Fontainebleau: the hipster chandelier-infested older brother of glitzy and popular Versailles.
To kick off the long weekend, the program took us on a day trip to Fontainebleau. Fontainebleau is the royal residence that came before Luis XIV decided to build Versailles. It is in a quiet town slightly further outside of Paris, southeast rather than southwest. And there are approximately 95% fewer visitors on any given day.
Granted, that may be because it is harder to get to, since you have to take a different train rather than just the RER C (which Navigo Passes work with) for Versailles. Of course, we were lucky enough to be bussed there with the program. I thought it was a good choice to take us on a visit there instead of Versailles, since I know I probably would not have gone to Fontainebleau by myself had it not been part of the program.
We were dropped off right outside the château and walked into the courtyard. For some reason, despite the fact that the château is still a monster of 1500 rooms on 130 acres, my first impression was that it was a humble countryside estate. I guess compared to the shining gold exterior of Versailles, or even the French Renaissance façade of the Louvre, it was less glamorous, but nonetheless a regal palace.
We stepped inside to a quiet hall. There were probably only a couple other families visiting at the time. We were given our headsets and then taken upstairs by our guide to begin the historical tour.
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Long before Louis XIV there was Francis I. Francis really liked this location called Fontainebleau and decided to expand on the castle that had been there since the 12th century. He is the one that built, in the early 1500s, most of what stands there today and has since evolved with later kings (and emperors…up to Napoleon III) making changes to it. He also invited Leonardo Da Vinci to France. Leo decided to bring one of his favorite paintings. That painting is now at the Louvre. Over the years the painting got a lot of attention. It’s the Mona Lisa.
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Château de Fontainebleau might as well be renamed as château de chandeliers since there are so many. The dim lights from the chandeliers added warmth to the rooms largely lit by the cool sunlight on the cloudy day. The faded frescoes were intricately decorated with matching faded sculptures and carvings and the ornate ceilings usually complemented the patterns on the floor.
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While Versailles captures one specific era of style and history very well, Fontainebleau was interesting in that it shows a progression of historical and artistic periods as each king added a different touch. Plus this is the site of some major historical events such as Napoleon I’s first abdication, where he bid adieu to his troops.
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The faded colors and slightly creaky wooden floors created a quiet…old…atmosphere enhanced by the musky smell of dust and old furniture. It’s hard to explain, but it really did add to the experience as a whole. After a while, the rooms started blending together as our tour guide explained historical events and daily uses for each room we visited.
This sculpture represented fertility of women at every age.
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Beaucoup de chandeliers…
Hall of books
Napoleon’s wanna-be throne.
My favorite room by far was the chapel. The beautiful ceilings and crazy embellishments were just so amazing. It is crazy thinking about the court gathering here for mass hundreds of years ago.
After the tour, we were let back out into the courtyard where we were free to explore the town for lunch and the land surrounding the château.
Walking out of the front gates, if you turn right, you will walk into the village area, full of small quaint shops, restaurants and cafés.
We ended up going to a small Italian shop before heading back towards the castle and gardens.
The gardens at Fontainebleau are a little less artificial but nonetheless very neat and organized. Standing by the several bodies of water, I could imagine kings of centuries past riding off into the forest for a day of hunting. The expansive “garden” went literally beyond the horizon. Besides walking around the gardens, there’s also a bunch of outdoor activities to enjoy, such as biking, rock climbing and even riding in horse-drawn carriages.
On a pretty day, it would be absolutely idyllic to buy some things from the café and enjoy it in the gardens. The nearby village is quiet and quaint, mostly filled with visitors. On a Saturday it was pretty quiet and many shops were closed but most likely on a weekday not in the summer, it would be a little more busy.
Later in the afternoon, we were loaded back onto the bus and taken back to Paris.
As soon as we got off the bus, we headed towards the nearest café that sold Berthillon to cool down before ending up once again at Montorgueil for some…pre-dinner dessert? Chocolate tarts at Paul are as good as everything else at Paul.
After finding out that Les Halles closes at the standard closing time of Paris, aka 8 pm, I wandered back onto Montorgueil and let my heart guide me to decide what’s for dinner.
I ended up wandering into Exki and got a packaged orzo salad…and then completed the wholesome meal with a package of spinach (which I would cook the ghetto way, pouring boiling water into a cup of raw spinach and then straining it, repeat 3 times) and an 8 pack of chocolate pudding topped with magical whipped cream that costed less than 2€. It was deliceux, #noregrets.
Sunday was dedicated to “studying” for our French 4 final which was on Tuesday. One of the most difficult things to do while studying abroad is the studying part. How can I get myself to sit down at a desk and focus when there is a world to explore outside?
Nevertheless with good planning, I was able to sneak in just the right amount of fun to a day of studying and leave myself plenty of time to enjoy Bastille Day, which was on Monday.
I met a friend at Place Monge (line 7) and we walked to a nearby café to eat breakfast and work on our study guide. It was sprinkling outside and since it was a Sunday morning, the café was quiet, we were the only ones sitting inside. Nevertheless we didn’t feel rushed at all and didn’t leave until we got a good amount of work done.
We tried (and failed) to go to Gibert Jeune, the bookstore at Saint Michel, as it is closed on Sundays (a common trend, along with the closing at 8 thing…Les Halles is closed on Sundays as well). So we decided to check out Petit Palais at Champs-Élysées Clemanceau (line 1). Petit Palais and Grand Palais face each other opposite the Seine to Invalides, connected by the most beautiful bridge (my favorite!) Pont Alexandre III. It is close to Concorde as well.
The two buildings are worth visiting just for the beautiful architecture. Grand Palais has the world’s largest iron and class structure in the roof and is where Chanel hosts fashion shows. Unfortunately, it is usually reserved for special events and exhibitions (which are “expositions” in French, by the way; confusing, but that’s just the translation!) and you have to buy separate tickets to go in. Petit Palais, however, opens its permanent collection to the public for free, for everyone, all the time!
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There was virtually no line and the lower level of the permanent collection area wasn’t crowded at all. Upstairs, they had more famous paintings, including a Monet. They were also having an “exposition” for Paris 1900 with other famous works but required a ticket and time spent in line. The lobby area of Petit Palais was breathtaking with gorgeously adorned ceilings and large windows looking towards Grand Palais to the front, and into the quaint garden in the middle. Someday I will return to enjoy a drink at the café overlooking the garden on a sunny day.
After the museum it was on to Rue Sainte-Anne once more for ramen. Aka it is Sunday and there is nothing else open. Afterwards, we went to the nearest bar to watch the World Cup Final! Gauging the reactions of the rest of the bar, I think the French were more supportive of Argentina.
1 goal, 97 steps, two servings of chocolate pudding and some Beyoncé later, we were beyond exhausted (but in the best way!) Gotta sleep early for Bastille Day festivities!