I’ve taken a lot of pictures of churches but this might be my favorite. I had arrived in Senlis not long before, just off a plane, actually. I took a bus directly from the airport in Paris and in under a half hour I was standing in front of the church trying to figure out what the hell was going on. Churchwreck is what my friend called it when I texted him this photo.

So what was going on was a film shoot. Had I known anything about Senlis prior to arriving, I would have known that—with its well-preserved historic center—Senlis is a frequent location for films set in medieval villages.

Sure, I would normally know something about a place I was visiting but, due to strike in France intended to shut down the airport and most public transportation, I made a last minute change to my schedule and departed two days earlier than planned. I was looking to someplace nearby Chantilly, where I was going to see the Les Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, that would be close enough to take a taxi during the transit strike. Anyway, towns like these in France always have solid tourist offices so I thought I’d stop in right away for some flyers and information. But for some reason, I couldn’t find the tourist office, even after double checking the location on my phone.

With filming going on around the church plaza, the church was also inaccessible, so my priority switched to cheese. I found some Tomme au foin cheese at a nearby fromagerie and went about the delicate work of separating the cheese from the hay where it had recently ripened to funky perfection.

With no information about the town, I walked around playing a game called “Senlis town or Senlis film set?”.

Artfully leaning wagon wheels? Film set.

Scattered wine crates? Film set.

Half timbers, cobblestones and Roman fountain? Town.

Wagon filled with skulls? Hmmmmmmm.

I eventually discovered a library where they had a book in English with some history and pictures about the town sights so I learned a bit about Senlis after all.

Shortly before leaving Senlis, I saw a faux Ye Olde Sign sitting on the ground and above it—viola!—the tourist office. The Ye Olde Sign was part of the film set and had been carefully covering up the tourist office sign.

How I got to Senlis: flight from Chicago to Paris – Roissy – Charles de Gaulle Airport, bus from the airport to Senlis.

Where I slept: Le Gîte Senlisien.  Price: €88 for a studio.  Recommended: yes.