Train trip to palais de Fontainebleau
On a rainy September day we took the regional train to Fontainebleau. Then, because the palace is located in the town centre, we took a local bus into town. We did a little bit of window shopping in the commercial area but, as it was Sunday, most stores were closed although they did have a very busy farmer's market. We bought paninis from a street vendor for lunch.
Inside the palace grounds, we walked about looking at the statues on a hunting theme primarily as the palace was originally a royal hunting lodge - a statue of Diana, goddess of the hunt, and many statues of female sphinxes were distributed about the grounds. Inside the palace were room after room of luxurious furnishings
I enjoyed the gardens most even though the climate was a bit cold and wet and also the historic associations as this was the place from which Napoleon Bonaparte was taken to exile and death on Saint Helena after his loss at the Battle of Waterloo
