Le Chateau de Fontainebleau

The castle at Fontainebleau was one of the French kings' getaway homes for when hectic pace of life at the Louvre/Versailles was just too much. Not being the central palace, design (or consistency of) was not as essential. The result is a hodge-podge of opulence spanning eight centuries of part-time occupation by French royalty. Even the Napoleans did their time here. Together, Amanda, Sunita, Georges, Marta (Sunita's friend), and I spent a lovely Sunday afternoon here, first swinging by the market in the town center and hiding from a brief storm before picnicking on castle grounds and then taking a tour of the incredible building. It's a pity that after Versailles I find myself not so terribly impressed. I loved having Amanda as a tourguide since she really knows the grounds: she spent last summer living here for a month or so, participating in an art/architecture program for which she was ultimately selected as one of the top students and invited to return this year to help run it. Way to be an awesome (future) architect!

These photos will do the castle's splendor more justice than my words.