| On one of our very first trips
to Europe we had visited the Fontainbleau chateau and had very fond memories.
The rooms of the chateau seem much more "lived in" than those we see at Versailles.
At the front of the chateau, visitors can see the famous horseshoe steps.
From this spot, Napoleon delivered his famous "Farewell to the Troops." |
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The sculpted gardens at the
rear separate the chateau itself from the acres of woodland that adjoin it.
A visitor sees a strange contrast here. From the front, Fontainbleau
appears to be sitting in the middle of the town with traffic zipping by.
But in the rear, it appears to be sitting all alone in the countryside. |
| We also had a chance to visit
Chantilly for the first time. The day that we visited, the wind was
blowing and we were cold for the only time during the trip. The chateau
seemed almost deserted when we arrived (it was closed for the lunch hour),
and although we saw people inside and at the restaurant, much of the time
we felt that we had the place to ourselves. |
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We had lunch in the little
restaurant beneath the chateau itself. I learned once more that knowing
90% of the words on the menu does little good when what you order comes from
the other 10%. |