> JUST THE FACTS
The Seine-et-Marne region is an hour east of Paris. Trains serve Coulommiers and other major towns in the region from the Gare de l’Est, but travel by car is recommended. Staying: The Auberge de la Source (8 place St. Barthélémy, St.-Ouensur-Morin; 33-1-60-24-80-61; aubergedelasource.fr) has five rooms (from 99 or $141 Canadian) and three suites (from 130), and a swimming pool in a walled garden. For dinner, the restaurant offers two reasonable prix fixe menus. In Provins, the stylish, recently renovated 27-room César Hotel (13 rue Sainte-Croix; 33-1-60-52-05-20; lecesarhotel.com/en; from 115) is located in the lively basse ville quarter. Seeing: The Fromagerie Ganot (4 rue Cécile Dumez; 33-1-60-22-06-09; fermes-brie.fr/visites_degustations.html) runs a good cheese shop and offers guided tours of its small museum and aging cellars, and a cheese tasting on Saturdays at 4:30 p.m., in French only. The Musée Départemental de la Seine-et-Marne (17 avenue de la Ferté-sous-Jouarre, St.-Cyr-sur-Morin; 33-1-60-24-46-00, musee-seine-etmarne.fr) is open on Sunday, Monday, Thursday and Friday, and Wednesday mornings. Eating: The menu at Au Bec Fin (1 place de l’Église, Choisy-en-Brie; 33-1-64-03-19-97) changes often; an average lunch for two runs about
50. Les Bistrophiles (44 rue du Val, Provins; 33-1-64-01-46-94) serves good locavore bistro cooking; average dinner for two, 70. Shopping: La Ferme Jehan de Brie (15, place du Marché, Coulommiers; 33-1-64-03-06-49) is an excellent cheese shop with a large selection of Seine-et-Marne cheeses, including rarer ones such as Fougerus, GrattePaille and Pierre Robert. Phone orders are taken at La Ferme des Trente Arpents (Le Domaine des Trente Arpents, Favières; 33-1-64-0702-12) from Monday to Thursday for pickup on Friday mornings.