'Summer in the Alps' - Day 50 - Troyes to Barbizon via Fontainebleau

Thursday 13 September 2018

Overcast and 18°C! We can't remember the last time we had the temperature inside the car higher than it was outside.

We were breakfasted and away from the apartment by 9 am, bumping into Edwice on the way out.

An easy two hour journey saw us enjoying café au lait outside a bar in Fontainebleau, where we had found easy parking on the edge of town by the chateau. A few postcards were written and sent, then we wandered along to the chateau. There's renovation work going on, and the dull overcast day did nothing for the external attractiveness of the place. But once inside, the Napoleon Museum and a tour of the Great Apartments took about three hours to get round. Helpfully, the information boards were in English as well as French.

All good stuff. When I get home I'll have to get out the timeline of French history. The decorations and contents of the rooms, including many remarkable ceilings, was astounding. Frescoes and stucco work, huge tapestries, and lavish furnishings....

We'd had our fill by mid afternoon so we enjoyed a walk in the gardens and the ornamental woodland, returning to the car beside the ornamental canal that was well stocked with water lilies and coots.

A very short drive to the smart artisan village of Barbizon was punctuated by a stop in a lay-by where Sue spotted a man in need of help. He had Parkinson's disease and had entered an 'off' state whilst returning to his car. Sue helped him shuffle very slowly back to the car, and he managed to drive away.

We still had plenty of time after the short journey to settle in at Chambres d'Hôte Le Petit Angelus, before strolling to the centre of the village for a really excellent meal at l'Ermitage St Antoine.

Stats:
We walked about 7 km around Fontainebleau.

Today's pictures were all taken at the chateau in Fontainebleau.