French Dispatch #1: Paris and the Forest of Fontainebleau
It is something rather surreal the moment one realizes the simplicity and freedom offered by their travels to a foreign land. To witness firsthand the sights, sounds and even smells produced in these places which have only previously been known to us through photographs, films and through the interpretation of others, ingrains a feeling to our psyche that is barely comprehensible. Through our physical immersion into the human culture and natural surroundings of places unknown, we are able to develop a sense of awareness that no form of technology would be able to accurately reproduce. We are explorers, not in the way a Magellan or Francis Drake might be, but through a modern day method of discovering something more personal in an already quite established world.
Departing from our friends, families and jobs back in California, we have embarked on a year long journey which will surely leave the strongest of impressions within us both. The first leg of our trip has centered around the bustling metropolis of Paris and the calm, tranquil forest of Fontainebleau. Although we have chosen the winter season for our time in this part of France, the weather has been uncharacteristically pleasant. Apparently, the sunny skies we experienced during the month of December set records for the clearest weather for this location in recent history. While the temperature has still been rather cold, hovering just above freezing most the time, we have been able to take advantage of the weather with numerous days of bouldering in Fontainebleau. On rest days from climbing, or if the weather has taken a turn for the worse leaving the rocks still damp from the previous evening, we take to the streets with sightseeing in Paris.
Where we are staying, we have a roof over our heads with kitchen and bathroom facilities just down the hall, yet we are nonetheless still living a rather minimalist lifestyle in a small, French town just south of Paris named Brétigny-sur-Orge. Noémi’s elderly grandmother has been kind enough to offer us a place to stay in her house for the months of December and January. We have with us a very limited number of personal possessions, yet seem to have everything we need. We have access, with a short walk to the center of town, to a market to purchase our food which comprises mostly of fruits, vegetables, fish, tofu, coffee, tea and lots of peanuts. Our major energy reserves come from simple grains like pasta, rice, couscous and freshly baked bread from the boulangerie down the street.
Although we brought our laptop, we are only able to access the internet about once a week if we stop at a cafe or bar in Paris. Our favorite wifi hotspot is The Long Hop, an English pub with pints on happy hour and friendly bartenders who don’t seem to mind us hanging out for hours. It has been this detaching of myself from the technological world that has been one of the most rewarding aspects of the trip. It was not long ago that I would start my morning, usually even still from bed, by checking text messages, emails and Facebook notifications before continuing on with anything else. Conversely, my current morning routine consists of rising early from bed, heating a pan of water on the stove to brew a cup of pour over coffee, cutting up an organic apple from the neighbor’s tree to add to oatmeal for breakfast, preparing a pack full of the day’s items (including a packed lunch), and stopping at the local boulangerie for a warm baguette before hopping on a train to the city or forest.
Having grown up in the relatively young region of California, that is from a global perspective, it is quite shocking to walk the cobblestone avenues of a city a millennia older than what I have become accustomed to. Even with the likes of modern cars, fashions and storefronts, it is impossible to take a single glance without realizing the effect that a much longer history has had in cultivating Parisian culture. Much of California’s history stems from the foundation of its network of missions which give a relatively rich and long history. In comparison, the great cathedral of Notre Dame, in all its architectural glory, celebrated its 850th birthday this previous year. Amongst these historic cathedrals, churches, towers and parks, a 21st century society flourishes by integrating new technologies with old culture.
Initially, it is rather easy to feel lost in a major metropolis, experiencing a sense of smallness in a vast sea of streets, alleys and squares. Our personal approach to being a tourist in a new city is to simply walk aimlessly in whichever direction appears interesting at the moment. Although one feels utterly lost for some time, this approach has advantages over following lines on a map, allowing the tourist to explore and develop their own mental map of a city as they enhance their navigational senses. You are able to notice something of interest, say, “Hey, that looks rad!” and have the freedom to check it out before continuing on towards the main objective. Naturally, this approach to tourism is the complete opposite of the tour bus style of being swiftly ushered from major attraction to major attraction, but unless time is of the essence, this method offers a more leisurely way to tackle a city as vast as Paris one day at a time. With unlimited metro passes and a knowledge of the network of train routes around the city, we have developed a fairly thorough understanding of navigation in Paris over the last two months.
