Chateau de Pierrefonds

 

Painting of chateau de Pierrefonds

Right into the 15th century we rode our metal ponies up to this storybook castle and came to rest next to the steeds of knights in shining armor.

 Drawbride entrance to castle

 

Inside courtyard with knights and gargoils at Pierreonds

Stairway up to chambers    Superior Middle Ages statues

 

Viollet-Le-Duc architecture

 

Renaissance period statues

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ceiling facades

 

Constructed in the 15th century, dismantled in the 17thcentury, then rebuilt at the order to Napoleon lll, Pierrefonds is a brilliant interpretation of the style of the Middle-Ages and the Renaissance period by the architect Viollet-Le-Duc.

Open portal of defence

Drawing of chamber from Renaissance period

Inner chamber today

Okay, I am getting carried away.   But I can dream.  And so we followed a group of little French school children through the castle and delight in their awe of reliving these Renaissance times, dressing up like kings, queens and surfs.

French school children in castleSchoolchildren inside fireplace in chambers

Then stepping back in to the past inside the huge fireplace behind the castle walls.

Chateau du Pierrefonds is a lesson in military and palatial architecture showing the completed defense system of a fortified castle to the luxurious seigniorial life.

But we must keep our priorities, our dreams confined to reality and move on.

Street in Pierrefonds with horse patrols

Lake in middle of Pierrefonds

Village of Pierrefonds with castle in background

And so we bike past the still waters of the lake following the real horses out of town with just a glimpse back at the little village of Pierrefonds with its fairytale castle dominating the skyline.

Agricultural fields and rolling hills

We headed out on a nice narrow two lane road through miles of knee high green wheat lined with blooming wildflowers. They went on forever and the view expansive. Up and down we went over the rolling hills.

Wildflowers by roadside Variety of flowers lining the roads

 

This is the way the GPS takes us and we find the ‘D’ roads on the google maps with a low number are rideable, with only a few cars and no shoulder. The ‘C’ roads are more like little paved lanes and the ‘N’ roads big highways.

Village of St. Etienne among kale fields

We rode through little villages, this one St. Etienne Roilaye, in French Etienne means Steve, so we thought this just might be the way with all it’s fields of kale, so healthy with the smell of fresh turned earth.

Small hamlet of Pouy Steve checks toursit map

But Pouy, we are lost.  Steve takes my advise and opens a map for the first time leaving the GPS on standby.  While trying to figure out our route I see off to my left a statue in the bushes.  Somehow it seems right to carry on.  While Steve finds it sometimes hard understand my intuition he learns that Lessons can be Long.

Religous statue at crossroads Entry to small villages always picturesque

In France everything closes down between noon and 2PM including the grocery stores.  We watch for lots of cars parked in the little towns and that is where we find usually the one place serving the Plat de Jour or plate of the day.  But this day we were not to find any place open and so it was a picnic day.

Steve picnicing beside trail Steve big decision to cross the corn field

Oh but how quick it can turn.    I did learn on my first bicycle trip with Steve that I could not give him all my thousands of miles of experience…..he had to find out on his own……and it takes me along.  I have been through many experiences now….twice!   He saw a biker on a track further over, with a corn field in between.

Gayla's bike full of mud Steve wheels both bikes out of corn field

He took off across the corn field, me reluctantly following.  It was sandy soil and by the time we got half way, our trailer wheels were bogged down to the hub caps…if there were any…and our shoes were carrying globs of mud and sand to the point we could not move.  We turned around and headed back.  I was a bit upset but probably not as much at the farmer who will find our tracks, bike track, foot prints and two trailer wheel crevasse in the middle of his field.  I should imagine he might think it a form of Crop Circles.

Trail next to abandoned railroad Pascal the biker leads points the way

But we were on the track the GPS showed as the way along a rail line but when a biker came up behind us Steve decided to just make sure.  He looked my my Canadian friend Frank so I had complete confidence.  He warned us about the Romanian prostitutes in the middle of no where, up ahead at a crossroads, but assure us we were on the right path.

Romanian prostitute waits for truckers Cycle trail signs

At the end of the trail we did find the sign that, yes, we had taken the right road although it did not mention it was a horse trail.  So at the end of the day we found ourselves following the path into the campground.

The GPS horse track

    We picked up a roasted chicken at a nearby grocery, put it under our net on the back of the muddy bike and headed for the nearest camp ground.  Fortunately it had an area for washing camper vans.
Steve  reluctantly volunteered to wash the bikes.

  Roasted chicken on back of bikeThe muddy bikes

 

 

 

 

 

Steve ponders dinner and future

While some are fairytale days there are those that take us back to reality.
On this day, eating our roasted chicken on the back of our trailers, exhausted and dejected….Steve was not a happy camper.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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One thought on “Chateau de Pierrefonds

  1. Wow what an adventure that you two are having. Tomorrow will be better Steve, promise. You do look dejected in the photo. That boat is right around the next corner, but don’t tell Gayla I know she wants to ride forever.
    Hugs to you both. That is a trip that I would love to do one of these days.

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