Paris trip report, 2015, Day 2, Fontainebleau

June 21, 2015, Sunday: Fontainebleau

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video covers Fontainebleau Part 1

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video covers Fontainebleau Part 2

 Gare de Lyon to Fontainebleau Avon station

Our mobilis pass bought the previous day covered all transport for the day, we activated it by writing the date and time. Had an early start by 7.30am, took bus 24 to Gare de Lyon,

We checked the electronic board for the platform of train Direction Montargis at 8.19. We can see the train to Montargis calls at Fontainebleau Avon station (4th in the list)

Went to the platform  with 15 minutes to spare, got into the train already waiting (frequency of trains was low on Sundays, the next one would have been at 8.49, had we missed this one).

Reached Fontainebleau Avon station a little past 9 am, followed direction to bus stop...

 Got on ligne  1’ bus destined for Les Lilas and got down at the Chateau.

It is located 55.5 km (34.5 mi) south-southeast of the center of Paris.

Thirty-four sovereigns, from Louis VI, the Fat, (1081–1137) to Napoleon III (1808–1873), spent time at Fontainebleau.

Explored the lovely grounds first before entering the chateau.

This is the Elm Tree Avenue.

Flower beds just starting to bloom in early spring...must be a pretty sight in a couple of weeks.

This Grand Canal is 1200 m long.

There are several courtyards...Cour de la Fontaine, Cour d' Honneur , Cour des Mathurins.

This is the carp pond and the pavilion yonder. Royal guests used to boat here and feed the carps, some of which grew fat and lived to 100 years!

"White Horse Courtyard" (la cour du Cheval Blanc)/Cour d' Honneur/Courtyard of Goodbyes

This is the famous the horseshoe-shaped staircase dates from the reign of Louis XIII, based on a Renaissance model.

On 20 April 1814, Napoleon Bonaparte, shortly before his first abdication, bid farewell to the Old Guard, the renowned grognards (gripers) who had served with him since his very first campaigns, in this "White Horse Courtyard" (la cour du Cheval Blanc) at the Palace of Fontainebleau. (The courtyard has since been renamed the "Courtyard of Goodbyes".) 

The 1814 Treaty of Fontainebleau stripped Napoleon of his powers (but not his title as Emperor of the French) and sent him into exile on Elba.

Medieval water fountain here.

This is the Court of Fountain (Cour de la Fontaine).

 We enjoyed the opulent rooms in the grand apartments.

This is the Empress bed chamber. All the Queens from Marie de Medici to Empress Eugenie slept here.



This bed was made for Marie Antoinette but arrived only after her execution (1797). It was used instead by Napoleon's wives, the Empress Josephine and Marie-Louise of Austria

The balustrade around the bed was originally made for the throne room of the Tuileries Palace in 1804. The armchairs with a sphinx pattern, the consoles and screen and the two chests of drawers were placed in the room in 1806

This is Marie Antoinette's Boudoir.

The boudoir next to the Queen's bedroom was created for Queen Marie-Antoinette in 1786, and permitted the Queen to have a measure of privacy. The room is the best surviving example of the decorative style just before the French Revolution, inspired by ancient Roman models, with delicately-painted arabesques, cameos, vases, antique figures and garlands of flowers against a white background, framed by gilded and sculpted woodwork

This is the Royal Library. This room was called the Gallery of Diana, an 80-m corridor/library lined with bookcases that was built by King Henry IV at the beginning of 17th Century.   The large globe at the entrance of the gallery is from Napoleon's office in the Tuileries Palace

This is the Throne Room of Napoleon (former bedroom of Kings Henry IV to Louis XVI).

This is the salon of the Emperor now known as the Abdication room.  It was in this room, on the small table on display, that the Emperor Napoleon signed his abdication in 1814

This is the Bedroom of the Emperor Napoleon (1808-1814). The walls were painted with Imperial emblems in gold on white.

The chairs near the fireplace were specially designed, with one side higher than the other, to contain the heat from the fire while allowing the occupants to see the decorations of the fireplace. 

