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France 2010
Day 6 - 8th October - Fontainebleau (Part 1)
The previous night, I'd seen an oldish man and a youngish girl in the hotel lift. He was probably Russian. I wonder if she cost more than the room. It was also observed to me that the more expensive the hotel, the more prostitutes were seen. I pointed out that housecalls wouldn't be made to cheap hotels - instead the goods would be consumed closer to their place of sale.
Today, we headed to the Château of Fontainebleau, about 55km from Paris which served French sovereigns over 8 centuries.
"Ne me jetez pas ! (Pour sauver l'environnement, s.v.p)"
("Don't throw me! (In order to save the environment, please)")
Plea to housekeeping not to dump the ice cup
"Le Partenaire du Plaisir"
("The Partner of Pleasure")
Another condom dispenser on the street
Toy firemen in Montparnasse railway station (which had steps which this wouldn't be able to go down). You probably wouldn't see this in Germany.
Line 14 of the métro was the first where I'd heard announcements - in any language - in 2010.
Gare de Lyon
Sign above one railway counter: "I speak English". Hah.
Buying a ticket to go to Fontainebleau was a big pain. The station was not on the RER (suburban rail) system, so I went to the SNCF machines - but they were not sold there, which was irritating as the trains there were run by SNCF (the French railway company). So I went to the reception, and was asked to go upstairs to buy my tickets. Above me were the train platforms, so I asked the person at the ticket counter, and was told the same. So I went up and wandered in confusion for a while (missing the next train to Fontainebleau), being rejected at both ticket counters and machines before finding a counter for tickets for the Ile-de-France (the region which includes Paris and Fontainebleau).
The Chinagora hotel, which I saw from the train, was very ugly. Here is a picture someone took from a boat:
The tickets I bought were the size of normal métro/RER tickets - and were too small to validate in the ticket validation machines on the platform, yet the train conductor asked me why I had not validated my ticket. So I just told him the machine was spoilt and that was the end of it (the Gallic shrug is useful in instances such as this).
Very nice apple pastry breakfast
The problem of fare evasion is just that bad these days in France - the railway police have batons and pistols. Also the clock had stopped, Gah.
Very slack Bureau Veolia Transport. And it's closed on weekends and public holidays too.
Courrier international: a magazine "en direct de Pékin".
Not only are her heels wth, she speared a leaf with her right heel
Rue Grande
Very popular boulangerie (bread shop). This was the only boulangerie I saw that had people queuing outside.
"Sur la route nous sommes tous fragiles ! Respirez - souriez - ralentissez"
("On the road, we are all fragile! Breate - smile - give way")
Huge market for such a small town
Very large church
Another Milou (Snowy)
Another dog
"Manhattan Gigolo"
Mysteries of the universe" why does a shop for gigolos only sell women's clothes"
I would've continued into the Château, but someone needed to stop for lunch so I had no choice.
Only half the entrées are translated for some reason. This was also the first time in Europe I'd seen
Bavette
Grilled ham and port sauce
This was a very good ham, with the most fat I'd seen and visible (and tastable) veins of meat.
Trout with butter and almonds
Their dessert menu was amusing
Ménage à Trois. This term isn't *quite* as suggestive in French as in English.
"La Passion des Desserts : Authenticité, Créativité, Passion"
This looked like a tarte aux cérises (cherry tart) from afar but it was actually a tarte aux raisins (grape tart)
Ile flottante avec crême anglaise (Floating Island with Custard)
There're products to make eyelashes longer. Uhh.
This should be the Hôtel de Ville (place you can wander into and sleep in overnight)
Jardin de Diane
Path in Garden
Path to Palace Comple
Cour d'honneur: Cour des Adieux
Literally, this is "Courtyard of Honour", but this is an architectural term for "a three-sided courtyard, created when the main central block, or corps de logis, is flanked by symmetrical advancing secondary wings, containing minor rooms". It is called the Courtyard of Farewells because this is where Napoleon bade farewell to his troops after attempting suicide (2 weeks after his abdication in 1814).
One flank of Cour des Adieux
Panorama of Cour des Adieux
Alley
Cobblestone path to complex
Gate and Cour des Adieux
Cour des Adieux
Cour des Adieux
One flank of courtyard
Flank, lanterns and bench
Horseshoe Staircase from an angle. Napoleon had made his farewall here.
Fountain
Horseshoe Staircase again
Again, the horseshoe staircase
Portal
Cour des Fontaines
Panorama of Cour des Fontaines
Building
A Prime Product of Gallic Engineering - when you twist the knob on the right, it will pull the handle on the left, thus opening the door.
Etang des Carpes (Carp Pond)
Statue and Cour des Fontaines
One wing of Cour des Fontaines. Apart from the lions there doesn't seem to be anything else Oriental here
Right Lion closeup
Another wing of the same
Wing and carp pond
Advertisment for Provins, Town of Medieval Fairs
Wedding in Cour des Adieux
After all this exterior photography, I was ready to enter the Château proper.
Les françaises étaient tellement mignonnes, mais je n'ai jamais bandé (à cause d'elles)