Thursday, December 31, 2015

New Year's Eve

A New Year And A Look At The Past


Before we begin a new year on this blog, full of exciting projects, dust and paint stained fingers, let's go back through time and wander through the street of the village I grew up.


Avant de commencer une nouvelle année sur ce blog, pleine de projets passionnants, de poussière et de doigts tâchés de peinture, faisons un petit détour dans le passé et promenons-nous dans le village de mon enfance. 

When I was a little girl, I lived in a small village that is very close to the famous Versailles castle. I thought you might enjoy seeing some pictures of it and discover a few things about its history.


J'ai grandi dans un petit village (moins petit aujourd'hui) qui est tout proche du château de Versailles.  J'ai pris quelques photos pour vous dans la semaine.

The red spot on the map is the village where I grew up.

Taking pictures wasn't easy as the sun in December is always very low and my camera can't adjust to the amount of light it receives, but I did my best!

En décembre, le soleil est toujours très bas et mon appareil photo a eu toutes les peines du monde à se débrouiller avec cette lumière rasante, mais j'ai fait de mon mieux.

Again, the red square lined with a black perimeter is the village where I grew up.
Let's begin with the church. It's very unimpressive compared to those we can find in Brittany where I live now. But it dates back from the XVth century and I could see it from my bedroom as a child, so just a glimpse of it brings back many memories.


Commençons par l'église. Elle n'a rien de spectaculaire, contrairement aux églises bretonnes que je vous montre souvent sur le blog. Mais elle date du XVe siècle et comme je la  voyais de la fenêtre de ma chambre, la regarder me replonge en enfance immédiatement.


It was painted by Alfred Sisley in the XIXth century and the town is so proud of it that I was taught about that painting as a child in primary school!


Elle a été peinte par Alfred Sisley au XIXe siècle et la ville est tellement fière de ce moment de gloire passée que j'ai étudié le tableau à l'école primaire !


There was a castle during the Middle Age in Noisy, but it was destroyed, probably during the Hundred Year War, then rebuilt and again destroyed! Where the castle stood is now a forest where you can sometimes spot some remains: an old door, a tower, some arches.

The people walking through the door towards the forest might be my parents...

Au Moyen Age, il y a eu un premier château à Noisy. Il est aujourd'hui détruit, processus commencé probablement pendant la guerre de Cent Ans. Ensuite il a été reconstruit et re-détruit ! Son emplacement est maintenant recouvert pas la forêt, mais on devine parfois des ruines: une porte, une tour, des arcades qui soutenaient les terrasses...


During the XVIth century, Noisy became the king's property thanks to a little political game (you know the kind where you accuse someone else to be a liar while hoping no one realise you're one to). The king gave most of the land to his mistresses...


Au XVIe siècle, Noisy devient domaine royal grâce à une petite magouille politique (vous savez, le genre de magouille où vous accusez quelqu'un qui a des terres de malversations en espérant que personne ne remarquera que vous-mêmes n'êtes pas vraiment innocent). Le roi distribue la plupart de ses terres à des maîtresses...


When Louis XIV decides to make of Versailles his main castle, Noisy became the castle's pantry. Many of the farms located in Noisy sold all their produces to the castle to feed the king and his court. We can still see some of those farms in the village. 


Quand Louis XIV a fait de Versailles sa demeure principale, Noisy est devenu en quelque sorte le garde-manger de la cour grâce à ses nombreuses fermes. Certaines sont encore debout et ont été transformées en habitations ou en bâtiments municipaux.


At that time, there was one castle left in Noisy. It was in a pitiful state, but Mme de Maintenon, Louis XIV's second and secret wife had an idea: she restored it and transformed it into a school for poor but noble young ladies.


A cette époque, il restait un château dans un état pitoyable sur Noisy. Mais Mme de Maintenon, la seconde épouse secrète de Louis XIV, eut une idée : le restaurer et en faire une école pour les jeunes filles nobles mais pauvres.

