Espalier!

One of the bits of horticultural knowledge that I always wanted to acquire was how to do espalier in the traditional manner. I’ve had a bit of a hard time in the states finding good resources, though I admit I could have been looking harder. Happily, not only am I in a place right now that has what has been said to be the largest and oldest espaliered pear in the world and numerous other specimens at various stages of development to inspect. Having so many to care for, Adrien is rather well informed on the topic, and when I expressed the desire to learn more about it, I got an afternoon free of the standard weeding work to get an extended lesson in the art!

Bastille Day

The d’Esneval’s daughter Helene visited the chateau with 20 of her friends this weekend to celebrate Bastille Day! The whole event was a bit overwhelming for me, mostly because of the language barrier. I do pretty okay with most things one-on-one or in small groups, but when multiple people are talking at the same time, I can’t understand anyone. They were all rather nice, and one of them who had gone to law school in New York appointed himself our guide on Saturday evening.

We had burgers on the grill, and it was a nice taste of home. The fireworks started just after 11pm just after we finished dinner, and we tried to see them from the lawn on the Chateau. Unfortunately, we could only see the colorful glow around the trees that were blocking the view! I was rather disappointed in myself for not wearing my French flag scarf for the festivities.

Ninja Training

At Acquigny, there are a number of potted plants around the chateau and at the orangerie. Most places, there is a hose that reaches them, and watering them a few times a week isn’t problematic. In front of the orangerie, though, there is no such hookup. Instead, there is a hidden alley that gives access to the river and two watering cans. This doesn’t seem like a big deal until you think about how long is the pathway with potted plants. My puny little arms haven’t been used to carrying large, full watering cans 50 yards repeatedly, three days a week.  But it’s a task that needs to be done, and though I’m probably slower than a stronger person (for now), I’ll do the task. But to make it more fun, I think of it as ninja training! Kind of like the seemingly unrelated tasks that Mr. Miyagi gives Daniel in the Karate Kid, I’ll just have to wait til I’m wiser to fully comprehend the true purpose of the exercise. At least there are great views.

This looks more daunting when carrying heavy things.

At least the result is pretty.

These thankfully have a hose.

This week, Adrien had me apply some liquid fertilizer to the potted citrus at the orangerie. I didn’t fully understand all of his explanation, but it certainly smelled… ripe. There was something about it being made from a nettle tea that was fermented with something else. And then he got excited and spoke very quickly about how awesome nettles are, and how many uses they have. I’m still trying to get past being bitter about their sting. I’ll appreciate them more from a distance, I think.

It hasn’t rained at all since the beginning of the month, and some of the plant material around needed watering other than the pots. This was especially evident in a bed of Rhododenrons. Monsieur d’Esneval really loves them, so Adrien does his best to keep them alive. The native soil is too basic for the Rhodies to thrive, and it also has some nutrient deficiencies. Given the work load for the park as a whole for one man, and an extremely limited budget, the best management choice would be to let them go, but they’re limping along reasonably well for now.

Visiting Rouen

This weekend we got to have some adventures! The closest town is to the Chateau is Acquigny, but it’s really tiny. On the plus side, there is a boulangerie that has delicious pastries within walking distance. Now that is something that I’ll definitely miss back in the states.

Not far from Acquigny is Louviers, which has a bustling Saturday market! Of course, I bought another scarf. It’s an addiction. We even ran into a string of donkeys in town, though I really have no idea why they were there.

Donkeys. Who'd've thunk it?

Cute face, though.

On Sunday, Lisa and I travelled to Rouen. It seems like quite the tourist hot spot. We found the market in town and wandered around, then made our way over to the Old Market. It is right next to the church dedicated to Joan of Arc and the memorial to where she was burned at the stake.

We grabbed a sandwich at a bakery and ate lunch along the river. Afterwards, we went through the gorgeous cathedral. The real charm of Rouen is in the random medieval streets, so we spent a lot of time just wandering around town.

I find the name disproportionately amusing.

Market in Rouen.

I seriously want to own this house.

There were many more people playing
accordion in the streets here than in Paris.

Le Gros Horloge!

Church of Joan of Arc

Lunch view on the river.

Notre Dame de Rouen

One of the altar rails in Notre Dame de Rouen.

They moved the original exterior statues in to the church
for preservation purposes and replaced them with replicas.

Mini-model!

Random tower in Rouen.

Also in the Church of Joan of Arc.

Church of Joan of Arc has AMAZING stained glass.
Looks blah from the outside, but you really must go in.

Finally, we made our way to the Musee de Beaux Arts. Unintentionally, we ended up there on the first Sunday of the month, when all museums have free entry! It was a pleasant surprise. I love visiting museums, but I can only stand them in small doses. Lisa is better able to appreciate them than I, so I went and sat out in the park after I was finished so she could continue to enjoy it. If nothing else, I know now that I actually really like impressionist paintings.