The bed, made especially for Emperor Napoleon, was the summit of the Empire style; it was crowned with an imperial eagle and decorated with allegorical sculptures representing Glory, Justice, and Abundance

This is Napoleon's Study. The study was a small room designated as Napoleon's work room. In 1811 he added this camp bed, similar to the bed he used on his military campaigns, so he could rest briefly during a long night of work.

The ceilings are awesome... adorned with murals, stucco work or intricately carved and gilded wood.

Zodiac signs here...

This is the ceiling of the Throne room.

This ceiling is called "Planets"sculpted in 1558.

Great stucco work here...stucco is lime, marble powder and water which can be molded into shapes by craftsmen and is used extensively as decorative element.

There are fabulous frescoes in the middle of the stucco work...(frescoes are painted directly onto the wall... the word derives from the Italian word affrescho meaning painting on fresh plaster)

This is from Marie Antoinette's boudoir with her initials carved in the panel.

The tapestries are exquisite.

Chairs are upholstered in tapestry...

More exquisite tapestry here... in the Papal apartment.

The damask silk covering the walls is again delicate and fabulous.

Upholstery is done with damask as well.

This is the nursery of the Prince, Napoleon's son with the mahogany crib.

Wood work is amazing. This Great Hall (Francis I Gallery) is in mahogany. The king was impressed with Italian renaissance and this hall was created by Italian artist Rosso Florentino (a disciple of Michelangelo )

The hall contains wainscotting in sculpted wood enhanced with gilt patterns, stuccos and frescoes... great combination!

Notice this lovely door...

There are awesome craft pieces.

This is the Duke of Orléans Commemorative Wedding Cabinet, Sèvres Porcelain

This cabinet, which was created in 1840, commemorates the marriage of the Duke of Orléans, son of Louis Philippe I, to Princess Helen of Mecklembourg-Schwerin. It was completed in 1841 and combines wood, bisque porcelain figures and porcelain panels painted by Develly with scenes depicting different stages of the wedding ceremony, in a schema reminiscent of Renaissance furniture.

Sèvres vase here...

Terrific stained glass.

Mantle places are adorned with Sèvres vases ...

There are models of the palace.

In 1812, Pope Pius VII arrived at the château of Fontainebleau. In poor health, the Pope was the prisoner of Napoleon, and he remained in his genteel prison at Fontainebleau for nineteen months. From June 1812 until 23 January 1814, the Pope never left his apartments.

This is the Papal Apartment

This is the Grand Salon.

This is the Papal Bed Chamber.

These are the liturgical objects used by the Pope in his prayers.

This is the Officers lounge.



This is the Royal chapel/The Chapel of the Trinity built in 1500s. In 1608, frescoes for the ceiling and walls started.

The paintings in the central vaults depict the redemption of Man, from the appearance of God to Noah at the launching of theArk (Over the tribune) to the Annunciation.

The Trinity chapel, like Sainte-Chapelle in Paris and other royal chapels, has an upper section or tribune, where the King and his family sat, with a separate entrance; and a lower part, where the rest of the Court was placed. 

In 1725,  the wedding of Louis XV took place here. Napoleon III was baptized here on 4 November 1810

Napoleon museum has his effects and lots of royal memorabilia.

These are porcelain from the imperial dining table and royal decorative objects.

Went out into the grounds, had our picnic lunch and went back for a second tour.

We covered the chapel and everything else once again. The tour groups which had thronged rooms had abated and we were very happy with our thorough tour.

On the way back, we had decided to get down at station Melun, catch a cab to Vaux de Vicomte chateau.  We were wondering if we should do so or just go straight to Paris. We walked out of the chateau, followed a group thinking they’ll lead to the bus stop but reached the church.

 June 21 was world music day, the streets had been cordoned off and a spirited music performance was on in the square. We sat on the floor in front of closed shops and enjoyed the performance till it ended. Then we decided to walk back to where we got dropped by the bus in the morning.

Errors

Now a slew of errors started… we saw a policeman coming our way, greeted him and asked him where to board the bus to the train station. He told us to turn back and walk straight for 10 minutes and we’ll come to the bus stop… regular routes have been cordoned off.

