TRAVEL TALES of ranaruby

The Charm of Fontainebleau   It is indeed charming. This small town about 50km by road from Paris has the appearance of a cute and quiet French Hamlet. Fontainebleau town is on the left bank of the river Seine. Ensconced between the laid-back town square and the surrounding thickly forested areas is the famous Fontainebleau Chateau, which has now been converted into a museum after being declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1981. The origin of this cute chateau dates back to the twelfth century when a Royal Hunting lodge was set up for the Kings of France. It was enlarged by Louis IX (known as St. Louis) in the thirteenth century. Later it was entirely rebuilt by some famous French architects in the sixteenth century. From Louis VII through Napoleon III, this palace was used as the residence of French monarchs for over eight centuries. Among the impressive list of people who resided in   this palace are King Louis XII, the Russian Czar Peter the Great, ...