Fountainebleau, Notre Dame and More!

An hour south of Paris, rivaling the opulence of Versailles, is the lovely Chateaux Fountainebleau.  The medieval castle and subsequent palace served as a residence for the French monarchs from Louis VII to Napoleon III.  Stephanie, Tanner and I took the opportunity to visit the grand estate on Friday, April 12, 2019.  Although the gardens were not as impressive as those of Versailles, the Chateaux was favored by both Stephanie and I.  Maybe the more rural location and fewer tourists gave it a more relaxed and comfortable ambiance, even with all it's extravagance!

A large carp pond and pavilion, a rectangular fountain, and a long canal with decorated basins are the prominent water features in the extensive gardens.  It was such a perfect spring day to be outside, and Tanner was having a blast feeding the ducks, fish, and swans, and throwing rocks in the canal.

We walked across the street and had lunch at a Brazilian Cafe, and stopped in the local patisserie for more sweet treats.  (I don't know how Stephanie resists the temptation to stop at every single one!)  It had been another lovely royal day!

Saturday was a day of fun for the kids!  The American School of Paris was having it's spring fair and the whole family made a day of it.  Stephanie was in charge of the cake walk, and the rest of us made crafts, decorated cookies and faces, played on the bounce house and went fishing for prizes.

Later that evening, Stephanie decided we needed to go back to Notre Dame so that I could climb up the towers and see the gargoyles up close.  I had visited Notre Dame with Bob on my first visit to Paris, but we had not gone inside or up the staircase.  Little did we know how fortunate I was that we went back!  Just two days later, the world watched in horror as fire destroyed much of the beloved Paris icon.  I am including here pictures that were taken a few days earlier, as well as those taken the evening of our ascent.

 

I am grateful to have taken these precious photos before the news captured images such as this:

  https://static.interestingengineering.com/images/APRIL/sizes/notre_dame_fire_resize_md.jpg 

After leaving Notre Dame, Stephanie and I manged to find our way to Angelina's, a famous 1903 Parisian tea house which serves hot chocolate that is so rich and thick it is almost a pudding!  Can't think of a better ending to the day, can you?