From grandmother’s house in Brétigny, we often take a train lasting roughly 35 minutes to the bustling Saint-Michel and Notre Dame exit. From here we have the option of switching to a corresponding metro line, or more often, we tighten up our laces and walk for miles each day to and from various destinations about the city. During the afternoon of our first day after arriving, we enjoyed lunch overlooking the front of Notre Dame, watching tourists of all nationalities wander around snapping photos of one another and ogling the massive stone work that makes up the famous dual bell towers and three entrance gates. Within a maze of alleyways off of Saint-Michel, there are numerous crêpe stands where, for a fair price, we treat ourselves to crêpes filled with onions, tomatoes and generous portions of delicious French cheeses.
From the Seine River, there are many major attractions to see within walking distance. One day, Noémi and I completed a short tour of the city, starting just north of the Seine at the Louvre. After admiring the historic buildings and modern pyramids of the world’s most famous art museum, we strolled through the gardens, eventually leading to the busy Champs-Élysées. The first section of the street was lined with numerous temporary shacks painted white and decorated for the holidays, each selling winter apparel, souvenirs, snacks or hot drinks. A little farther along, the small shacks make way for the classier, and much more expensive, brand name storefronts selling their clothing, perfumes and home accessories. As you walk along this section of the street, your eyes are slowly drawn towards the origin of the Champs-Élysées and the enormous arch that lays ahead. L’arc de Triomphe towers above a roundabout of massive diameter, marking the beginning of twelve major streets all projecting away from the arch. This structure alone could serve as the focal point to place any city on a global map, yet Paris singlehandedly holds a collection of at least a dozen of these architectural gems.
The afternoon spent on the open lawns before the iconic Tour d’Eiffel will be forever ingrained in my memory. We arrived under a windy and partly cloudy sky about half passed two and found a nice spot by a fence with a clear view of the tower, planning to shoot a time lapse scene with our camera. I, rather naively it seems, planned to stake out here for just over an hour to have enough time for some good shots. As time progressed, we stood in awe while watching the clouds swirl about the international landmark as darkness began to fall. Realizing we should wait until the sky was pitch black to make the most of the time lapse, we continued to witness the mesmerizing transition as the lights came on and the search light mounted to its pinnacle spun brightly against the background of the clear night sky. Four hours after we arrived, we left thoroughly satisfied by the show on display before us and had been able to gather a rather stunning collection of photographs.
Another two of the more notable places we have spent some time are the grand park near the center of the city named the Jardin de Luxembourg and the Sacre-Cœur cathedral built on the top of a hill overlooking the city. The Luxembourg garden is a large park located before an elegant château, just off of the boulevard Saint-Michel and southwest of Notre Dame. A gathering place for tourists and locals alike, the park features a large oval pool filled with ducks, swans and small remote-controlled boats, and a field with a basilica that when the sun is shining resembles a sundial on the grass. Throughout the park are towering lines of trees to walk or sit beneath. Unfortunately, this late in the year we missed seeing them full of leaves, and instead found bare trunks and branches in perfect rows.
Although a large hill and a number of stairs are involved, the views of the city, as well as the Sacre-Cœur itself, are quite worth the hike. The brilliant domed towers of the cathedral sit atop the hillside in a most impressive manner. From within, each dome is decorated in such an ornate style as to leave viewers such as us, centuries later, in complete awe as we gaze to the ceilings of this old Catholic house of worship. The views offered outside from the stone balconies on the ridge of the hill present breathtaking views of Paris from above. Although we were unfortunate in visiting on a hazy day, we could still make out the city’s landmarks spotted across a sea of buildings and streets below.
