Grez-sur-Loing

Thursday
This morning I drove over to the delightful village of Grez-sur-Loing. I don't think we have ever been there before - not even during our previous residence over here - even though we have been very close to it on several occasions. In the picture, you can see the old bridge, which was originally built sometime in the 12th-14th c., but has had to be rebuilt a couple of times since, but always to the exact same design. In the background you have the ruins of the Tour de Ganne, which was built in 1127 by Louis VI le Gros. The village's picturesque location has made it a popular place with artists and musicians over the years, notably the English composer Frederick Delius, who lived here from his marriage in 1903, with the German artist Jelka Rosen, to his death in 1934. He had wished to be buried in his garden, but French authorities wouldn't allow it, so his secondary wish was to be buried "in some country churchyard in the south of England, where people could place wild flowers", so he was finally buried in St. Peter's church, Limpsfield Surrey. The house is now just a private house, but has a plaque on the wall. The bridge has been painted many times by numerous artists, Camille Corot, amongst others. I thought it was such an idyllic scene with the weeping willow, the swan and the bridge and tower in the background. I think I will be returning many times to capture it in different moods and seasons!
Worth seeing in large