What an absolute gift to drive an hour south of Paris and find this beautiful city and Chateau.  It was incredibly quiet and peaceful.  To be honest, I enjoyed this Chateau more than Versailles.  In my opinion, the crowds take away from Versailles beauty. 

Cheateau Fontainebleau if much older, over 700 years and the grounds, although not as manicured, are beautiful. 

Isn't it funny how they both put one foot in front of the other?
I thought so....

Max always carries a little bag with paper and pencils,
He loves drawing the Chateau's and gardens that we visit.
He is all about the details

I have to admit that I am not one who loves strolling through the interior of Chateaus and Castles.  I find it very frustrating to see such excess.  Practically everything that you see inside of these beautiful structures was plundered and pillaged.  There were a select few that got to enjoy such wealth and beauty.  Such injustice. 

We decided to forego a visit inside and instead spent the day enjoying the beautiful grounds of this Chateau (I know, I know; they had to loot and steal to get the money for the property, grounds, etc.) 

This is what we saw as we entered the gardens.  Isn't it restful?   It was extremely peaceful and the few that were visiting were quietly enjoying the gardens as much as we were. 

Wide open spaces

I think most Mom's are hard-wired to be prepared for anything.  I always bring a backpack with water, paper towels, and food.  So many of these Chateau's and/or small villages do not have cafe's, or if they do, they close at 2pm and don't open again until 7pm for dinner.  We have learned to be prepared. 

We read that the gardens were a perfect spot for a picnic (although you can't sit on the lawn), so we packed sandwiches and sat on this little bridge for lunch.

They had a horse and carriage ride through the grounds. 

This was Sophies expression the entire ride.

Fontainebleau did have a cafe, they had pre-made salads and sandwiches along with coffee and baked goods.  We just had to stop for a french pastry.

We read about the gigantic fish jumping out of the water for food so we  brought an old baguette and the kids fed them along with ducks. 

We spent the entire afternoon exploring these grounds (it is nearly 50,000 acres).  I am enjoying discovering these smaller villages and they are just as pretty as the large tourist draws. 

We also LOVE getting away from the hustle and bustle of city life.  There is something about wide open space and nature that has a calming affect on all of us.