The daily diary of a wandering restaurateur In France
May 31 - Fontaine-Francaise

The town boasts a chateau, built in the 1700's on the site of a previous fortification. Voltaire was a regular visitor. The woods beside the chateau are lovely and dark. We wandered in on a little path and were pleasantly surprised to find a stone table and benches tucked in there. The complex on the right is in the village and has certainly seen grander days. It still seems to echo with the sound of long gone carriages.

These are some representative buildings within a block or so of the mill. The first is a barn. I was particularly intrigued by the split level to the right of the main door. I wonder if it was built that way so that wagons could be more easily loaded or emptied from the upper level. The remaining houses are directly across the street from each other, just off the main town square.

Welcome to the commercial district! Le Petit Casino is a small grocery store that has a bit of everything, including local wine for $1.50 a bottle! They do not sell bread, however. For that you have to go to the Boulangerie (there are two in town), one visible to the left of the monument in the middle of the square and the other around the corner. There are also two Charcuteries (butcher shops) in town along with a tabac (tobacco shop/newsstand), a barber/beauty shop, a post office and a few business offices. This is a far cry from the mall . . . and we like it that way!

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