The school stayed there for a while and was then transferred to a bigger building in a nearby town. Still, many of the pupils where encouraged to become  nuns and they could join the convent that existed in Noisy. The building is still there, but it has been transformed in a luxury bed & breakfast. It's the huge yellow house below.


L'école fut ensuite déplacée dans une autre ville non loin de là pour être agrandie. Mais les élèves étaient souvent encouragées à devenir religieuses et elles pouvaient éventuellement rejoindre le couvent de Noisy, aujourd'hui transformé en gîte de luxe. C'est le grand bâtiment jaune ci-dessus.

Last stop for today, the old train station that was saved even if at some point the authorities said it should be destriyed and rebuilt in a more modern fashion.


Dernier arrêt pour aujourd'hui, la vieille gare qui a été sauvée, même si elle fut un temps menacée : il était question de la détruire pour en reconstruire une plus moderne. 

A huge thank you to all my readers for a great year spent together. Let's hope next year is a good one! Don't drink to much and laugh a lot!

Un grand merci à mes lecteurs pour cette année agréable passée ensemble. Espérons que l'année prochaine soit joyeuse. Ne buvez pas trop et riez beaucoup !


See you soon,

A bientôt,


PS1: I do hope nobody thought anything of my picture appearing in this post while I was writing about royal mistresses... 

PS1 : J'espère qu'aucune mauvaise pensée n'est venue à l'esprit de mes lecteurs alors que ma photo apparaissait juste quand je parlais des maîtresses royales...

PS2: I may have visted a place I think you'll be interested in while I was there and I may have enough energy to write a post about it sometime next year...

PS2 : J'ai peut-être visité un endroit bien joli pendant mon séjour et il se pourrait que j'ai assez d'énergie pour en faire un article l'année prochaine...

PS3: I'm sharing this post with:
Join Me for Share Your Cup              Photobucket                 


58 comments:

  1. A lovely visit.
    May your new year be filled with happiness, and Cottage's also.

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  2. :o)))
    Nice and lovely side-seeing back in time !
    I wish you a good and creative 2016 too !

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  3. I loved this visit into history ! It is always amazing to me that so many in other countries live and work and play around ancient buildings and monuments written about in old history books. We in America have such a young history.

    Happy New year to you and the little white house !

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  4. Wishing you a very Happy and healthy New Year!

    Jocelyn

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  5. What a quaint town. I love the architecture, especially the train station. I'm glad it wasn't torn down.

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  6. Wishing you all the best for the new year!AriadnefromGreece!

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  7. Merci pour tes souvenirs :))
    Bonne Année Magali)

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  8. Dear Magali:
    You have so much material there for your blog with all these old buildings and castles. Your home town was wonderful and so full of history. Your hair is lovely! Happy New Year!

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  9. Got to love the tree in the traditional Versailles-style planter; tucking that away for next year. Beautiful little village: Noisy. Also tucking that away. Jo @ Let's Face the Music

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    1. Noisy is very, very close to Versailles, so I bet that's where they got their idea for that huge tree in a planter!

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  10. So beautiful. You are lucky girl to have grown up in such a pretty village. Loved seeing a pic of you, even if it was only the backside. Happy New Year to you too!

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  11. What a beautiful town to grow up in. I love all the old buildings that have been restored and I really hate it when they tear them down.
    Thank you for all the wonderful posts that you gave us about Cottage, tell him good wishes for 2016.
    Looking forward to 2016 posts.

    Happy New Year.

    Mary

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  12. merci pour la sympathique balade sous le soleil d'hiver !
    belle année à vous - Pace è Salute ! monique59 (née 2B...)

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  13. love this! brought back memories. Happy New Year, my friend. Caroline

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  14. Rich in history, always enjoy your posts about your country, France. Have a Happy New Year Magali with your family, kitties and I'm sure Mr. Cottage is happy looking more dapper! Looking forward to your blog in 2016!
    Kathleen in Az

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    1. Mr Cottage is especially happy as we're experiencing on these first days of the year our first wind storm of winter!
      Happy new year, Katheleen!