My fellow international football fans will agree that no trip to Paris would be complete without witnessing the current, and likely repeating, French champions of the Paris Saint-Germain Football Club. As a soccer fan living in the United States, it does not do much justice to the game watching our American teams. Sure the San Jose Earthquakes occasionally show some skills, as does our national team, but nothing comes close to seeing, in person, the international superstars performing on the grand stage. We were fortunate enough to make it to two PSG matches during our stay here. The first was a league cup, sweet sixteen matchup against Saint-Étienne in which Edinson Cavani scored the knockout winning goal in the 119th minute of extra time. Then came the French Ligue 1 matchup against Lille where we witnessed the legendary Zlatan Ibrahimovic score from a brilliantly placed free kick in a 2-2 draw. Joining in the song and chants of the energized local fans at the Parc des Princes was a truly invigorating experience. Ici c’est Paris!
Among the Parisian destinations sought out by foreign tourists, the elegant château and massive gardens of Versailles, just a short distance outside the city, are of the most visited. Prior to the Revolution, Versailles served as the political capital of France during the eighteenth century and its excessively adorned palace offers a clear reminder of the riches afforded to kings such as Louis XIV. Ornately decorated with gold, paintings and sculptures, the château contains some 700 rooms within the expansive estate, allowing the old kingdom’s royal court, as well as the roughly five million annual modern day visitors, plenty of room to roam. The rectangular layout of buildings with an internal courtyard in the middle, common with the estates of the era, are certainly impressive. However, the enormous gardens beyond the château are what grabbed my attention the most.
Imagine your home sitting before a 2000 acre backyard filled with numerous fountains, a forest of trees, spiral-trimmed grass fields lined with precisely shaped shrubs, dozens of statues, and an immense set of canals in the shape of a cross. This paradise of estate grounds provided us with a great afternoon’s walk, following pathways around the canals while we watched ducks, geese and swans trifle about among the waters and grassy banks. Walking miles away from the tourist masses at the château, we were able to appreciate this chilly January afternoon with the scores of locals who utilize the park’s well maintained trails for their Sunday fitness routines.
It is clear to me that we have been offered the rare opportunity to interact and live amongst the locals in a manner which is not available to many. By staying here for an extended period of time and visiting these typically over populated destinations outside of the main summer tourist season, I feel that we have truly found a unique travel experience in Paris. This has also carried over to our excursions into the forested boulder fields of Fontainebleau. In striking contrast to the hustle and bustle of Paris, a wintertime exposure to the stillness and natural environment of flora and fauna within this region has been most therapeutic.
In late November and early December, we were extremely fortunate to visit Fontainebleau during the end of the autumn season. During our thirty minute walk from the train station to the boulder field, our dirt pathway passed through a beautiful stretch of forest and we were able to catch the vivid colors of leaves before the cold frost of winter brought them to the ground. The varying shades of yellow, orange, brown and green fell beneath clear, sunny skies. Looking back, our initial visits to the boulders during this time were the most pleasant of the trip, as we were able to enjoy the end of fall with its corresponding cool and crisp, yet dry and sunny weather.
As climbers, Noémi and I typically look for longer routes afforded by the height of large cliff bands, so we knew even before our arrival that our introduction to bouldering would demand a rather steep learning curve. As expected, the sandstone boulders in Fontainebleau, with their infamous slopey, lichen covered holds, took some time to get used to. After rather audacious plans to tackle some of the more difficult problems in the guidebook, we were immediately humbled by our lack of experience climbing unroped. Gradually though, after a few days of bouldering we started catching on to the local tricks of the trade and successfully climbed several routes, albeit at some easier grades than previously envisioned. As December drew towards a close and as the last of the perennial trees dropped their leaves, we began growing in confidence with our new bouldering skills and developed the courage to start pushing ourselves on harder problems.
