate rather than just a park, quite understandable seeing as it was designed by the venerable André Le Nôtre.

Surprise n°2 – The Orangery has its own music festival and cute garden

Finished in 1686, the Orangery hosts a festival of concerts each year (www.festival-orangerie.fr) with chamber music each weekend from July to September. We especially love the little garden attached, perfectly preened and watched over by an extremely muscular gentleman…

Surprise n°3 – They have their own chateau with exhibitions inside and out

To be precise, it’s actually called the Ile de France Museum, with a big permanent collection as well as temporary shows. Outside, we were able to admire a photo exhibition about water in the local area; lovely photos, blown up large. You can watch a quick film (in French) about it below.

Surprise n°4 – just when you thought you’d seen it all, there’s more

The park is huge. We didn’t manage to explore it all. The lawns is perfect for picnics (no ball games allowed), and there’s plenty of space for everyone, which is not always the case in Paris. And those views!Ten minutes on foot from the park (or two minutes by bike) is la Vallée-aux-Loups.

Surprise n°5 – there’s more to see than just Chateaubriand’s house

We were at Chateaubriand’s house during a temporary exhibition that meant that the permanent collection wasn’t on show at the time. And they forbade us to take photos, which was even more frustrating.

We did manage to sneak a few shots (!), but it can be pretty claustrophobic in there (the rooms are small and the ceilings low), so we ducked out as quickly as possible and had a walk round the park behind the house. It even contains a few trees that were planted by Chateaubriand himself.French speakers will perhaps appreciate this 52-minute documentary about the man which gives lots of info…

It would seem that Chateaubriand loved trees; next to his house is the Vallée-aux-Loups Arboretum, which was purchased by the local municipality as recently as 1986. Spanning 13.5 hectares, it contains several themed gardens, 165 different types of trees – some of them extraordinary specimens – and entrance is free!And just opposite is l’île Verte, a small country house with a pond, market garden, fountain and bamboo. Super cute!Surprise n°6 – on peut tout faire en vélo

Returning from the Vallée-aux-Loups towards the Parc de Sceaux to take a couple more photos, we came across the south Parisian green ribbon. It’s a cycle path that startq in Paris at Montparnasse and runs, er, to the south. The space was originally intended to be the extension to the A10 motorway, but the plan was abandoned and the site used partially by the train and partially as a traffic-free way to get in and out of the south side of the city by bike.

It’s really leafy and runs just between the Parc de Sceaux and the Vallée-aux-Loups, so we decided not to take the RER back home and just bike it. Actually, having a bike is a real boon if you want to explore the Parc de Sceaux before moving on to Chateaubriand’s place.

Of course, if you’re not feeling sporty, just head for RER B station Parc de Sceaux. You’ll just have to walk a bit afterwards.

For more info on the home of Chateaubriand, le Parc de Sceaux and all sorts of fun, cultured stuff going on nearby, there are a host of websites available to fill you in, although none are translated into English so you may have to ask for some help from Google Translate.

www.maison-de-chateaubriand.fr
www.domaine-de-sceaux.fr
www.vallee-culture.fr
www.promenades92.fr

And if you want to check out our photos (132 in all!), click play on the slideshow below, followed by the four little arrows bottom right to go into fullscreen mode. Enjoy your visit!