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  15. Thanks for the tour, it's always fun to see other places! So glad that train depot wasn't raised, it's a very charming structure. Wishing you all the best in the New Year ~ Mickie

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  16. Thank you for the beautiful pictures and arm-chair travel. I enjoyed it very much! Your local government should be congratulated for saving so many of the historical buildings. Happy New Year!

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    1. I don't really know if I'm going to congratulate the mayor... So many things changed that I barely feel at home anymore in this town. The pictures I took are of things that were preserved, but my old junior high school was destroyed... Well, I guess thigns have to change sometimes... Happy New Year, Vikki!

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  17. Happy New Year, Magali! All the best in 2016!

    I always love following you around when you guide us through France's beautiful and historic towns and villages, and this excursion to the village of your birth was no exception. Lovely photos!!

    Poppy

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  18. Love you guided tours....wishing you a happy new year!

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  19. What a lovely village you grew up in! And that's you with that beautiful, long, blonde hair? You ought to show pictures of yourself more often! Happy 2016, Magali. xoxo

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  20. Best wishes for a happy and healthy 2016 !!! Marie from belgium

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  21. What a charming village. And to think that you really looked at a "painting" from your bedroom as a child. It is such a charming church. I've been to Versaille a couple of times, but I much prefer to be away from crowds. After we managed to make it through the palace to show my daughter, we must of walked five miles through woods and to Marie Antoinette's chateau and pretend "village". I'm not sure about allowing pictures; I think it makes it very congested, and I am positive that Americans are not the worst tourists anymore :) xoxo Su

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  22. Bonne Année Magali, tous mes voeux pour cette nouvelle année! Emmanuelle

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  23. Good morning dearest Magali! We are here, on the threshold of a new year. Your photos take me to an enchanted land of history, not just of kings and mistresses and land, but YOUR history, real people who like me, just want to live and love. May this new year bring you happiness as you continue to build your house into a homestead for many more years to come. Anita

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  24. Happy New Year Magali, and thank you for this lovely tour of your childhood home. It's an enchanting place, which seems to produce enchanting people ;)

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  25. Wishing you health and happiness and all things wonderful in 2016 Magali!

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  26. Que puis-je te souhaiter d'autres que la réussite dans tous les pans de ta vie, le bonheur et la joie à chaque instant passé, des sourires et des monceaux d'articles pour ton blog que je me délecterais de lire à nouveau
    Merveilleuse année 2016

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  27. What a great tour to take us on. Thank you. Happy New Year. Wishing you many fun moments and blessings in the new year.
    Kris

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  28. Magali, What an interesting post of your home town, I really enjoyed it, such a lovely town in France. We were in Versailles so maybe we went through your little town. You look so adorable with that gorgeous hair and your boots, LOL no I didn't think anything about where you inserted your pic in the post! Look forward to seeing more of cottage and you in 2016. Wishing you a blessed and Happy New Year!



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  29. I love all the lovely pictures you posted and the information. You have beautiful hair and I look forward to following you next year on new adventures. Happy New Year!

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    1. Thanks for following Cottage's adventures! Have a great year, Sandi!

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  30. Happy New Year.!! what a great childhood you had..your walk through the village was Wonderful..and that painting is just Beautiful.!! i often think it must be extraordinary to have such a history as you have in France..i love watching an HGTV show called house hunters international..they were in paris once an commented that a bakery had been open longer then the USA had been..the USA..puts real prospective on how long some countries have been in this world..i look forward to what the future holds for you an cottage..and of course..the cats..enjoy the rest of your winter break.!

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  31. Such a beautiful post dear Magali. May 2016 make all your wishes come true. Love and hugs, Izabella.

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  32. Ça aura été un bel endroit pour grandir.
    Mille Vœux de Bonheur pour cette Nouvelle Année 2016 et surtout la Santé pour mener à bien tous les projets.
    Bises. Babette

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  33. Magali que interesante y hermoso saber de donde creciste realmente me gusta mucho saber de ti y de tu ciudad. Deseo todo lo mejor para ti en este Nuevo 2016 gracias por tu Blog. nelly

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    1. Feliz Año Nuevo, Nelly ! Gracias por ser como un buen lector.

