MOTHER’S DAY AT FOUNTAINEBLEAU

 

After our day of adventures with la vie Francaise we decided that a little culture was in order for the following day.  Also, it was Mother’s Day, so Geralynn announced that she would not be cooking and the guys would be taking us out for dinner.

 


After breakfast and coffee and discussion our group set off for Fountainebleau.  Don stayed home with the plan of going on a bike ride.

 


The drive to Fountainebleau was short and uncomplicated.  We arrived in town, drove directly to the entrance of the chateau, and there was a parking spot, just for us.  We figured out where to buy tickets and rent audio guides and proceeded on our tour of the famous palace. 

 

After our visit to the chateau we proceeded through town to find a gas station as the level was low.  Although Don had assured us there was enough for the roundtrip from the house to Fontainebleau I just wanted to play it safe.  So we bought 10 euro of high-priced gas before driving through the town again on our way back to Acheres.

 

As we passed through the town of Fontainebleau Cheryl spotted a farmer’s market up a side street.  We decided to stop and check out the goods, so I dropped everyone off and went to find a parking space.

 

The farmer’s market was filled with lots of fresh produce, cheeses, meats, olives and breads.  There were other goods too, ranging from jewelry to furniture.  Rog bought tomatoes, Cheryl bought olives and strawberries, and Geralynn bought a salami.  By this time the market was beginning to pack up so we walked back to the car and went home without further ado.

 

In the meanwhile Don had explored the town of Barbizon during his bike ride.  Barbizon is a cute tourist town with many art galleries and restaurants.  For the evening meal we all went to Barbizon where Don had made a dinner reservation at a creperie.  When we arrived the hostess recognized Don right away and commented that he was not dressed in his cycling shorts anymore.  Perhaps she regretted that she couldn’t admire his legs now.  She smilingly seated our party and got us menus in English.  We tried to order the special, which was advertised on the board, but in the end we were not able to communicate that we wanted the deal. We also explained that today is Mother’s Day, and the hostess understood, but gave us no break.  Oh, well, it was worth a try. Our meal of salads, crepes and ice cream was quite tasty.  The seafood salad got the most raves, but the buckwheat crepes were a bit bland.  Susan got the ratatouille crepe and that seemed to be the most flavorful.  The ice cream desserts were a big hit.  Jerry got chocolate and Pauline and Susan got a medley of berry flavors.

 

After our meal we strolled the streets of Barbizon and saw where Robert Louis Stevenson stayed while he wrote.  It began to sprinkle again, so Don got the car and we all piled in and returned to Acheres.