The Magical Forests of Fontainebleau: Paris’s Natural Escape

 

Some places seem to be tenderly disengaged with the general hurly and burly of day-to-day life, and the Forest of Fontainebleau is one such place. It is only an hour away in Paris, but as soon as you arrive, the city seems like a miracle. That is how the forest makes you want to slow down and breathe more deeply and have a gentler attitude to the world.

I came to Fontainebleau on a Sunday morning, half asleep, from Paris. I had gone out with a little snack in the bag and with a mere vow to myself that I was going to work at a slow pace. No compulsion to observe anything. No strict trail to follow. Just some few hours when time does not run after me.

 

Side note: For a stress-free travel experience, be sure to book Airport Parking Stansted.

 

The moment I entered the woods the air was different. The atmosphere was colder, clearer, and there was the odor of wood and fresh earth. Great pines grew over my head like wise sentinels and the gritty ground cushioned each tread. I felt the burden on my shoulders lifting, which had not been the case in a very long time.

 

Each of the paths showed something varied. One road led across great heaps of rock which appeared to have been left there by the old giants. The other avenue led into one of the sunny clearings where the light broke through the leaves in shining rays.

 

A band of climbers went past laughing at each other. They were happy as the forest resounded with their happiness.

 

When I eventually walked back to the train station I was feeling much lighter than I had almost forgotten was possible. Nothing in my life had been altered but something within me was somehow back to zero.

 

Fontainebleau brought back to my memory something simple and significant. All we sometimes want is a kind of place where we can stop and take a breath.