Visit to Bougival
Today I had lunch with my old friend Christophe in Bougival. It is a suburb of Paris, located 15.3 km to the west of the city, on the left bank of the River Seine.
It was along the Seine in Bougival that many of the Impressionists (including Claude Monet, Alfred Sisley, Berthe Morisot and Auguste Renoir) painted country scenes. At his home in Bougival, Georges Bizet composed the opera Carmen, while noted Russian novelist and playwright Ivan Turgenev built a dacha in Bougival. Today, Bougival is an upmarket Parisian suburb.
Christophe chose a lovely Breton restaurant where we had delicious galettes and crepes, and then he took me on a tour of Bougival and the neighbouring area. Happily we stumbled across a small vineyard.
Vineyards covered much of the agricultural land of Bougival, until phylloxera decimated the vineyards during the second half of the 19th century. Indeed, the coat of arms of Bougival is supported by vine branches reminiscent of once flourishing vineyards and the stylised plum tree represents the region’s main crop.
Thankfully, enthusiasts of the association Les Vignes de Bougival have brought the wine of Bougival back to life.