Day Seven or the One Who Built It All

Trip Start Jun 20, 2012
1
7
9
Trip End Jun 30, 2012


Loading Map
Map your own trip!
Map Options
Show trip route
Hide lines
shadow

Flag of France  , Île-de-France,
Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Today we visited the Palais du Versailles, one of my favorite experiences in Paris.  I love French history during the period of Louis XIV's reign through the Revolution and Napoleon; seeing the places that relate to this period in person is my favorite part about visiting Paris.  For this reason, I chose to take a guided tour with Nick through the Palace, but, unfortunately, I do not think that we had the best experience.  The Palace was extremely crowded today, making it hot, difficult to see the different rooms, and a challenge to photograph.  I also do not have many compliments for our tour company, but despite these issues, it was still an excellent morning.  It's been exactly 14 years since I was last in Paris (half my life!) and Versailles is much larger than I recollected, but just as grand.  Currently, throughout the Palace there are various works of modern art that, I believe, are interesting to look at in the context of Versailles.  Louis XIV was France's longest reigning monarch and lived for so many years that he was able to thoroughly transform this former hunting lodge
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
.  He reigned for 72 years (nearly a century!), coming to the throne at the age of 4 and outliving even his grandchildren,much of his life is reflected in the art throughout Versailles.  As such an active monarch, both militarily and as a patron of the arts, Louis is remembered as the One Who Built it All (of the 18 Louis who ruled France).  He was the first of the three last Louis leading up to the Revolution, remembered as the One Who Built it All (Louis XIV), the One Who Enjoyed it All (Louis XV, the party king, known for his 100+ mistresses, including Madame Pompadour), and the One Who Lost it All (Louis XVI, executed during the Revolution, husband of Marie Antoinette).  

After touring the Palace, Nick and I were able to spend awhile walking around the gardens.  It was a beautiful day, though somewhat hot.  It's amazing how various the climate is here!  Two days ago it was in the 50s and raining.  Today it was in the mid to high-80s!  Anyhow, the gardens are lovely, as you can see, and also contain many works of modern art.  The fountains were not on during our time there, but they do fountain shows and I'm sure they are pretty awesome too.  You cannot come to Paris without visiting Versailles.

Going back to our tour guide, I was hoping the hear various in-depth and fascinating stories about the Palace and its occupants, but, unfortunately, I do not think that I learned anything new today
View from Breakfast
View from Breakfast
.  I would recommend taking the audio guide if you visit.  I'm sure that it is plenty informative and you can go at your own pace.  It also saves a lot of money as guided tours tend to be a little pricey, and based on my experience today, I'd say they are over-priced.

After Versailles, Nick and I enjoyed a nice French lunch.  I guess that I haven't raved about sandwiches in France yet, but they are so yummy!  I love sandwiches anyway, but the baguettes in France are unparalleled for their deliciousness.  Also, if you haven't been here, something good to know is that the French use butter as a condiment.  A typical sandwich (mixte in French) consists of baguette, ham, cheese, and butter.  You can't go wrong.  Crepes are also delicious and highly recommended.

Following lunch we headed back to the apartment for a nap.  The sleep deprivation is really catching up to us and Nick had a little bit of work to take care of in the early evening.  After this, we headed over to Cave a Bulles, a French craft beer store, where we had a great time talking to the owner.  We sampled a Dutch licorice stout that was really quite nice and he was a sincerely friendly, helpful person--a rarity in Paris.  We enjoyed some beer banter and he recommended a few bars as well as a place to go for dinner.  We followed his advice and enjoyed some great French craft beer and food with a friend of mine and her boyfriend, who happened to be in Paris too. 

Today was pretty relaxed and I feel that just as I am starting to feel at ease in Paris, we will be getting ready to leave soon.

No specific plans for tomorrow, other than enjoying our last day in the city before heading back to London.

Bon soir! 
 
Slideshow

Use this image in your site

Copy and paste this html: