Fontainebleau

 If you ever need to pick between Versailles and Fontainebleau, go to Fontainebleau. We took the train there today and had a wonderful time. There were no crowds. There were a couple of class trips, but they were not large groups and easy to work around. We have been surprised with the number of class trips we have encountered on all our different visits. The French are serious about educating their kids about history and art. It is impressive.

The Fontainebleau was a 45-minute train ride, followed by a short bus ride. There was no line to enter and there weren't many people in the mansion as we went through. It is smaller than Versailles but definitely big enough. This was home to assorted kings, Marie Antoniette and Napoleon, along with and a Pope or two. The rooms are magnificent, as are the Chapel, and grounds. We rented a rowboat and Jack was able to row us around one of the ponds on the property.  I will let you see for yourself how lovely it is here, and I apologize for the large number of pictures today. Believe me, we did edit out a lot. 

We stopped on our way home for a late lunch. We were able to sit outside and watch Paris pass by. It has been a lovely day with temperatures in the 70s. I thought we could walk up by the Seine and have dinner. Apparently, a lot of other people had the same idea. We went to the other side of the Seine and found a quiet restaurant and had a lovely dinner. 









































field trip





                                                            random ceiling




library














                                                            chapel













                                                                

                                                          

                                                             Lunch spot
                                                            
                                            crowd on the Seine
                                                
                                                        other side of the Seine


                                            restaurant and restaurant cat
                                            
                                            walk home from dinner

Comments

  1. Mary DegelmanApril 9, 2026 at 10:16 AM

    It seems like every square inch of space has something in it, painted on it, or molded into. The ceilings are so impressive. Do you know if all the ceilings were handcrafted by the same individuals or groups? You have shown pictures of other places and their ceilings. Do you know if the artists are the same for all the ceilings or are there just many, many talented people?

    ReplyDelete

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