Travels with Forty Roses: Compiègne

In school, we all learned that Joan of Arc, a peasant girl living in medieval France, believed that God had chosen her to lead France to victory in its long-running war with England. With no military training, Joan convinced the embattled crown prince Charles of Valois to allow her to lead a French army to the besieged city of Orléans, where it achieved a momentous victory over the English and their French allies, the Burgundians. She was present when prince Charles was crowned in Reims as King Charles VII in 1429. The Siege of Compiègne (1430) was Joan of Arc's final military action. Her career as a leader ended with her capture by the Burgundians during a skirmish outside the town on 23 May 1430. The Anglo-Burgundian forces, tried her for witchcraft and heresy and burned her at the stake in 1431, at the age of 19.

We have been staying in Compiègne for the last couple of days. What a historic town it is. From Joan of Arc being captured here in the 1400’s to earlier history of Saint Wilfred of York in 655 being consecrated as a Bishop in Compiègne as he did not want to be anointed by the Anglo-Saxon bishops. In 888 Odo, count of Paris and king of the Franks was crowned here. Intervening years brought the 100 Year’s War with Joan of Arc being captured by the Burgundians and sold to the British; Marie de’ Medici’s attempts to displace Richelieu led her to escape to Compiègne; on November 11, 1918, the Armistice with Germany was signed at Le Francport just outside Compiègne, in a railway car in the Compiègne Forest which ended the fighting in World War I. In June 1940, when Germany began the French Occupation, Hitler chose this same location to have the French sign their defeat as a retaliation for the Armistice of 1918. Additionally, during the second World War and the German Occupation an internment camp was established and a memorial of the camp along the railway tracks commemorates the tragedy. Our Dutch lawyer, on finding we were heading to Compiègne, told us it was a location every European school child knew of, as it is a most significant site. The surrounding National Forest of Compiègne has been a royal hunting ground since the 7^th century. Today it covers 14, 400 hectares and is beloved as a nature reserve, with walking trails and bicycle paths. Some of these trails still have beautiful vintage signposts that include a small red mark showing the direction of the resplendent Chateau de Compiègne, relics of an imperial order given during the Second French Empire after Empress Eugénie lost her way in the thick woods.

The following are some pictures from our escapades this week. We should note that we now plan to take photos of boulangeries that create amazing loaves. We failed to take pictures of the Olivier Vandromme in Wambrechies, and one that John cycled to in San Quentin that produced the best croissants we have had since our return, but we fail to recall the name. Compiègne had Mèline…such a good little bakery. So, after this we shall simply take a picture so if any of you decide to visit some of these wonderful French towns you will have a bakery starting point.

Oh yes, we have included pictures from the Souterrain de Riqueval Tunnel an experience of a lifetime and an amazing little museum just full of handmade figurines