The first week at Acquigny

The first week at Acquigny has been a whirlwind. Madame d'Esneval speaks extremely quickly and is very difficult to understand, and Monsieur switches back and forth between French and heavily accented English with us, so it's just as difficult to understand. Thankfully Adrien is easy to understand, so at least when I'm working I'm not too confused. The other intern here is working with the visitors, and she's already been a life-saver in helping me understand what's going on and by being a little piece of the states to help me feel less homesick.

The guardians have some English Bulldogs that they're breeding, and they have puppies that we get to play with! They're really adorable, and puppies always make you feel better when you're feeling a little lost and lonely.

Seriously, how could you NOT feel better after seeing this face?

There are 5 puppies. And they're all so FAT!

Lisa really wants to take this one home with her.

Work in the garden this week included weeding, maintaining edging, and collecting fruit. They have quite the collection out in the potager (kitchen garden) here! Wild strawberries seem to the family favorite, as well as raspberries and cherries. I finally learned what currant plants look like, but I only thought there were the two types – Black and Red. Of the standard ones, there’s also a Pink which is much sweeter, and then some crosses that look like big grapes. I have no translation for what they told me they’re called, but they’re definitely close relatives to the currants. Madame uses the fruits I collect to make preserves and jams that will last the family all year. I’ve never met anyone so determined to waste nothing, it’s pretty fantastic!

Coming to Acquigny

I hopped off the train yesterday in Gaillon-Aubevoye, once again looking for someone who seemed to be looking for someone. It’s just as confusing as it sounds. To my surprise, I met Madame d’Esneval herself at the station and another American intern from the French Heritage Society. Lisa is from the Chicago area and has been in France since January doing a semester abroad at the Sorbonne. I think her French is much better than mine, but my accent might be better. My French is okay, but because of the good accent people will ask me complicated questions where I have no idea, and then Lisa will answer.

Chateau d’Acquigny is beautiful! It’s been in the d’Esneval family for something like 400 years, and the park and gardens are in a romantic style. They have 1 gardener for 15 hectares of property, and I have no idea how he manages it. Adrian is a great plantsman and is doing a specialty in gardening and botany. From what I understand, it’s more like having the more scientific horticulture degrees in the states, while just a gardening job in France has less specific training. 

Voila! Chateau d'Acquigny.

The town bridge as seen from the estate.

La cascade.

Super cool oriental plane tree!

Le potager (kitchen garden)

I don't think I've ever seen so much espalier in one place in my life.

The hay from the overgrown lawn goes to feed their cows!
But the cows are somewhere else...

I was super excited about the orangerie...
until I found out what I would have to do here.

The magic-maker himself! Adrien.

Last week at Brecy

During my last week at Brecy, garden work has included - edging, pulling weeds, and hedge trimming. Also, watching the adorable kitten chase butterflies. Trust me, it's hard work. Katie and Michel left on Friday night to go on vacation for two weeks, and a new temporary guardian arrived for the chateau. Georges really likes mayonnaise. I didn't get to spend too much time with him, though, because I was kidnapped by a lady from Tarboro, NC!

This lady has an awesome life story. I've missed the south!

The first day we went to the market and (finally!) the interior of the cathedral in Bayeux, and also to the Gardens of Castillon. There's no way to get there without a car, so I was thrilled! Not only was the garden amazing, but it was definitely a breath of fresh air to get to talk with someone in English for a little while.

I found this amusing, because it's a
Persian Ironwood (Parrotia persica) trimmed into cloud form!

Castillon was a real treat to get to visit. Sallie brought me back to Brecy for the evening, and then came back for more the next day! We went to Caen to see the Jardin des Oiseaux, which has a MASSIVE rose garden.

The rose garden was a little overwhelmingly large.

Some of these suckers were HUGE!

Somehow French roses seem prettier to me.

In addition to the roses, there were a number of other small displays and a hedge maze, and just before leaving, we found a pleasant surprise.

This one represented friendship with Ireland.

This one was just nifty.

We didn't have enough time to find our way through.

Holy cow lace making party!

We came across a group of women ranging from age 13 to 93 making lace in the park! I was rather impressed, but I'm going to call that one too much fine work for me to handle. One lady was making a lace parasol, but it was going to take her almost a year to finish everything she needed for it.

Afterwards, we headed back to Bayeux again, because we wanted to hear the organ in the cathedral there, and we had found out about the ordination of a priest! The service was open for anyone who wanted to come, so we did. The organ was worth it, though it was an interesting service full of pomp and tradition. Tomorrow I head to the train station to head to my second placement at Chateau d'Acquigny!