David's Diary: Thursday, August 9, 2001

Fountainebleau and David's Birthday

Tuesday was Kevin's birthday so today was mine. Unlike Kevin, I didn't want to spend the day at home so we got up and out and drove for an hour to the town of Fontainebleau. This town is home to the Chateau and gardens of the same name. We spent the day exploring each.

Château de Fontainebleau is a slightly smaller version of Versailles without all of the crowds. The château has been home to the most famous names of French royal history. One of the first to develop Fontainebleau was François I who blended French and Italian styles to create the First School of Fontainbleau. At this time the Mona Lisa hung in the château along with many other fine works of art.

Salle de Bal

We rented audio guides and took a tour of the château. The woodwork, sculptures, and artwork are splendid. Each French king left his own impression on the château. A long hall created by François I was lined with windows, but later construction of the Grand Appartements (State Apartments) would cover the windows on one side. We could only imagine how much more beautiful the hall would look if light were streaming in from both sides.

The Salle de Bal is a ballroom 30m long that was used for receptions and banquets. You could see the balcony where musicians would play while behind them was a large frescoe depicting musicians at play. You could imagine the crowds gathering in the room for a reception, enjoying the frescoes, Italian-inspired coffered ceiling, and the view of the gardens.

After our tour we headed through the garden to the center of the town of Fontainbleau. We found a nice restaurant where we celebrated my birthday with a three-course meal and a small carafe of Beaujolais. After lunch we returned to the gardens where we walked around the full length of the canal and enjoyed both the French- and English-style formal gardens.

Jocelyn, Allen, David, and Kevin

Before returning home we once again visited the town of Fontainbleau. While Karalee and Allen waited in the van, Jocelyn, Kevin, and I stopped at the Fromagerie Bathélemy, reputed to be one of the finest cheese shops in the area. With a selection of strong and mild cheeses to keep everyone happy, we continued on our way to a pâtisserie to find my birthday cake. While I had visions of a decadent chocolate cake, I chose a beautiful pear cake with a light custard instead. It was truly French and wonderful as the last course of dinner. Because it was so fresh, we knew that it wouldn't last overnight so we all had to have seconds and finish the whole thing. What a great way to end my birthday.