A warm welcome - and a wolf - in the Ardennes
From castles and wolves, to poets and surprising museums: explore the rich history and beautiful countryside of one of France's less touristy areas.
By Kate Whiting
If you ever find yourself in need of radiator coolant for your hire car in the French Ardennes, ask for the chef at Hotel Le Chateau Fort in the town of Sedan.
Not only can he prepare an incredible salmon fillet and creme brulee, he also has time to help hapless tourists on their way.
Ironically, in this less 'touristy' part of France, locals give visitors a warm welcome.
In our four-day tour of the 'departement', my partner and I enjoyed the attentions of chefs moonlighting as mechanics, museum curators keen to endear the region to our hearts, and B&B owners with a delightful sense of hospitality.
The Ardennes, an area spanning the border between Brussels and France, has all the joys of the Gallic country's most popular attributes - quaint villages, stunning architecture, a rich history - without the crowds, and sadly also without its own wine.
In times of unreliable air travel, another big attraction is that the area is well served by the high speed TGV train, and can be reached within a couple of hours from Paris.
It took us a morning to get from London to Charleville-Mezieres - the twinned cities which serve as the Ardennes' central hub - by Eurostar and TGV.
Best known as the birthplace of the poet Arthur Rimbaud, the city is incredibly proud of its heritage.
Rimbaud, sadly, was less proud of his birthplace and spent most of his youth trying to escape, eventually living in places as far flung as Ethiopia.
Situated just metres from the Rimbaud Museum is his childhood home.
The poet, who died in 1891, aged 37, had given up poetry by the time he was 21, yet his body of work is still revered today, and the town has naturally turned his home into a shrine.
All credit to the city for solving the problem of having none of the poet's belongings to exhibit (the adventurer left only a suitcase and some cutlery) by using that most French of displays: Son et Lumiere.
Each sparse room has a map printed on the floor to show a different period in his life, including his stay with lover and poet Verlaine in London where he wrote the majority of his famed collection of prose poetry, Illuminations.
The rooms are bathed in different lights, while sounds and music are piped out. It certainly makes you contemplate Rimbaud's restless soul.
Among Charleville's other attractions is the Place Ducale, a Louis XIII square, built, like the city itself, by the young Italian prince Charles de Gonzague to rival Paris's Place des Vosges.
Made up of glorious golden stone houses and a stately covered walkway filled with cafes and shops, this is the perfect place to indulge in some serious espresso-fuelled people-watching.
The Great Puppeteer's Clock on the facade of the Puppetry Institute is also worth a visit. Every hour the mechanical Great Puppeteer treats his spectators to a show, and every couple of years the city hosts the world's biggest and most colourful puppetry festival.
After a day's sightseeing I was looking forward to the highlight of the trip: two nights staying in a castle.
Just half an hour from Charleville is the town of Sedan, which is overlooked by the largest fortified castle in Europe, Chateau de Sedan.
Housing a museum, and ruins, both open to the public, this imposing chateau also offers visitors the chances to stay the night.
You drive through an old arched entrance to the fort and into its huge courtyard to reach the hotel. The only small disappointment is that the owners haven't capitalised on its history. Rooms are done up simply, without four-poster beds or period furniture.
Fortunately the restaurant makes up for this oversight. With views over the courtyard and the fort's many turrets, a roaring log fire, and sumptuous paintings and red curtains. And the food is exquisite.
The next morning we spent time exploring antiquities in the castle's museum, the Historium - which was a little confusing because the fort has been extended so many times since 1424.
For lunch, we ventured outside of the hotel and tried the effortlessly rustic Brasserie Artisanale du Chateau Fort, just opposite the entrance to the Historium. And I felt it necessary, for research purposes, to sample the exquisite local Ardennes speciality, Boudin Blanc (white sausage) with French fries, followed by a classic chocolate fondant.
Next stop was the peaceful Abbey Church and the Musee du Feutre (felt museum) in the town of Mouzon.
Despite its unlikely sounding appeal, we discovered a museum filled with art students and a proprietress who graciously showed us a fascinating collection.
Used today in everything from pens to pianos, felt has been made for more than 6,000 years from a combination of any animal fur, hot water and movement - and we were treated to a collection of Turkish Yurts made entirely of handmade felt, as well as felt clothes and sculptures.
The curators have done a great job making this fabric genuinely interesting, and we left with a level of enthusiasm you can only achieve when you weren't expecting too much.
After another night at the Hotel Le Chateau, we headed for the hills, literally.
Near Olizy Primat, in the south of the Ardennes, is the Parc Argonne Decouverte, which allows visitors to see nocturnal animals by day.
Much to my surprise, in a fenced compound along a discovery trail in the woods, lay a wolf, while in the park's darkened indoor mini zoo, UV lights reveal the scurrying of teeny harvest mice. Not a trip for the faint-hearted!
A warm goat's cheese salad and a glass of red wine in the "tree tops restaurant" calmed my nerves before our next stop, a museum of the Ardennes' metal-working history at the Domaine de Vendresse.
Like the felt museum, and Rimbaud's house before that, the metallurgy museum made clever use of Son et Lumiere.
Inside a darkened barn is a preserved blast furnace, once used for smelting iron. As the lights come up, a booming voice tells the story of the furnace which you eventually walk through to see how the river of red-hot iron is produced. The French can even bring smelting to life.
Our bed for the night was in the sweet village of Jandun at Jocelyne Bournonville's Chambre d'Hotes (www.milaville.com) opposite the local church.
More than a B&B, these French institutions offer a home-cooked meal with fellow travellers, and a chance to practise your French.
Fans of hiking and mountain biking will love this part of the Ardennes, with its numerous walks and trails in the Signy forest.
A scenic drive along the Meuse valley back to Charleville, with stops at the star-shaped fortifications of Rocroi and the attractive river-bend town of Montherme, provided a beautiful way to end our trip.
Key facts
:: Best for: Hiking, history and peaceful countryside.
:: Time to go: May to October when the weather's fine.
:: Don't miss: The imposing castle fort of Sedan, Chateau de Sedan.
:: Need to know: Car hire is essential and best way to explore.
:: Don't forget: To sample local delicacies, including Boudin Blanc.
Travel facts
Kate Whiting was a guest of Ardennes Tourism, which lists short breaks on its website at www.ardennes.com/uk. Two-night hotel short breaks from around 130 euros per person include breakfasts, dinners and a welcome drink.
Double rooms at Hotel Le Chateau Fort (www.hotelfp-sedan.com) start around 130. Breakfast is extra.
For travel by Eurostar to Charleville-Mezieres, via Lille or Paris, Rail Europe standard class returns start at 92 per person.
Rail Europe reservations: 0844 848 4070 and www.raileurope.co.uk.
Car hire in Charleville-Mezieres costs from E291 for three days for a Renault Twingo, supplied by Hertz. Reservations: www.hertz.co.uk.
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Thursday 17 May 2012
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