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Solitude, quietness, peace, a few meters from the RER exit! An illusion, a dream? No! The real truth!
Despite it has three RER exits, surrounded by agglomerations totalizing 200,000 inhabitants, the SAINT-GERMAIN FOREST offers underwood where rare tree essences, animals and wild fruit is present everywhere.
Nestled in the Seine buckle, this domain of 3,500 hectares is surrounded by a belt of cities. That's why it has over 5 million visitors a year. But when you enter its paths, you discover an almost natural forest: majestic full-grown trees, thick brushwood, undergrowth packed with mulberries, strawberries and mushrooms.
A "wild" forest at the door or even the heart of the city? It's not it's the only paradox. It is described as flat, without view points, a bit boring with its rectilinear roads and 90 % leaved trees. But it's to hide its immense variety of tree species: oaks, beech trees, maple trees, ash trees, chestnut trees, wild cherry trees, etc.. Concerning animals, only a few species are protected like the great Capricorn, a beetle living on old oaks, and the "pie grieche ecorcheur", living in pinewoods, north of the forest.
It starts at the foot of chateau, described in the Saint-Germain section (daytrips from Paris), A trail leads you for 18 km along oaks bearing saint statues in niches, moss grown crosses eroded by rain. The oldest, la Croix Pucelle, dates from 1456. While walking, you will have seen the "mare aux canes" (duck pond), set with reed, the "Chateau des Loges", an education center for daughters of beneficiaries of the "Legion d'Honneur", and the Chateau du Val, a "seniors retirement house". for the same "medal holders". Elms and ash trees overwhelm the ancient Faisanderie under their foliage, when the chestnut trees surround the Pavillon de la Muette.
More to the north, the branches grow lower, the underwood thickens, the oak gives away to the pine and hornbeam. At the end, fishers and canoe kayak amateurs invade the Cora pond. But this water surface is also the home of numerous wild birds, coots, grebes, ducks and water chickens. Another paradox......
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