The boulder problems are arranged via color coded circuits corresponding with various difficulties and are marked with small painted numbers on the rock. The easier yellow and orange circuits, mostly containing French bouldering grade 2’s and 3’s, are great for climbers new to the bouldering arena, and offer plenty of problems of which a slightly more advanced climber should be able to climb on-sight. Although they do not always require the same physical or technical strength of some of the more difficult grades, there are many orange problems that place the climber higher off the deck, requiring a strong mental aptitude and confidence. At the beginning of our time here, these orange circuits provided us with a solid foundation of the strength and technique required to succeed on these boulders. I would definitely recommend them to anyone looking to experience climbing at Fontainebleau for the first time, to avoid the frustration of gunning for the more challenging problems right off the bat. The blue and red circuits provide the next levels of difficulty, containing mostly grade 4’s and 5’s. As we began developing our sandstone skills, we felt an increased prowess towards these harder problems and were even rewarded with some successes on those we at first observed to be too challenging. The top level problems, reserved for those hardened bouldering souls, are denoted with black and purple numbers and encompass the grade 6’s, 7’s and even 8’s provided by this world class bouldering venue. Although clearly beyond my current abilities, it has been greatly enjoyable watching some of the local climbers tackle these challenges, often spending a whole afternoon standing beneath a single problem.
The logistics we have faced simply getting to and from the boulder fields has been almost as challenging as the climbing problems we face once there. From where we are staying in Brétigny, you could just hop in your car and arrive at the parking lot only a five minute walk from the boulders at any number of sites. However, as we are not lucky enough to be blessed with the ease of four-wheeled transportation, we must detour more than slightly with use of the trains and our fair share of walking. Since the trains that connect the outside country with the city of Paris only travel in the direction directly to or away from Paris, we are unable to make the direct shot towards Fontainebleau. Therefore, once we leave the house after breakfast, we walk five minutes to the station, take a train thirty minutes into Paris, walk fifteen minutes to another station, take a second train thirty minutes to a station near Fontainebleau, where an additional thirty minute walk at a brisk pace places us at the closest boulder field. All together, we turn a twenty minute car ride into a two hour mass transit affair. Once the sun begins to set and the coldness of evening takes hold, we get to enjoy this little excursion all over in reverse to return home. Now you may be thinking, is it really worth a four hour round trip commute just to climb some boulders? Well then I’d say, you’re damn right it is!
As much as we have grown accustomed to this timely approach, I would definitely recommend using a car for transportation to Fontainebleau, but for a different reason. The main disadvantage we have faced with not having a car here is our inability to explore many other boulder fields in this expansive forest. There are over twenty different sites for climbers to enjoy and most of them offer easy access with a parking lot just a few minutes walk from the rocks. As we are limited to those within a reasonable hike from the Bois-le-Roi train station, we have only been able to check out the boulders at Rocher Canon and Saint-Germain. Luckily though, these two excellent locations have offered us plenty of world-class problems to tackle over our two month stay in the region.
Unfortunately, we knew it was only a matter of time before our December sunshine would expire. Just as we were beginning to boulder at a higher level, the change of the seasons brought rain to the forest and an unclimbable dampness to the boulders. The majority of the rocks were simply too moist to place weighted feet upon without fear of slipping off. With the ringing in of the new year, so marked the end of our bouldering season in Fontainebleau. Without the ability to climb, we were at least afforded more time to spend days hiking about the forest and experiencing some of the other attractions within the area. Among these, most notably, was our visit to the famous château and gardens within the town of Fontainebleau.
