[May 2026] In Moret-sur-Loing, France, we had lunch at a crepe shop by the river.
The restaurant was called La Poterne.
Apparently, there are roughly two types of crepes: sweet ones are called crepes, and savoury ones are called galettes.
And what we had this time was a galette.
Because the base is made with buckwheat flour, it’s a darker colour than a crepe.
I had a galette with ham and brie, and my husband had a galette with horse meat and Emmental cheese.
I don’t remember it being incredibly delicious, but I thought it was perfect as a light meal.
Incidentally, our friends said that it’s a tradition to drink cider with galettes, so we ordered some cider as well.
Cider is a sparkling apple wine.
It was served in ceramic cups, and we poured it from a jug into them.
I looked it up, and apparently it’s a cup called a “bolée.”
I wasn’t surprised because I’ve had cider in England before, but it seemed like it was my husband’s first time.
He didn’t seem to like it very much, and only drank a little.
After lunch, we returned to Fontainebleau and finally went to see the palace.
I say “finally” because the last time we visited, the entrance fee was so high that we backed out.
However, this day was the first Sunday of the month.
It was a day when entry was free.
My friend had kindly secured tickets for us.
However, we were pressed for time, so we mostly just hurried through, but I was satisfied to get a sense of what the place was like.
The decorations in each room were quite elaborate, and to my taste, they were almost excessive.
The bedrooms, in particular, were so over-decorated that I think you’d have nightmares if you slept there.
Furthermore, perhaps due to the rather gloomy weather that day, the overall impression was rather sombre.
Apparently, 34 kings and 2 emperors lived in this palace from the 12th century until the time of Napoleon I.
My friend showed us an interesting fountain in the garden.
I wondered what it was, and it turned out to be a fountain designed to look like a dog peeing.
The French royal family certainly had quite kitschy tastes.
