As you can see, we spotted our first bonafide Parisian bakery this day. Unfortunately we were in a rush so we didn't get to stop =(Our first stop was officially Versailles, but we had some mishaps on the train so we technically had about 5 stops at random train stations before arriving at Versailles. The train line out to Versailles was a little tricky and we hadn't quite figured out the tricks to the system yet. Add to that too many people trying to lead (my big mouth included) and you get a big mess. But we finally arrived at Versailles and it was well worth it. We studied Louis XIV and Versailles quite a bit back in my high school days at Covenant Classical but it was truly unreal the opulence that Louis and Marie Antoinette lived in. There was marble EVERYWHERE! And statues. And fine silk. And ginormous framed art. One gallery they have set up is about 3 rooms completely filled floor to ceiling with nothing but massive paintings of Louis, that he had commissioned himself, of course.
The gardens were beautiful as well. Because France is 10-15 degrees cooler then here on average, their blooming schedules are a couple months behind us. The gardens didn't have much if anything in bloom yet and the fountains were turned off. But the landscaping that is maintained year round is gorgeous. Walking around on the pebbled paths made me feel like I could be in a Jane Austin movie.
After Versailles, we headed back into the city to see the d'Orsay Museum, which houses more modern art than the Louvre. By modern, I mean more recent than thousands of years ago; it was still classic pieces of art. I loved seeing Van Gogh's art in person!
Wall art at Versailles
The fireplace in Louis XIV's bedroom
Looking out at the gardens
The Hall of Mirrors, this is where the Treaty of Versailles was signed that ended WW1
A rather intricate globe once owned by Louis' son, the crown prince
Greg loved this fountain, it's covered with fish and turtle statues
This is how I spent most of my time on the trains
At the d'Orsay Museum - The Bedroom by Van Gogh(I have to give Kristie credit for all of the d'Orsay pictures, her battery died and I was tired of taking pictures so she used my camera)
by Monet
by Kristie
Back out on the streets
4 comments:
Great pictures! I vaguely remember reading about some of those places from high school History classes way way back when.
BTW, I love your music choices on the blog.
I like the picture of you sleeping.. with sneaky Greg in the window.... AWESOME!
Love, Love, Love the pictures! Thanks Hilary!
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