Renoir and Napoleon

Not contemporaries you understand. Napoleon 1769 – 1821. Renoir 1841–1919. So they probably never met. However, as a tourist you can meet them (or what is left of them) in one and the same day. Especially as Napoleon is on the way to Renoir from here.
It is winter and the forecast was not too promising. So we picked Essoyes which is 90 minutes drive away and famed for it's resident named Renoir.
The day was fine and bright but as we drove out through the villages, there was clear evidence of snow that had fallen in the night. Still, the roads were completely clear until we turned through a village where the road was mostly in shaddow. Here we drove over snow. Then, about 15km from our goal, small snow flakes began to fall. By the time we reached Essoyes, the flakes were large and fluffy, and since it was 12:15, most places were closed for lunch.
But it was mild, and we took a pleasant walk in the snow round the very picturesque village. Clearly the river was very swollen, and the village made the most of its painting heritage, as you should be able to see from these photos. You should also be able to see the snow which made the experience quite romantic.

La Belle Gabrielle - Nanny and frequent model

Free exhibition in the village

The swollen river surged through the village.

Giraffe for Clare

Since there was so much snow, we vowed to return and so avoid getting trapped. But first we bought some 'local specialities' from the boulangerie. This turned out to be a bread baked with a ham and cheese topping, a bread-cheese loaf, and the baker threw in 2 donuts. Oh, we have those in England, we said. Ah, these are made with 'brioche', he replied. And so they were, sugared, but with no jam!
The snow was still falling as we set off, but within 10 minutes it had stopped (or we drove out of it) and the sun came out. We stopped near a river and had tea. The thermometer in the car reached 6 degrees, the best all day. The way back went past Brienne-le-Chateau, Napoleon's old haunt, and since the sun was still out, we decided to stop and go for a stroll.

Journal de l'Empire 1808

The main attraction at Brienne is the Chateau, visible for miles around, and the museum dedicated to Napoleon. We have never visited the museum, and have seen the Chateau only from the closed gates a long way away. Today, however, we met an old boy who offered to tell us about the area.
Apparently this man's ancestor was one of Napoleon's generals who fought along side him in several battles.  Since there are hundreds of these persons, and many were killed, this could be almost anyone, but it was an interesting tale. The old boy claimed that 'He slept in the building to the right of the chateau'. Then he pulled out a document from a large roll in his pocket. 'The 1808 news' he said, 'with news of England too'.

Monday 3 Octobre 1808, Journal de l'Empire - in faded green, dry, and ragged paper.

He then told us we could walk in the chateau grounds, something we had not dared to do before, so that's what we did next.

Napoleon's Chateau at Brienne

The General's House

Click to enlarge the English report,
use 'mouse-over' for a translation.

We had never been this close to the building before. There are good views from here as it is on the highest point for miles around. There were other people clearly passing through, like the jogger, but others appeared to be more likely to be users of the complex.
The chateau and general's house are now the office buildings of the mental hospital built in the grounds.
We escaped the security gate at the entrance, still wondering how to look 'normal' as we passed, and wended our slow way home; with just one more stop in the sun in a village and another cup of tea.

I bet Renoir and Napoleon didn't drink as much tea as we English do.