Just one stop further along our train route places you in the center of the town of Fontainebleau. After a short walk through residential streets with old stone houses, we found a large wall marking the property line of the estate’s garden, which also serves as a well maintained park to the locals in town. As we passed through the wrought iron gates, our surroundings were instantly transformed from a residential neighborhood to an expansive natural space in a winter setting. Trees with their branches bare from the fallen leaves, great green fields of grass and a lengthy canal filled with ducks and swans all added to the tranquility of the atmosphere created within the walls of the park. As we strolled along the canal, we approached the gardens of the château where we enjoyed our lunch before a large fountained pond and the chateau’s two strikingly different buildings. On the left was the clearly older building of the two, its color pale and grey, heavily contrasted by the brightness of the newer and more recently restored one to the right. Elegantly surrounded by statues and sculptures, as we have become accustomed to seeing with French architecture, the great château of Fontainebleau served as a beautiful place to spend an afternoon and rest day away from the boulders.
Although quite strange to be so distant from our family and friends over the holiday season, we were fortunate enough to have some of Noémi’s family here in France to spend our time with. For the week over Christmas, Noémi’s sister was so kind as to invite us to share in the holiday cheer with her family near Aix-en-Provence. This trip also served as a preview to where we will establish our base camp for our springtime adventures throughout the South of France. In the previous couple of years, they have settled into a beautiful home built upon a hill rising over the small Provençal town of La Tour d’Aigues. Their home, overlooking rolling hills and valleys full with fields of vineyards, was to house their family of five, plus their two mothers, plus the two of us, for the week. The nine of us would have no problem living together as the house is quite spacious, with bedrooms and lounging space enough for each of us.
After our rather active first month in France, between racking up mileage walking the streets of Paris and the days spent climbing boulders, it was great for us to simply relax and enjoy the company around us. We did get out for some strolls to enjoy the fresh air of the countryside and the mysterious castle, in ruins since the Revolution, down in the village center. The three children provided entertainment as well as a reminder of the innocent joy of being a kid during Christmas. By far the highlight of the week for me was the constant delivery of enormously delicious, home cooked meals provided by our gracious hosts. These meals alone, along with the accompanying cookies, cakes and chocolates of course, provided a great source of contentment and reminiscence of what it is like to be home for the holidays. Although our week there was short, we will wait with eager anticipation of spending the upcoming spring months here in the countryside.
Round two of any holiday season is commonly associated with the champagne induced celebrations of bringing in the new year. As I am generally not one for big city partying, my typical New Year’s Eve parties have previously been at the homes of friends or at small neighborhood bars. However, toasting champagne with an impromptu party in the middle of the street of the world famous Champs-Élysées, beneath the glow of the Arc de Triomphe with thousands of other anxious Parisians, definitely tops my list of New Years shenanigans. Luckily the rain died down by mid afternoon, and we made our way towards the Champs-Élysées via the metro along with seemingly half the population of Paris. With a typically relaxed policy of drinking wine in the streets, I was, rather kindly at least, told by a police officer that drinking our champagne was in fact not allowed. After sneaking the last few gulps in a side alley and stashing our remaining bottle away, we squeezed ourselves into the thick of it on a street usually full of cars, yet now packed as far as the eye could see with partygoers. As the seconds counted down, the new year was introduced with the explosion of popping bottles all around. We strolled along the streets joining the partying and shouting “Bonne Année!” with the joyous crowd amongst us. After witnessing a police officer posing for a picture at the request of a man drinking champagne, we realized it was not the drinking in public that was illegal, as was now clearly on display, but the consuming of champagne before ringing in the new year that was frowned upon. Alas, c’est la vie, another lesson taught to us, Parisian style.
Before bringing the first portion of our trip to a close, we had ten days left to make our way north to visit Amsterdam, Lille and London. Unfortunately, with a much more northern latitude, we were welcomed with a plethora of cloudy skies, rain, wind and cold for most of the trip. Our style of tourism is difficult in the rain. We generally walk everywhere, seeing the city from outside, and spend very little money. It’s hard to stay motivated when your face is wet and your down jacket is soaked and you can’t find a covered space to eat the yogurt and apple you bought at the grocery store. But with waterproof pants and jackets, and by taking advantage of cafés and awnings, we still managed to walk miles every day and make the most of our travels.
