Vaux le Vicomte – Guillaume Crochez
It’s just six weeks until Easter comes round and where better to spend it than France, home to chocolate shops galore!
Easter falls in the middle of April this year and that’s good news because generally by April the weather in France is pretty good, the sun shines, the air warms up and the feel good factor is strong!
Traditions of Easter in France
Tradition in France has it that on the Thursday before Easter, all the church bells go silent, sprout wings and fly off to Rome to visit the Pope. After this they load up with chocolate and fly back to France dropping their sweet load off for children all over the country in time to be back in Church to ring the bells on Easter Sunday!
There are no Easter bunnies in France – instead there are Easter bells, called Cloches de Pâques.
The French are a nation of chocolate lovers and have been ever since it was introduced to the 13 year old King Louis XIII by his bride to be, Anne of Austria. Where ever you are in France, the chances are, you’ll not be far from a chocolate shop and at this time of the year you’re guaranteed to see a chocolate bell! The French eat around 13,000 tonnes of Chocolate at Easter and consider it to be “the food of happiness”.
Join an Easter Egg hunt in France
Easter egg hunts are popular in France, check at the local tourist office where you’re staying to find out what’s on nearby. Some of the best are organised by the Monuments National, (like The National Trust) at more than 50 national treasures. One of the most fun is at the Chateau Vaux-le-Vicomte in Maigne, Ile de France, about an hour from the centre of Paris. Children of all ages will love hunting for the many thousands of Easter eggs hidden in the beautiful gardens created by André Le Nôtre, the famed garden designer of the 17th Century whose other notable gardens include Versailles. Check the website for details of the Easter egg hunt 15, 16 and 17 April 2017: www.vaux-le-vicomte.com. Close by is the lovely La tour Prends Garde in pretty Les Rochers. It’s the ideal place for a family and friend get together sleeping 14 in the main house and 7 in the guest house. At just 15 miles from Paris – it makes for a luxury break close to the city and the fabulous Chateau de Vaux-le-Vicomte and the stunningly beautiful area around.
Book a break in France at Easter and enjoy this sweet time of the year!