Saturday 31st August
As our campsite did not have any internet provision it rather spoilt our plans to stay there to catch up with some marking so we decided not to spend a second night here. By late morning we were ready to head off for the Chateau at Fontainebleau. Our neighbour, Jane had recommended this as a better place to visit than Versaille and although we were probably going to visit both we were keen to see Fontainebleau.
After a shop, (knowing we would soon have electricity for our fridge) we arrived at the Chateau about 2pm. It certainly was a very impressive building from the outside and we were just as impressed with all the furnished rooms that we visited. It is quite amazing with everything that has happened over the years that there is so much that has been well preserved for us all to see. Mike especially loved all the history associated with Napoleon. After a slow wander around the building we then had a look at the grounds which were quite stunning. The first stop was at the Carp Pond which contained the most enormous carp we have ever seen. We were quite worried for the ducks that were swimming amongst them. Most of the carp were quite a dull brown but there was one particularly fine specimen that was a lovely golden colour. From there we wandered down to the more formal gardens known as 'the Grand Parterre' which contained some lovely colourful flower beds. It has been a very enjoyable visit.
It was now time to head back to the van as we running over our paid slot. On the way back we saw two wedding couples having their photos shot in the grounds. Both girls wore beautiful dresses and one was wearing a very fashionable hat. We headed off in the direction of Paris. We were not too sure where we would spend the night. We knew if we got too close to Paris it would be difficult as we wanted to wild camp tonight to save some money before we had to pay Paris campsite fees. We followed the River Seine for a few more miles and eventually parked just past Evry. It looked a quiet spot but actually Mike and I ended up sleeping very little due to background 'bassy' music and frequent boy racers driving past the van to well past 3 am. Eventually we fell asleep about 5am but we had to be up early as we wanted to get to the campsite at Bois de Bolougne early so that we could spend a full day in Paris and take advantage of the free entry to museums that occurs on the first Sunday of the month.
As our campsite did not have any internet provision it rather spoilt our plans to stay there to catch up with some marking so we decided not to spend a second night here. By late morning we were ready to head off for the Chateau at Fontainebleau. Our neighbour, Jane had recommended this as a better place to visit than Versaille and although we were probably going to visit both we were keen to see Fontainebleau.
After a shop, (knowing we would soon have electricity for our fridge) we arrived at the Chateau about 2pm. It certainly was a very impressive building from the outside and we were just as impressed with all the furnished rooms that we visited. It is quite amazing with everything that has happened over the years that there is so much that has been well preserved for us all to see. Mike especially loved all the history associated with Napoleon. After a slow wander around the building we then had a look at the grounds which were quite stunning. The first stop was at the Carp Pond which contained the most enormous carp we have ever seen. We were quite worried for the ducks that were swimming amongst them. Most of the carp were quite a dull brown but there was one particularly fine specimen that was a lovely golden colour. From there we wandered down to the more formal gardens known as 'the Grand Parterre' which contained some lovely colourful flower beds. It has been a very enjoyable visit.
It was now time to head back to the van as we running over our paid slot. On the way back we saw two wedding couples having their photos shot in the grounds. Both girls wore beautiful dresses and one was wearing a very fashionable hat. We headed off in the direction of Paris. We were not too sure where we would spend the night. We knew if we got too close to Paris it would be difficult as we wanted to wild camp tonight to save some money before we had to pay Paris campsite fees. We followed the River Seine for a few more miles and eventually parked just past Evry. It looked a quiet spot but actually Mike and I ended up sleeping very little due to background 'bassy' music and frequent boy racers driving past the van to well past 3 am. Eventually we fell asleep about 5am but we had to be up early as we wanted to get to the campsite at Bois de Bolougne early so that we could spend a full day in Paris and take advantage of the free entry to museums that occurs on the first Sunday of the month.
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