Au revoir

This was my last shot of France. As some of you may have guessed, my brother's place in the country, blipped yesterday, is not the chateau. This is actually a few miles down the road in Vaux le Vicomte and was owned by Nicolas Fouquet, Louis 14th's Superintendent of Finances. The king was so annoyed at being outshone by the opulence of Fouquet's chateau that he imprisoned Fouquet for the rest of his days. My brother's place is more akin to the houses in the photo. He describes the town as being in 'la région Parisienne.' It is not as sinister as some areas of the banlieu but the graffiti is in evidence and the pharmacie has an entrance bell on the door. The attempts at urban sculpture on the many small squares are largely unsuccessful Around these are a rabbit warren of alleys with identical housing. It is easy to get lost. Still the square is a good place to kick a football around.