Ballroom -- Palais de Compiègne (France)

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• published: 05 Dec 2011
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copyright 2011 Lisa B. Falour, B.S., M.B.A. all rights reserved LISA, INC. (EURL) cutecatfaith.com Compiègne is a lovely city Northeast of Paris, France. You can get there by train from Gare du Nord. The ride takes about 50 minutes -- the same as it did in the 19th century, via steam locomotive! So much for progress! About an hour and a half by automobile from Paris, Compiègne is worth an overnight stay or even a visit of several days. It is upscale and has a fascinating history. There is plenty to do and see here, and the central square defies description. I'll leave to you find out for yourself! The palace in Compiègne was one of three principle ones outside Paris, including Versailles and Fonatinbleau. Built on the site of a Medieval castle, it was finished only one year before the first French Revolution, in the 19th century. It has about a thousand rooms, and there is a car museum in it and other exhibits. The gardens are worthy of an entire day's visit. The hours are tricky and the famous apartments are not always open for tours. We were lucky to stumble upon one. If you are interested in the Empire period of France and Napoléon, this is a must see. His second, loveless marriage ("I have married a vagina!") is a focus here, and supposedly, he tricked his second wife a lot, insisting the "J's" all over the place (for Josephine, whom he divorced with regret for sterility -- she had two children from her first marriage only) were cornucopias and symbols of fecundity. Though not a fan of the Empire style, I still found this visit terrific, and there is a 5 km long alley leading up to the castle. Supposedly, Napoléon had it done for the second wife, a relative of Marie Antoinette, (the only real aristocrat he could find, I suspect -- no one wanted to deal with him) "overnight," but it took over five years. Supposedly to remind her of her properties in Austria, he may have found it convenient for returning from the hunt without having to travel through the city. I am available to facilitate your tourism or business trips to Paris and its environs. I packed us a picnic for this day away, and we also saw the Ourscamp Abbey (Cistercian). The forests around Compiègne are famous and lovely, and good for hiking and horseback riding. During hunting season is always a risk, however. While driving, accidents as large animals cross the roads are not uncommon. There are many deer, wild boar, fowl, hares, foxes, porcupines and other creatures here. Some wallabees are loose over to the West of Paris, also. No one knows how they got there. If you only stay in Paris, you miss a lot. I recommend spending at least one day outside the city. So much is available by public transportation, you don't even really need an automobile.