We spent our four days in Amsterdam exploring the maze of canals and meandering through beautiful open parks. Although the city’s nightlife, with its to-each-his-own attitude of tolerance, is a major attraction for a great number of visiting tourists, those looking for something more natural will greatly enjoy walking through this beautiful city. Navigating the streets of Amsterdam requires a keen eye and quick body in dodging the endless supply of cyclists that make up the major means of transportation for locals and tourists alike. Greatly outnumbering cars and scooters, bicycles make their way by the hundreds along the city’s expertly designed network of bike lanes. The brick lined streets offer as much space for pedestrian and bicycle traffic as lanes for cars, and I cannot help but believe Amsterdam’s transportation layout serves as an excellent model for other cities dealing with traffic congestion and smog related issues. Our last night in the city we had beers at a pub with live music seven nights a week, watching a great jazzy cover band with a leader singer wearing Star Wars tights. And although the official language is Dutch, English is so commonly spoken that communication with locals was by far the easiest we’ve found since our arrival in Europe.
Before making our way to London, we decided on a two night stay in Lille where we would be able to take a train bound for the Chunnel. Perched just near the Belgian-French border, Lille hosts a quaint city center with both historic and modern sections. Unfortunately, throughout our short day and a half excursion, we faced a debilitating downpour of rain, even worse than in Amsterdam, and were forced to spend much of our time hiding in cafes and our hotel. However, we still managed to visit the enormous Citadel park and admired the beautiful architecture from the cobblestone streets. And after a less than desirable hostel situation in Amsterdam, we were very grateful to be blessed with a clean, private room with all the hot water shower time you could ask for.
As luck would have it, we found London with partly cloudy skies and enough sun to keep up our morale. Our first day we enjoyed lunch in a tiny restaurant built directly into the base of the Tower Bridge overlooking the river. London is not an easy place to visit on a tight budget, but at least we were able to stay with a friend’s cousin and forgo an expensive hostel. With incredible architecture and outstanding parks around every corner, there was plenty we could see in three days without spending much money. We were even provided with some urban adventure in simply crossing the streets of this foreign city, as we are completely incapable of understanding how a car can possibly navigate down the left side of the road.
London’s instantly most notable and striking difference from Paris is its incorporation of modern architecture with the cathedrals and buildings of a past era. The destruction of infrastructure during the World Wars in comparison to that of Paris is evident in its more modern revival and growth. London offers some of the most beautiful modern architecture I have seen, with peculiar shapes and angles of skyscrapers throughout. A walk down the Thames River offers a stunning perspective of the buildings and bridges, from the modern design of the London Eye to the classic beauty of the Parliament building and Big Ben. Between the maze of bustling streets and expansive parks, we managed to rack up some thirty miles of walking over the course of our three day stay.
As a huge fan of English Premier League football, the best possible conclusion to our trip up north came with a visit to the legendary Stamford Bridge and seats to a home game of my favorite team, Chelsea Football Club. As the stadium is not particularly large, even the seats up top offered us great views of the field and the players I have come to idolize. Although a frustrating match for a Chelsea fan, as we easily should have beaten the visiting West Ham United with so many chances on goal, I still enjoyed every minute of the 0-0 draw. It was a dream come true to witness the Blues in person at their home stadium, and served as a great finale to the first portion of our European excursion.
After what may have been the quickest yet best two months of my life, sadly this is our last night in Brétigny. By leaving plenty of room for alteration within our general travel plans, I think we have made great use of our time in this area. Our adventures in Paris and Fontainebleau may have come to a close, but my eyes have been opened to the joys of international travel and the importance of the immersion of oneself into a foreign culture. Balancing the similarities and differences between this culture and my own will continue to shape who I am as an individual and my relation to the world we live in. However, with the conclusion of one chapter, begins the adventures of the next. Tomorrow we pack up our bags, board a southbound train and continue on to our next destination. À bientôt et au revoir France, buenas diás España!
