Spring is finally here. Piper and I decided to
walk the Orchid Trail in the countryside
of Chatel St. Germain, a small village next
to Lessy. The wild orchids pop up in April
but I thought I would check out the trail
beforehand to see if there were any early birds.
Only the occasional chirping of birds broke the silence of vast
farm lands ready to be sowed.
After living with Jeff and Alec, my two history
buffs, I unfortunately no longer walk aimlessly
through the woods here. I now see that the
undulating forest floor is patterned with trenches
from WWII.
Emerging from the woods we entered
a pasture and were greeted by a
memorial to some who died
during Franco-Prussian war.
of 1870-1871.
Continuing along the country road we
entered another wooded area and
walked along Fort Jean d'Arc,
another military defense area.
Again, a seemingly
innocent area of young trees,
bushes and a leaf covered forest
floor; until I discovered this narrow,
stone stairway leading to the underground
fort.
The path wound its way around this
ancient beech tree, called Le Hêtre
des Batailles; Beech Battles, named
by Peter Kieffer, (1926-2006) botanist
and naturalist.
We finally emerged from the woods
to be greeted by these oh so peaceful donkeys.
Mutual admiration.
After 8 km, (5 miles) we finally made
our way back to the top of the ridge
and wound our way down into
Chatel St. Germain; at the bottom,
a picnic lunch for me and a cold,
clear brook for Piper.
What was I thinking when I thought I may find some early bird orchids?
walk the Orchid Trail in the countryside
of Chatel St. Germain, a small village next
to Lessy. The wild orchids pop up in April
but I thought I would check out the trail
beforehand to see if there were any early birds.
Only the occasional chirping of birds broke the silence of vast
farm lands ready to be sowed.
 |
| Les Coqs (roosters) atop the entry posts |
After living with Jeff and Alec, my two history
buffs, I unfortunately no longer walk aimlessly
through the woods here. I now see that the
undulating forest floor is patterned with trenches
from WWII.
 |
| Piper Exploring a Trench |
Emerging from the woods we entered
a pasture and were greeted by a
memorial to some who died
during Franco-Prussian war.
of 1870-1871.
Continuing along the country road we
entered another wooded area and
walked along Fort Jean d'Arc,
another military defense area.
Again, a seemingly
innocent area of young trees,
bushes and a leaf covered forest
floor; until I discovered this narrow,
stone stairway leading to the underground
fort.
The path wound its way around this
ancient beech tree, called Le Hêtre
des Batailles; Beech Battles, named
by Peter Kieffer, (1926-2006) botanist
and naturalist.
We finally emerged from the woods
to be greeted by these oh so peaceful donkeys.
Mutual admiration.After 8 km, (5 miles) we finally made
our way back to the top of the ridge
and wound our way down into
Chatel St. Germain; at the bottom,
a picnic lunch for me and a cold,
clear brook for Piper.
What was I thinking when I thought I may find some early bird orchids?
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