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Day One of Paris 2006 - Louvre Day Two - Versailles Day Three (Part One) - Île de la Cité Day Three (Part Two) - Petit Palais and Napoleon's Tomb Day Three (Part Three) - Arc de Triomphe Day Six - Paris - Montmartre, Eiffle Tower and more Our March 2006 visit to the town and palace of Versailles did not begin well. Two perfectly good credit cards were unacceptable at the ticket window, Cary wandered off and I had to seek him out to get cash, losing my place in a the long line of disapproving fellow travelers. By the time we arrived at the Versailles train station (take any train with a V), it was lunch time, so we had a pretty terrible meal at the McDonalds across the street, which only had strawberry milkshakes. (As always, I needed chocolate.) Still, the restrooms were clean. We exited left from McDonalds and walked a few blocks in a light drizzle. Another left turn brought us face to face with the château, more or less. We walked several more blocks, skirted lots of improvement in progress, and there it was. Yowza. front view of the chapel
chapel interior - second floor
We wandered around the considerable front of the palace until we found the proper entrance for those who had previously purchased Cartes Musées-Monuments, which meant we got in free.
royal bed
column
hall
hall
throne
Though they are mostly stripped of furniture, the rooms of Versailles, often named after classical gods and goddesses, are quite incredible, with painted ceilings a specialty. see Jill's Paris for more about the history of the Hall of Mirrors The famed Hall of Mirrors was only half visible as the rest of it was being restored, but the mirrors themselves were disappointing because of their plain copper frames.
portrait of Marie Antoinette Some sections of the palace are more ornate than others, but the corridor beyond the beautiful chapel, while simple, displays statues and busts of many French rulers and notables thanks to King Louis Philippe. Louis Philippe was a member of the Bourbon family that had been kicked out of office when Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette's husband, had his head whacked off during the French Revolution.
Louis XIV, builder of Versailles Louis Philippe, restored to power until he himself was overthrown in 1848, very graciously preserved Napleon's throne and several portraits. Don't miss the painting of Napleon and his coronation in which Napoleon had his mother painted in after she choose to boycott the ceremony. Madame Mère disliked the idea that her immoral daughter-in-law, Josephine, was being crowned Empress of France. view detail of this painting see The Bad Bad Merovingian Kings of France and Louvre Museum for more photos of statues of French Kings Today's Versailles features minimal public restrooms, which cost 50c, but the original plans did not. Courtiers routinely used the staircases for this function. We didn't notice any lingering stench because we visited the palace in March, but apparently the heat of summer brings out memories best forgotten. The park surrounding Versailles is enormous. We opted to spend €28 to rent an electric cart for an hour. We careened around the grounds in the rain, catching a glimpse of the Grand and Petit Trianons (miniature châteaux), fountains without water and a irate woman walking one of the world's fattest cats. In the summer, you can rent boats or simply stroll the grounds. We ended our self-guided tour with a special exhibit, Splendors from the Heart of Saxony. This cost an additional €6 each (late admission price after 3:30) and was well worth it, although we may have been able to get in free with our museum passes - we forgot to try.
I had assumed very little of historical value survived the Allied bombing of Dresden during World War II. This city was the capital of Saxony - in eastern Germany today - which was turned into a celebrated treausre house by Augustus the Strong [1670 -1733], Elector of Saxony and twice King of Poland. Augustus was a collector of all things bright and beautiful, so we got to see his crown, his throne, a sled to die for, some trend setting porcelain [Augustus' passion], major weapons and incredible jeweled objects.
As we walked back to the train station in the center of town in the rain, our daughter, Caryn, declined to wear her cheap [and not stylish] plastic poncho and got soaked. Nevertheless, she managed to buy a T shirt at the corner shop. Next door, at Best of Versailles [10, Avenue du Général de Gaulle], I discovered high end souvenir heaven where they carry contemprary Limogés porcelain and beads that start at €6. Since I had stocked up in the official Versailles gift shop, I was able to resist the porcelain, but the owner and her assistant are delightful. I would love to go back with a full wallet. Our train ride back to Paris ended at the Hotel ABC [4, rue Abel Truchet], where we booked a room with the help of the Hilton Arc de Triomphe concierge. This was for daughter Jill and her two friends, Amber and Sari, as their lodging at the Hilton would have broken the bank. The proprietor attempted to raise the rate from the agreed €60 per night and called me what might have been a racist term of endearment, but wasn't, in French, plus the room was dirty. We do not recommend this hotel, but Madame was a hoot and a contrast to Hilton staffers Brenda, Raquel, Tony, Samire and so many others [except the maid who threw away our wadded up plastic bag-looking ponchos]. Cary, Caryn and I were staying free on Hilton Honors' points, but while they couldn't accomodate three more guests in our room, they treated us like royalty. |
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shoes in the palace gift shop 
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