~Fontainebleau Day Trip~

There are so many beautiful chateaux in France.  I had read many positive comments on Trip Advisor about Fontainebleau.  I thought we would take the train from Gare de Lyon since it seems an easy connection; but decided to do the tour~to save my feet.

Chateau de Fontainebleau  is located 35 miles southeast of Paris in the small community of Fontainebleau.  It began as a royal hunting lodge in the 12th century. Then in the 13th century a country house and hospital were added.  Francois I transformed the country house into a royal palace.  In all, 34 sovereigns, over 7 centuries, spent time at Fontainebleau.  The palace is opulently decorated and the furnishings provide a glimpse into France's historical past and are superb.

This is the main entrance;a cobbled courtyard with a horseshoe-shaped staircase which dates from the reign of Louis XIII (17th century).

The first floor is a long string of connected rooms.  This elegant room with intricate wood moulding is the Hall of Plates.

 In the 19th cent. King Louis-Phillipe had 128 porcelain plates fitted into the woodwork. It depicts the history of the chateau, forest and other royal houses.

This is a reception room with beautiful Gobelin tapestry.  The Gobelins factory  which dates to the 17th century is located in Paris .

Another room connected to the royal appartments.  This is the Officer's Room.

The next room is the bedchamber of Ann, Duchess of Etampes (Francois' mistress). It is sumptuously decorated.  The ceiling really is spectacular.

Some elegant porcelain pieces.

Another incredible ceiling.

There are 3 chapels in the chateau; this is the original and oldest.  This is a double chapel built on  two levels.

The chapel ceiling.

When Francois I became king (1515) he extended the chateau; this next gallery, Francois I Gallery, connected the chapel and the king's chamber.

Francois I gallery is lavish and there are "F's" everywhere~you don't forget who built this extraordinary hall.

 The Guard's Room is connected to the King's  chamber. Another remarkable ceiling.

This is the Ballroom, one of 3 grand salles in the chateau.

Fireplace at one end...

incredible coffered ceiling..

The balcony, at the other end, where the musicians played.

The Louis XIII Salon~the room where the king was born in 1601

The Diana Gallery

This gallery is the longest room in the chateau and was originally decorated to recount the story of the goddess Diana.  Later, it was turned into a library. The globe was made for Napoleon I.

Marie Antoinette Bed Chamber

   Made for the queen in 1787 but she never had the chance to use it.

The Emperor's Chamber

This is one of my favorite rooms; the rich green velvet and gilded furnishings are stunning.

The Throne Room

 (The actual throne has been loaned to the Louvre and is displayed in the Napoleon Apartments~ refer to the posting for A Day at the Louvre.)

In all there would have been more than 100 apartments available for visitors to the chateau.
Most of been redecorated to the period of Napoleon III

The Gardens

The carp lake.

 The Grand Parterre...the largest formal garden in Europe built between 1660 and 1664.
We did not even attempt to venture out to the view this garden, we'll save it for the next visit.

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Pavillion de l'Etang, built in 1662, sits in the middle of the carp lake.

Fontainebleau would be a wonderful weekend escape.  The small town has many interesting buildings (you can download a walking tour from itunes).  Like the chateau, the grounds are expansive with lots of walking paths.
This was a wonderful self guided tour.  The audio guide gave all the pertinent information.  This is so much more to see, so I can put it back on my "to see" list.

~Pas de Mule, A Serendipitous Find~

The Cour du Commerce is in the 6th arr. in the St. Germaine district. This narrow, medieval passage has enormous and very uneven cobblestones. You must watch every step or stay on the very narrow walkway.

Halfway down the street, if you look closely, is the entrance to the Cour du Rohan.

The sign on the iron gate said it was a private passage; but the gate was unlocked and open so we decided  to explore.

The series of connected courtyards date to the 1300's when the Bishops of Rouen made this their private residence.  This small piece of ironwork is what I was hoping to find.  It is a pas de mule and is supposedly the only one left in Paris.  This little step was used for mounting horses or mules.

Also in this courtyard, at #9, is the residence where Dr. Guillotin experimented with his "humane instrument of decapitation" in the basement.  Dr. Guillotin was against capital punishment which at the time included hanging, burning or being "drawn and quartered".  He petitioned for a faster, less tortuous method of execution.  The guillotine became synonymous with the "reign of terror" during the French Revolution.

I love finding a "secret" place in Paris.  Searching for them is an adventure~sometimes a fruitless undertaking.  But when you are successful and find a place like this, it is so satisfying.
If I hadn't read about the courtyard and known where to look, we never would have found it.
On our second visit to Paris we stayed in an apt. very close by and walked the Cour du Commerce many times never taking notice of that iron gate.

These little hidden places aren't mentioned in the guide books but they are so special~ 

a piece of history you can experience firsthand.

~From Woody's Point of View~

Woody and I are perfect travel partners, I think. He sees things in a different way than I do...even when it is the same thing.  And he always sees the thing I never would have noticed in the first place.

When we visited the French sculpture garden at the Louvre, I noticed the wonderfully detailed woman.

Woody noticed that it was created by Pigalle.  (I totally missed the signature.)

When we are walking Woody is always looking up and down.  On this day we were noticing all the intricate ironwork balconies.  He pointed out the one where the apartment dweller obviously wanted a little "privacy". (eeeew, seems so un-Parisian to me)

These "deterrents" are all over Paris.  (see Architecture post)

I saw the sign that said "Ecole Polytechnique";  Woody saw this bas relief right next to it.

One day Woody posed the question "I wonder why don't we ever see any rusty ironwork?"
Here's the answer.

This one-stop BIKE SHOP includes on one side~bicycles; on the other~motorbikes.

The day we were walking along the Promenade Plantee, which is the walking path on the old raised railway bed; I was constantly looking down towards the street level and Woody was studying the number and variety of chimney stacks.

Complaining about my aching feet, which was constantly; Woody found the 'solution'.
How I would have loved a massage des pieds!!!

I would have missed this.  
Woody said, "Look at the bats and spiders!"
"Yikes! Where??"

This next scene is a little difficult to decipher.  The yellow truck is lifting a large container of building material (concrete etc)from the Chanel renovation site, onto it's bed....it was an interesting 'balancing act'. Nothing like we have ever seen stateside.  We stood and watched this for quite awhile.  I should have taken a video.

He pointed this out...I took the photo....I don't know why.

Again, "Look at the snake!"     "Where!!"

One of my favorite photos....a little lone dandelion in a corner on the large ornate

 Pont Alexander III bridge.