We would have been better off going back to the chateau, but we turned back per the cop’s advice and walked quite a bit… saw a stop at the end but it had only ligne 2 and 3 stopping there as per the signboards there, that too going in the opposite direction.

 We asked a group of cycling teenage boys and they did not know, but tried their best to help and pointed us in the direction of the station… we walked further, again greeting and asking a couple walking a dog for directions. The man said he did not know and started walking off, the lady stopped, struggled with her English but tried her best to give directions. We came up with French words for directions and understood her. Started walking again… now thankfully ligne 1 bus appeared, we waved, he gestured us to go forward, we ran and got into the bus when it stopped at the bus stop.

We heaved a sigh of relief, it has been a long walk on top of the extensive walking we had done at the chateau.

Missed the train

We reached the station. Saw a train standing in the opposite platform, knew it must be going to Paris. To get to the other side, we saw an underground flight of steps, I sprinted down, son kept saying, no need to hurry, if this train leaves, we’ll catch the next one… we got to the train, asked the guys sitting inside if it’s going to Paris, they said yes.

Son jumped in… the compartment entry was quite blocked with many cycles and I hesitated looking for a handhold…I was feeling a little stiff with all the walking and wanted a support for climbing the steps. I heard an alarm going off and saw the doors closing. We jabbed on the button but of course it did not open. The train started leaving…

Son looked stricken and was yelling “I have both the mobilis tickets”. I was calm, told him in gestures, “you come back”. Now I should have yelled that so that he could hear, but I have been so conditioned not to yell in public, I just repeated the gesture and mouthed voiceless words… 

Son is very poor at playing charades, it was clear he did not get me. The train speeded off.

I stood on the empty platform with no money or phone.

I was wearing my everyday gold…. Gold earrings, a thin short gold chain, a thick gold bangle, a coral studded gold ring on my right hand, rubies studded gold ring in my left and a 14k gold and silver watch! When I list it, it sounds so terrible, but to me it’s all quite unobtrusive and I had not bothered to take it off for this trip!

To complicate matters, we had discussed strategy for handling unexpected situations if our flights into Paris got delayed. We were landing at 1pm and 1.20pm the previous day at CDG and I had told him, if my plane is delayed you wait…if your flight is delayed for many hours, I’ll leave for the hotel on my own… I don’t fancy sitting in Sheraton lobby for hours into the night. I’ll send you a message through some one if I leave for the hotel.

Because I had talked of going to the hotel on my own in that situation, I was worried he may think that’ll be my option in the current situation

In theory waiting for son to return seemed easy but practically, there were a few difficulties. I thought I had to return to platform 1 where one alights for the chateau, because if I continue to stand on platform 2 where trains leave for Paris, son may not be able to see me when his train comes in. So I ran back via the underground stairs to the other side

Here it was quite sunny where the benches were. There were just 3 other people, a young African lady with a baby, a young African guy and a Chinese girl. I tried sitting on the bench, but it was too sunny and uncomfortable. I went back to platform 2 and stood there because the whole place was in the shade here.

I heard a train in the distance and ran back to platform 1 and stood around in the shade…. False alarm…. a couple of trains thundered past the station without stopping. . Some 20-25 minutes had passed by and a little panic was setting in.

A big batch of people came from the chateau, after looking around, all crossed over to platform 2 to board the train to Paris. I realized the chateau must be closing and when this batch leave, no more may be coming in to the station and I’ll be left alone.

There was no official counters, no personnel even in the morning when we had come in and the whole station area looked to be in the suburbs where no locals come by. 

In the planning stage I had noticed less frequency for trains on Sunday and I thought I had to do something proactive now. I ran back to platform 2, thinking I’ll talk to some one before they all leave and I’m left with no option…I had only a tissue and the entry ticket stubs in my jacket pocket. I thought I’ll show the ticket stubs, that may prove I’m not some local scammer but a genuine visitor who got stranded.

I desperately looked around walking through the crowds… mostly Chinese, Japanese groups taking among themselves in their own language. I was trying to reach middle aged people who may know English… as I was walking by, I heard English … a couple of young men and a girl… probably in early 20s.

