The chateau is in the heart of the town and so after a quick stroll from the crêperie, we were soon making our way along this long, wonderful tree-lined pathway...
Before too long we were standing in the entrance to the chateau grounds...
..and following this immaculate path.
We were passing in front of some beautiful flower beds when all of a sudden...
...we caught of glimpse of the chateau roof. At this point we were both really excited and it was all we could do to not start running!
We both approached the area in front of the chateau looking in the opposite direction in order to have the full impact of seeing the chateau on turning. It's easy to know when you're directly in front without even looking at the chateau because there are markers off in the distance.
So, with our backs to the chateau, we counted down together...
3....
2....
1....
and TURN!!
WOW!!!!!
Having enjoyed the gorgeous flower beds at the entrance, we realised that they were just a "starter"! The gardens in front of the chateau were even more spectacular - here's a taste...
Miniman was particularly pleased with this photo with the chateau as a backdrop. Not sure whether he was ready to accept that the "N"s on the chateau were for Napoleon and NOT Neil...
Further along, the pathways become plant-covered tunnels which provided some welcome respite from the sun.
With all that heat, even the statues look tired!
A girl has to keep her cool somehow!
We were simply bowled over by the sheer beauty of this place. The fact that it's so vast (and no longer the holidays!) meant that we had the impression that we were on our own.
Oh, and those flowers again...
So that's it for our day out at Compiègne! A pretty town, lots of nice restaurants and a gorgeous chateau.
Maybe next time we'll make it inside!!
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Another beautiful post! I'm so happy to have found your site. Love my visits here. I feel like I'm back in France. Thank you for sharing! ~ Sarah
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Sarah, your comment made worth doing the post ;-)
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