Orleans was a bust

But I was determined to go there so it was worth it.  For some reason I had in my head that I wanted to see the Orleans that New Orleans was named after.  I enjoyed New Orleans so much that I figured that the original Orleans had to be as nice.  And, Joan of Arc lived here, so it was also a historical place.....but we couldn't find her house.  We took the "scenic" route out of the city and it turned out to be not so scenic.  Not all of Paris is beautiful, but I will say that even in the worst neighborhoods there was no garbadge on the streets.  We are wondering if 2 things contribute to less garbadge (1) this is a dine in vs take out society....although we have seen a few Starbucks (even one on our street), you just don't see people walking around with cups and (2) there are very few plastic bags..most stores don't give you a bag...you have to bring your own.  Anyway, I digress...

Our trip to Orleans was longer than anticipated so by the time we got there we were already kind of tired and we couldn't quite find the "centre" so we never really saw anything interesting.  It actually seemed like a depressed area....although there were old buildings, the vibe seemed very "tired" and depressing.  So, we found our way out of Orleans (which took a while) and embarked on our next destination...Fontainebleau. 

Again, we decided to take the scenic route, but we mostly saw industrial areas and miles of vast farming fields.  It was very pretty, but not as enjoyable as going through charming towns.  Although we went through some small towns, they were nowhere near as charming as Normandy.

We couldn't find a place for lunch or even a boulangerie, so we ended up stopping at a rather sad looking grocery store for baguettes (which were actually quite good).  This was a good experience because it brought you back to reality that not all of France is perfectly beautiful....every place has not so nice places. 

I was ready to go back to the city, but Joe thought that since we made it this far we might as well try to get to Fontainebleu and I'm so glad we did!  Arriving in Fontainebleu was like an oasis.......a very charming town that was quite big...much bigger than we thought it would be and at the centre of town is a castle inhabited by French rulers including Napolean.  By the time we got here it was already getting late and Joe was tired from driving so he "negotiated" a plan.......let's just drive through and we can come back another day.  At the time I thought it was a great plan (since Fontainebleu is close to Paris) so I didn't even take any pictures, but now I realize that it's unlikely that we will go back this week.  So, Fontaineblue will have to wait until a future vacation. 

We made it back to the city much more easily than the other day since it was still daylight.  We were so happy to get back and think the next time we move the car will be when we leave on Sunday for the airport. 

We rested a little and changed and went to dinner at an Italian place in the neighborhood (which was just ok...we won't go there again) followed by a walk and dessert at a crepe place. 

Overall, it was a good day and like I said when I started this entry......I was determined to go to Orleans so we would have ended up there no matter what. 

My advice to future travelers....stick to visiting New Orleans in the US!