I visited Provins on an early Saturday morning in December. I left my car at the large parking lot just outside the gates of the Upper Town. They can handle a lot of visitors here, but all was quiet now and the parking fee was not collected. I had read on the town's website that there would be a Christmas market today (a 21st century fair?). But when I crossed the main square in the Upper Town around 9.30 a.m., people were only just starting to build up their merchandise. As far as I could see, it would become a medieval-themed Christmas market.

I walked on, to the Caesar Tower and the Church of Saint Quiriace. They are the landmarks of Provins, situated on top of a hill and visible from afar. Unfortunately, the Tower was still closed too. It is a magnificent sight because of its uncommon shape: an octagonal donjon on top of a square base.

Approaching the nearby Church of St. Quiriace, I was met by 3 camels. They were led into the church to become part of an elaborate Christmas stall (or at least that was my guess).

From behind the church, the road winds down to the Lower Town. This feels like a common French town, but it is quite nice. It has 12,000 inhabitants, so it does not take long to explore. The storage areas that are named in the AB evaluation can be visited - however not on a Saturday morning in December.

I took the "long way" back to my car via the town walls. They have been reconstructed so you can walk on them for a full circuit. It was too slippery to do that now, so I just used the road. My visit was a short one: there's not a whole lot to see here, it is in essence a town with medieval origins and a lot of timber-framed housing. This is not uncommon in Europe, it reminded me of Quedlinburg.