This blog update is for June 14, 2013
I woke up kinda early because I wanted to go into town and spend my last day in Paris really in the heart of the city, or what I think of as the heart of the city. I hoped on the metro, because you know I can ride that all by myself now, and got off at what I thought was going to be the stop right by the Seine. Yah so maybe I am not as skilled at the metro as I thought because I came out, well I don't know where. My pride had stopped me from looking at my map or turning around and going back the way I came so I continued onward. However I just went back down the metro entrance that was down a little ways and finally found my correct exit. I thing I got the train part worked out finally it just the maze that the metro tunnels and platforms are that mix me up. Finally I went to where I wanted to go and grabbed my final neutella crepe and sat down to read my book in the park along the Seine and next to Shakespeare and Company. It was a relaxing morning and sorta confusing train ride back. But I don't think that I will ever get the hang of public transportation, it's just not my thing.
I woke up on the early side because that afternoon my group and I were heading out of town to Versailles. It was a very short tram and RER ride out there, shorter then you'd think about 25 minutes or so and you feel like you are hours away from the city. I didn't get to see much of the town but what I did was kinda quaint but not in the nostalgia way that I had expected. It seemed as though it was a town that happened to have a palace there not a town the revolved around the palace. The group and I approached the castle from the side but once we were in front of it I had to have a moment to take it all in. The castle only really stands three stories high but each story could probably fit two inside if it so you are looking as a deceptively large palace.
We had a wonderful tour guide that was very knowledgeable and insightful. Even though he palace is huge we were only allowed in a small portion of it. We got to look inside the chapel that was very extravagant and I wish we could have explored. We got to see the king's rooms which got more luxurious and exclusive as the further you went. His rooms were themed after Roman gods (maybe Greek, I don't remember) those gods were the same ones that the planets were named after so there was a Mars, Venus and Jupiter room along with others. I liked the rooms expectantly the ceilings because that was where all the gorgeous art work was. Just like everywhere else historical in France you have to look up in order to see the beauty in the room. There were large paintings of the gods the room was in honor of and propaganda for the king as well. I was impressed with the king's chambers but my jaw dropped when I was the Hall of Mirrors.
The famous Hall of Mirrors is truly breath taking. The mirrors themselves are alright not totally impressive seeing as the mirrors aren't the good at being mirrors but the view out the windows and the ceiling is what made the room for me. The windows mirror the mirrors and the sunlight streams in and bounces of the mirrors and lights up the room. Looking out the windows on the sprawling grounds was incredible. A mixture of natural looking trees and perfectly manicured lawns and hedges with fountains and pools of water would have been amazing to have as a back yard. The room had gorgeous low hanging chandeliers that reflected the natural light as well. Looking further up there was the intricately painted ceiling that you could spend days looking at and still wouldn't see nor understand everything. I took some time wandering around and just gaping at the grandeur of it all. I also thought of the great men who sat here and signed the Treaty of Versailles that ended World War I and what they must have thought siting were I stood almost a hundred years ago.
The Hall of Mirrors then led us into the queen's chambers. My favorite room was the bedroom. I loved the bright floral print and the larger more comfortable looking bed. Her rooms were not named after any gods if I can remember correctly but seemed to be more based on the royal family. I can say the same things about the majesty of the rooms and the extravagance that the royal family lived in but you can just scroll up a little and see that in the kings part. We had to rush through the queen's chambers because the palace was closing. It was six o'clock by then so we decide it was time to find subsidence so we walked into town and had food. I had a three meat platter that included pork, veal and steak with fries. It was quite good once I got ketchup.
We then went on to the grounds of the palace for the light and firework show that was to start at 9 pm. I would equate the show it a warped version of the Renaissance Festival since people came dressed up in 18th century clothing but not everybody did and there was no rides or period food so it was sorta like that but not. It was cool seeing the period people walking around and it was cool walking around the grounds of Versailles. There was a spectacular fireworks show at the end and we saw most of it on the grounds but some of it we saw as we rushed to the metro to catch the last train into the city. We said goodbye to our professor there and I really do hope that is not the last time I see her or the last time I get to speak to her. She was a wonderful professor and I could not have asked for a better educator and I wish that I could go again next year and all the rest of the years but I can't. Yet I know that that train ride into the city back to the campus will not be the last train ride I ever take in Paris, I will go back.
Jusqu'à demain,
Bisous Janice
Look at what I found
Ceiling in the Hall of Mirrors
View out of the Hall of Mirrors
The queens bed
View of a side garden
It's hard to take pictures of fireworks
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