Paris_ The Collected Traveler - Barrie Kerper [232]
Located forty minutes outside of Paris by train, the ville of Fontainebleau is nestled in the midst of a forest three times the size of Manhattan. The two main draws of the small French city are the campus of INSEAD, one of the world’s leading business schools, and the Château de Fontainebleau, which has housed countless notables, including Napoléon and Marie Antoinette. The château sprawls across several acres of land and is adjoined by a park with carefully landscaped ponds and canals, which are also home to massive carp. On sunny days you can feed the ducks alongside French children and families enjoying pique-niques.
The best days of the week to make the journey to Fontainebleau are Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays, when the heart of the town is converted into a lively farmers’ market. Be on the lookout for souvenirs, including hand-woven baskets, jewelry, quilts, and clothing, as well as country-fresh produce and fruit, cheeses, and charcuterie. Sundays promise the most vibrant market, but be warned: after noon the entire town shuts down until Tuesday. (One of our favorite days here has been a Sunday morning at the market gathering food for a picnic in the park behind the château).
For an authentic and moderately priced French lunch or dinner, try Bistrot 9 (9 rue Montebello / +33 01 64 22 87 84 / lebistrot9.com) for a salad with chèvre chaud, or the delicious sole meunière. For another bistro option, also try Bouchon de Bleau (32 rue de France / +33 01 64 22 30 99). (Note that both are often fully booked.) My other favorite in-town restaurant is Ty-Koz, a crêperie on a cobbled side street (18 rue de la Cloche / +33 01 64 22 00 55). With a glass of French wine or a pitcher of traditional cider from Bretagne, any dish tastes delicious.
If you’re traveling by car, don’t fail to make your way to the neighboring towns of Barbizon and Moret-sur-Loing. Both are sleepy, picturesque villages that boast long histories. The old city of Moret-sur-Loing is bookended by two arches that lead to a bridge over the river Loing. Between these arches lies the medieval town, parts of which are in their original state. It’s fun to grab an ice cream cone on a cobbled side street and stroll through the ancient streets or down to the beautiful river. On a hot day, you may see campers kayaking over the small locks or children wading in the shallow parts of the river.
Barbizon once housed many painters and writers. As it borders the paths of the Fontainebleau forest, it’s easy to see what brought them here. With only one main street lined with a few shops and hotels, it has a history steeped in the arts. Beginning in the mid-1800s, it became a popular vacation spot for Parisians. In addition to tourists, the town attracted quite a few painters, who would later be dubbed the Barbizon School. Among others, this group included Théodore Rousseau, Jean-François Millet, Narcisse-Virgile Diaz, and Charles-François Daubigny, and much of their work is on display at Musée de l’École de Barbizon at the Auberge Ganne. Later, the town also lured the younger Impressionist painters like Monet and Renoir. Writers were drawn to the area as well, and well-known French poets, like Paul Verlaine, Baudelaire, and Guillaume Apollinaire all made the trek to the town and spent time writing there. At the end of the main strip in Barbizon are trails that run throughout the Forêt de Fontaine-bleau, which is full of hiking paths and huge boulders that many use for rock climbing. Be sure to get a map, and beware of the wild boars that are in abundance!
P.S. Peter and I recently checked out the town of Troyes, which is about an hour from Fontainebleau. It’s also really cool. Have you been?
Note: I haven’t yet been to Troyes, but an interesting article to read about its culinary specialty, andouillette sausage, is “The Andouillete of Troyes” by Edward Behr (Art of Eating, Number 78, 2008).
LOIRE VALLEY
In addition to your guidebook of choice (my own favorites include Knopf Guides: The Loire Valley and