I’d visited Château de Fontainebleau in 1966. I have no recollection of the reason I chose it or how I got there. The only other place I visited during my 6 months in Paris was Versailles, when a friend came to town. I was working 6 days a week and resting, as the story goes, on the 7th.
I remember just two things from my 50-years-ago day at Fontainebleau. I remember Napoleon’s bed and, confirming one of the few things I thought I knew about the man, it was remarkably short. And the other was the staircase, pictured above. I was so glad to see it on this spring day in 2016, confirming that something fixed in memory wasn’t imagined. I’m sorry to report I cannot confirm the memory of the bed. We walked through the grounds of the château but didn’t go in, our focus for the morning the big Friday market.
Marché Saint-Louis, occupies a large paved area in the center of Fontainebleau. Since I had absolutely no memory of the town, I was happy to find it exceedingly pleasant and a place I could easily imagine staying a while. And who knows, I may do just that. I can imagine a cozy studio apartment with a tiny kitchen, walking distance to this wonderful market, with its beautiful food sold by friendly vendors. I now have a great deal more to recall about Fontainebleau than a bed and a staircase. And I must return to make sure about the bed.
Meat, Fish, Poultry
Plants, as in "Eat Plants"
The End
Fontainebleau’s Market, Marché Saint-Louis
Tuesday, Friday, Sunday: 8:00 - 12:00 noon
Next week, a meditation in pictures on an Englishwoman's home in France.
Find all 7 chapters of PortMoresby's anniversary visit to Paris, here.
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