I began my trek to Versailles, at 7:45am. A busy time for Parisians, most of them are headed to work around this time, and my neighborhood was a bustle of activity. The smell of fresh baked bread was in the air as I made my way to the metro. Getting to Versaille was no easy task. I had to take three trains to get there and in total would travel about an hour. My final train was one of those double decker, the kind where as a kid you would beg for your family to choose to sit up there. I did sit up there. I wanted a better view of the city sprawling out in all directions around me, and I was not dissapointed. Once leaving the city center behind, we entered the "Ghetto" this is some pretty upscale ghetto housing if you ask me, everything was a pristine white or a bricked facade. There was laundry hanging from lines and elderly people sat enjoying each other's company. The gentle sway of the train was lulling and I found myself drifiting into a day dream, one that I've had often since arriving in France, of me walking down the Champ-Elysees, dressed much like Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast At Tiffany's, carring a criossant and sipping un Cafe Creme, someone approaches me why its a tourist and they are lost, I tell them in perfect french how to get where they need to go, but alas they do not understand, so I articulate in English and laugh with joy as they walk. I find myself sighing with pleasure as we amble on towards Versailles. I am hoping that by arriving early I will be missing the mass amounts of tourists that make this a not miss on their vacations too. I exited the train in Versailles town just a short 10 minute walk from the Chateau, outside of the station I ran smack dab into a Starbuck's "what the heck" I think to myself, "that certainly wasnt here 200 years ago". It was however a welcome sight, after 5 days of French coffee, which is much weaker than our American version, I was in desperate need of a Grande Carmel Macciato, I vowed to stop on my way back to the train. I made my way towards Boulavard De Paris the street the Chateau was on, turning a corner I glanced away into the distance, even from this far I could see the Palace, it's gold adornments glittering in the morning sunshine. The French love their opulance, and use any chance they can to prove to the rest of the world just how rich and awesome they are. And the Palace of Versailles is an excellent example of that. Built by Louis XIV it quickly became the center of the French government, and is famously where Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette were taken prisioners by revolutionary's. Approaching the palace you are simply blown away by the sheer massiveness of it. It is huge, and outlined with gold everywhere.
There were not that many people in the court yard so I thought my theory had been proven correct, that was until I entered the Grand Apartments, ahhh so here was where they were all hiding. It was a slow shuffle from room to room, all of us elbowing each other and pointing camera's over each other's heads in an attempt to get a good picture. The luxury was everywhere, every square inch of this place was covered in paintings, and furniture (not all of it true period pieces, the revolutionary famously ransacked the place to oppose the distance between the rich and the poor)
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This is the ceiling and balcony of the Chapel that
resides in the palace, I don't think I would be able to
concentrate on the sermon, I would be too busy staring at
the ceiling, although they may think I was talking to God |
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Everyroom's ceiling was painted with a different facade,
most all of them showing France's superiorness to all
others. |
The most famous of all the rooms in this Palace however, is the hall of mirrors and let me tell you it was spectacular.
The room seems to go on forever, picture this room being built during a time when mirrors were still a new thing, and these were some of the largest made at the time. After the slow shuffle through the rooms of the Chateau, I was eager to get out into the Gardens and have a walk around. The grounds of Versaille are enormous, they not only contain the Palace, but the gardens, the grand canal, a summer home and the seperate apartments of Marie-Antoinette. To walk from the Palace to the Summer home, which is situated on the back corner of the grounds (the better to escape the the horridness of royal life), takes a full 40 minutes, without stopping. Out in the gardens it was serene and I could imagine young Louis the XV froliking among the orange trees and shurbary. I continued on along the grand canal, which Lousi XIV had constructed to resemble the canals in venice, complete with gondaliers and all.
I walked and walked, finally stoping for a Crepe (#5) and a bottle of water. I sat on a bench near the canal in the cool of the shade. I couldn't help but imagine what life must have been like here. Everyday was a party, a reason to celebrate something. But you could never really tell who your allies where, or your friends for that matter. And if you were a woman, even your husband could be your enemy, if you didn't produce an heir in due time. After that short reprieve, I made my way towards the summer home, which was just as opulant but done on a much smaller scale. I walked through tree lined dirt walkways, heard the birds singing and experinced my first moment of homesickness. Most of the time I enjoy being alone(because let's face it I find most people annoying), in NY I have no problem going to the bookstore or to the movies by myself, but I wanted to share this with someone, so I could express just how I was feeling in that exact moment, the relaxation and contenment and my feeling of belonging. The feeling didnt last long, when I was almost run over my a golf cart. You can rent these ugly little green golf carts to cart your butt around the gounds, but beware if you venture off the designated route, they turn off. After meandering around the grounds for two hours I headed back to the main Palace, another 40 minute walk, headed to the gift shop (the final stop for all tourists) and made my way towards the exit. I stoped to get a pebble out of my shoe and noticed a mass of people behind me, also stoped. Hmmmm, was I being followed, I decided to test out the theory. I took two large steps to the right, and sure enough they followed. I continued on towards where I thought the exit was making a ziz zag pattern as I went, I zigged so did they, I zagged so did they. I was the leader and they were my sheep. They must have all thought I knew where I was going, when in fact I was following the lady with a blue and white stripped shirt ahead of me. She must have had the same sense of direction I did, before we knew it we were all lost. Finally I spotted a sign for the exit "Sortie" in French (see my French is getting better!) My lambs followed me through the exit and towards the train station. Suddenly spoting the station my Lambs lost all sense of order and hurried to overtake me, quickly leaving me in the dust, I stoped to pick up my grande coffee and just had enough time to see the lambs amble onto the train and occupy every last available seat, leaving me to stand for the entire 30 minute ride back into Paris. It's always the leaders that have to suffer in the end. 50 minutes later I was snuggly back in my apartment. As I sit writing this ,grey storm clouds are gathering in the sky. The weather report called for 4 days of rain out of the 9 I am here, so far it hasn't rained once (it drizzled a little the day I was up the Eiffel Tower but it only lasted 5 minutes or so). I am about to head down to the grocery store to pick up some things for dinner and plan to spend the evening reading and drinking some wine, a luxury after a day spent surrounded by Luxury of the highest kind.
I stood and waited, and viewed the city, the whole of Paris was at my feet. Suddenly the sky was filled with thousands of glittering lights, like shooting stars preparing to take off. I couldn't speak, I couldn't think, I could barely breath. It was something I had dreamed of seeing for so long, and here I was viewing it. It filled me with such joy. Everyone in the vicinity of the Tower stops when she puts on her show, to give her the due attention she deserves. It lasts for a mear five minutes but the memory of it, will last me a lifetime. The first time I saw the lights of the Eiffel Tower. I meandered around the Eiffel Tower for another 45 minutes or so and then made my way slowly down to ground level again. Hoping to watch the lights again, this time from the ground level. There were people everywhere, and not just tourists but Parisians as well, this is a weekend hangout, they bring a picnic and some wine and sit and wait for the show. 
