Church and State

Here is another view of the Château de Pierrefonds just outside of Paris. We paddled a giant swan around this lake (Actually Rick and Mac paddled and me and Chelsie sat in the back taking pictures and cracking jokes) and then enjoyed eating some wonderful crepes as we sat on a patio at the edge of the water. All this with relatively few tourists (besides us) to destroy the experience. Sorry Paris, I think I enjoyed the ambience of Pierrefonds better.

Merlins Stallion

Speaking of magic, welcome to the Château de Pierrefonds. This will be recognized by many as Camelot from the BBC TV series Merlin. This place was truly magical. My tip to all that travel: make time to visit areas that aren't on the must see lists for tourists. This place was far more magical than most places I visited in Paris. In Paris I didn't feel as free to soak in where I was because most sites have become mere spectacles overrun with throngs of other tourists trying to experience/share on social media pictures of themselves in front of/talk really loudly/etc. Here at Pierrefonds the few tourists we encountered were speaking french. We ate crepes on the edge of a lake with this large castle looming above. We then paddled a swan around the Lilly filled lake. Then we pulled out cameras and started to explore. The magic of Merlin was here.