I maintained a little distance … (we always try not to be in close proximity/ in someone’s face when we ask for directions etc, because that’s bad manners and will intimidate them)  

I said, “Hello, can you guys please do me a favor and email my son? My son and I had visited the chateau today (here I showed them the 2 ticket stubs I had in my pocket, just for some authenticity!!)… when we came here to go back to Paris, the train doors closed before I could get in… .both our tickets are with him. I’m hoping he’ll not go all the way back to Paris, can you please send him an email telling him “your mother is waiting for you, come back and pick her up, check both the platforms she may be on either one”

The girl pointed at the tall guy John… “he’s the one with the smart phone.”

John took out the phone and trustingly tried to hand it over to me for use. I said “please write this message from your own account and I’ll give you my son’s email. He has left his blackberry back in the hotel and only has an ipod with him. It needs free wifi, but I do hope he’ll check his email. It’s my only way to contact him now”

John wrote out the message and tried to show it to me… I said “I can’t read without my glasses, just send it please, thank you so much for your help”

The message was sent and I was worrying if he had spelt the email address right…  John said, "your son is not picking up… I said, “even if he goes back to Paris, at some point he’ll check and get the message. I’ll wait here”

In all our travels so far, we don’t have data and the internet service provider is switched off on son’s smart phone provided by his office.   There is a 100 MB international data allowance and the office turned on the roaming for this vacation which was nice of them.

We don’t need data on the go because we do deep research before the trip and have a hard copy/maps of stuff we need for each day of our vacation. We check our mail in the evening and make our skype calls with the free wifi provided by our hotel. For this vacation in 3 countries, we decided we’ll use son’s phone only in an emergency if we are both stranded on our drive in remote Norway and need assistance.

My phone is switched off when I board the plane and roaming is never on because I felt I won’t need it. For this Paris leg of the vacation, I had told son to leave the blackberry hidden in the bag at our hotel as I didn’t anticipate need for it…

Last year, when we were planning our trip to Paris, we had talked about Paris metro and train doors closing even when people try to physically stop them…sensors stop doors from closing when physical presence is detected but not all doors are programmed that way. We had even talked of not getting into trains which were stationary for a while because we don’t know how much time we have to get in, they may take off before both of us are in… which is precisely what happened… .

Our family rule when we are in any crowded situation is to maintain eye contact with the other person frequently and when we get separated, return to the place where we last saw the person… no point both moving trying to locate the other. Stay stationary in the place you last saw the person…

Anyways, those rules are for crowded places where security does not feel threatened; waiting in a lonely, deserted station did not seem a good idea for me and I decided if son did not return when the next train came by, I’ll just take the next train back to Paris… I cringed at asking some one to buy me a ticket, so decided to ride ticketless and brave an inspector catching me… we could easily afford the fine …safety and self respect was more important…

I heard a train coming to platform 1, thanked my young helper again and ran down the steps again hoping son will be back… it was now some 50 minutes of ordeal…

The train stopped and some 30 people were getting down…. I could see a train stopping at platform 2 also…. Oh God, now all those people will be off to Paris and I’m going to be all alone with no one on both platforms if son does not come in this train…

Thankfully, son was rushing out of a coach. We were both so relieved, saw the train to Paris standing in the other track. Again sprinted through the underground steps. This time I jumped in first, closely followed by son and we were both safe inside as the train started off!

When we got off at Gare de Lyon station and were getting out, I saw John and his friends just a little ahead of us. I didn’t know his name then—know it only now from the email he sent on my behalf to my son. We tried to catch them to say I’m ok and thank them again for the help. They melted away in the crowd!

When we reached the hotel, we had our meal and then checked the mail; John had sent another reminder, "your mother is waiting … " we replied thanking him profusely. 

"Wish I could have done more" was his lovely reply!

Lessons learned:

Never try and board a standing train. You don't know when the doors will close and if all the people in your party can get in safely.

Always have a strategy if one is left behind. just yell and tell them to wait  in the same place or to get on the next train and come to the destination.

Always ensure people carry their individual tickets safely on them and have some money

Safe travels everyone! 

http://adventuretrav.blogspot.com/2016/05/how-to-plan-trip-to-rome.html

is the next post covering our Rome trip