le château de Fontainebleau

Today we visited Fontainebleau palace. It's located about an hour southeast of Paris. Proof of the castle dates back to 1137. Starting in 1528, François I had most the rest of the other buildings built. Many other kings and queens lived here. Louis XIII was born here. Napoleon made this his home in the early 1800's and it was here in 1814 that he bid farewell to his troops before heading into exile.

Enough of the history lesson. if you really want to know more, click on the links, otherwise, be prepared for a lot of pictures.
The boys on the horseshoe staircase in the front. A random stranger walked behind me getting all the boys to smile.

The back of the palace.The walls and ceilings were all decked out with paintings, carvings, and tapestry. We could take pictures, but not with a flash.

Carving over fireplace of François I.

This is the library that is awesome. Both walls are lined with shelves filled with books.
This is the ballroom. It was Henri II (son of François I) who decorated it. I love it. I could picture groups of people standing or sitting by the windows overlooking the gardens. I could imagine women in Empire wasted dresses all lined up on one side of the room preparing for a dance. It's like putting yourself in a Jane Austen setting. At the end of the ballroom is a huge fireplace. I could imagine a huge side of beef (deer) rotating on a spit over a huge fire during a dinner party. Wouldn't it be fun to someday dress up in 18th century clothes and go to a ball?


Napoleon's throne. When Matt saw this, he said, "I thought thrones were supposed to be fancier than that."


This is the chapel inside the palace. The boys weren't too reverent. They took turns carrying around the little audio tour guide thingie.


This is a statue in Diane's garden. Diana is the "goddess of the hunt". Fontainebleau is surrounded by forests and it was a favorite hunting ground for kings. In the palace there are tapestries and pictures all over depicting going on a hunt. When the boys saw this statue, they started giggling. "Look!" they cried. "The dogs are peeing from their penis!" (sorry, if that's offensive. We use that word quite regularly around home. I have to teach them not to use it in public so much)
Random wildlife. Who has a peacock roaming around their backyard anyway?












Behind the palace is called the Carp Pond. It's very pretty (with really big fish)They had boats to rent, so the boys went with Doug. I opted to stay behind with Timmy. I could almost guarantee that he would try to lean out of the boat.

Like how Doug is making them do all the work?I love little roads and paths that are lines with trees. I often envision a home with a driveway lined with trees. Wishful thinking, I know, but I can dream can't I? Actually this reminds me of my favorite park in my hometown. One of the entrances was lined like this.

Napoleon's backyard.
There was this cute little bridge in the gardens. So I took this picturesque opportunity.
A view of the gardens from the ballroom inside.

And of course there is a carousel. There are carousels next to everything touristy around here.