France - The Song Of The Seine, Part 1 (18/151)

France - The Song Of The Seine, Part 1 (18/151)

Unspectacular and rather sluggish, the Seine meanders through lush farmland, through villages which seem deserted. In the small town of Chatillon-sur-Seine it expands and is spanned by bridges. The special light in this riverscape has attracted painters up to the present day. Auguste Renoir lived in Essoyes for 20 years and painted some of his most famous pictures there. In Troyes the Seine now dominates the cityscape. The former capital of the Champagne is still a regional centre, towered over by the cathedral whose construction, started in the 13th century, lasted for 400 years. Troyes was already a wealthy city when Joan of Arc stopped over here on her way to Reims. The constant expansion of the textile industry and flourishing trade had produced a proud affluent bourgeoisie. In Nogent-sur-Seine is the first big harbour, which has been used for shipping for centuries. Ships still dock here for loading, nowadays mainly cereals and fertiliser. Paris and the Seine, one without the other is unthinkable. The bridges are famous, as is the life on and beneath them. The bouquinists with their collapsible wooden stalls along the banks are still an attraction.