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  34. Dear Magali, all the best in New 2016 Year!

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  35. I always enjoy your posts sharing the beautiful old buildings and picturesque settings, Magali. Thank you for sharing and Happy New Year to you!

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  36. Merci pour tes voeux et cette leçon d'histoire!

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  37. I always enjoy when you take us on a tour, but seeing where you grew up was really special. I'm trying what to imagine what it must have been like to see that church from your bedroom window as a child! Happy New Year, Magali!

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  38. On our last night in Kauai, the family talked about our next vacation. I threw out the idea of renting a villa in Tuscany. From there, we could branch out to other spots. High on my list is showing Steve France.

    It's a nice dream that I might one day see your beautiful area.

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  39. A very Happy New Year to you too. What a wonderful place to grow up in. I'm afraid if I go back to the streets where I used to live I would be in for a shock! (I've seen pictures!). Take care xx

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  40. Hallo I have just discovered your blog and I am happy to read and see the translations, which should help me with French language which I am ashamed to say is very rusty..despite my ancesters connection to france... Before the revolution they were in Auxerre outside Paris.. so thank you for putting both languages there and I shall so enjoy reading in the future... meanwhile a Haapy New Year to you and your family from over the Channel..

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    1. I'm glad you found your way to my little French cottage. Have a great new year!

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  41. Noisy le Roi : je travaillais à Saint Nom la Bretèche (tout près du golf) et régulièrement y faisait mes courses ou y passais mes pauses au p'tit traiteur du centre commercial. C'est vrai le petit village est devenu plus grand, mais il est toujours aussi agréable. Je vous souhaite une bonne année 2016, avec à la clef encore quelques "aventures" ou questionnements cocasses à raconter, car c'est vraiment plaisant de vous lire. Merci

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    1. Le monde est parfois petit! Pour le moment, je retourne encore à Noisy chaque hiver, mais il est difficile d'y retrouver mes marques depuis que le collège a été détruit, le "centre ville" a moins changé. Bonne année 2016 et à bientôt pour de nouvelles aventures!

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  42. Happy new year to you in 2016! I enjoy your posts very much and look forward for more in 2016!Wishing good health, happiness and lots of good things!

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  43. Merci Magali pour cette belle promenade ! La porte de l'ancien château est magnifique.
    Tous mes vœux également pour cette année 2016, joyeuse et pleine de rires, voilà un joli programme !
    Nathalie

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  44. Hi Magali, your post was very interesting today. I just love history, I guess that is why I like vintage items. The best part is the stories behind them. It is so wonderful that you grew up around all of the past. I to live in an area full of history but not near as ancient as yours. Some day I will visit Europe and see the places that my ancestors lived. Then I can try and put together their lives a little more. My ancestors are from the Nordic countries and French German. Hence Boulter, (Boultier). I am reading a book about Brittany or little Britain as it use to be called. As I was reading along I thought I have a friend who lives there! Any way I thought it was pretty cool. lol Guess you have to have been there. lol Thank you for friendship I treasure it. Have a wonderful 2016!
    xxJo

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  45. Although I grew up in a quaint small town that I loved; growing up in a village like this is what dreams are made of! Enjoyed seeing your hometown village and always looking forward to what you have to share in the New Year!!
    hugs,
    Jann

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    1. Growing up there wasn't always a dream in reality, but I really enjoyed going back and taking the pictures. Happy New Year, Jann!

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  46. Magali! I love your strolls through the local scenery! You truly live in a magnificent spot! I love your hair! It is long and curly like mine, but I'm brunette. Such a fabulous post as always. I so enjoy visiting you. Have a wonderful 2016 and many blessings and peace to you dear French sister. Thanks for sharing at Home Sweet Home! Happy New Year!

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  47. What a lovely, quaint town to grow up in. To be able to see the tower from your bedroom window must have been magical. (I'm catching up on all the posts I haven't seen. You've been prolific in your writing.) xo

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