CHATEAU DE VAUX LE VICOMTE

This is one of the best kept secrets just southeast of Paris in Maincy. Stephane thought this chateau was a must see for us and he was right. We met Michele and Stephane and he drove us for about an hour to the site of this beautiful chateau.

The chateau was built by architect Louis Le Vau and the gardens by landscape architect Andre Le Notre between 1658 and 1661. They also built the palace and gardens at Versailles later. We entered past the stables,

through an arch leading to the chateau.

The story goes (in a nutshell) Nicholas Fouquet commissioned the chateau and gardens to be built. It was his dream to leave a lasting legacy for himself and his young wife. He was the Minister of Finance for King Louis XIV. He decided to have a lavish party for the King and every important person in France was invited. It did not work out the way Fouquet planned however. The King was jealous that the Chateau was more grandious and elegant than anything he had, so he had Fouquet arrested on false charges of misappropriation of funds. He was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison. Louis went on to build the Palace of Versailles in an even more grand style using the same builders as Fouquet.

There is a moat around the chateau.

First we toured the gardens. They were fabulous!

There were statues throughout the gardens.

And several beautiful fountains.

The chateau was just as imposing from the back.

It was our time to tour the inside of the chateau. As we entered we were given headsets to hear the narrative as we walked from room to room.

It was through the headset that we got the story of Nicholas Fouquet and his infamous party. Guests were greeted in the rotunda.

The chateau was as ornate as one would expect.

The walls were covered with beautiful tapestries.

As we toured the kitchen area we were greeted by the head of the food preparation team.

We passed by the wine cellar

and the fruit cellar

on our way through the kitchen.

Apparently, wild boar is on the menu for tonight!

We had a nice dinner at the chateau restaurant. Then back to Paris where we bid farewell to our friends.