Advertisement
Published: November 20th 2016
Tuesday - October 11 – Versailles – With the weather still very pleasant we decided to take short train trip to visit the Palace at Versailles. We sure are spoiled by the public transportation available here in Europe! When we got off the train with the flood of other people we wondered what it would be like to get around. We bought our tickets ahead of time online which definitely saved some time as we only had to go through the security checkpoint, rather than waiting in line to buy tickets. We chose Tuesday to visit as we found out on line that they have music with the water fountains and thought that would be interested to see and hear. When we got there we were going to go to the gardens first, but once inside it appeared that touring the Palace may be the best place to start. As always we get the audio guides as you are able to learn so much more with the ability to go at your own pace.
We knew that the summer Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia that we had visited was fashioned after Versailles and we could definitely see the similarity –
it was quite uncanny. I’ve got to take time later to pull out some of my old photos from St. Petersburg to check our memory on how similar they are.
When we entered the gardens we asked about the fountains and were told that none of them were functional today – so much for paying extra for the music and water fountains. They definitely did not provide any refunds for the extra charge – oh well… this is the downsize of ordering your tickets ahead – easy come and easy go…
The gardens themselves were still quite lovely; however, it was obvious that they were getting some of the areas ready for the cold weather that will be coming. They were moving some of the potted trees and turning over a few of the beds, but that did not take away from the overall beauty of the area. There are numerous formal gardens with plenty of statutes, fountains and walkways to explore. The fountains must be spectacular when they are all fully functional.
Versailles was a small village 12 miles from Paris when the chateau was built, but is now a wealthy suburb of Paris. Louis XIV
moved the royal court from Paris to Versailles in 1682 when it became the seat of political power in France. It continued here until October 1789 (3 months before the French Revolution began) when the royal family was forced to return to the capital of Paris moving the seat of political power back to Paris.
It started out as a hunting lodge built by Louis XIII in 1623, but it was enlarged into a royal palace by Louis XIV between 1661-1678. This was when 3 new wings were added to the original lodge, numerous fountains and statutes installed and the landscaping of the gardens took place.
A second phase of expansion occurred between1678-1715 which added two enormous wings to the palace and a terrace was replaced with one of the most famous rooms, the Hall of Mirrors, which overlooks the garden. A stable was added as well as the Grand Trianon. This small palace made of pink marble was built on the property as a place for the King to escape the formal pomp and ceremony of the Palace as well as to have an escape for his love affair with Madame de Montespan. The Grand Tianon was
constructed under the close supervision of Louis XIV which was largely influenced by Italian architecture. It is a one story structure with an open courtyard looking out over a formal garden. It was interesting to learn that the numerous plants (in the 1000’s) were planted in pots so that they could be moved daily to be able to create a colorful, fragrant and changing scene. Wouldn’t it be something to have the labor to do this every day in your garden?? Numerous royal members lived in the Grand Trianon including Louis XIV, his granddaughter the Duchesse De Bourgogne, the mother of Louis XV, his sister-in-law, the Princess Palatine, and his daughter the Duchesse De Bourbon. Louis XV had a small apartment here but lived in it only until another home, the Petit Trianon was completed. Napoleon Bonaparte stayed here numerous times with his wife as well as Louis-Philippe and his family starting in 1863. General de Gaulle restored its rooms to host guest of the republic of France, and it was also the General’s residence. Most of the original furnishings were dispersed during the French Revolution, but the current furnishings on display are from the First Empire. Throughout the numerous
renovations and change of residences the rooms changed purpose as well. They told us on the audio guide about the numerous rooms, who used them and for what purpose. As only one example a music room under Louis XIV was the room he ate his supper in, but Napoleon made it into an Officer’s room and then it became a billiards room under Louis-Philippe. It showed how royalty had their own priorities and changed the residence to fit their particular interest and needs. Guess it isn’t any different from royalty than the rest of us.
The one thing that did stand out in the Grand Trianon was of course the quality of the furnishings, but having been in other Palace’s, due to its subtle colors and numerous sitting areas with musical instruments and paintings on the walls, you could almost imagine it being a place that was a little warmer than most palaces and could be seen as a home. You could see how this could be a hide away from the formalities and responsibilities that needed to be dealt with in the main Palace.
Between 1762 and 1768 Louis XV decided to build a third structure called
the Petit Trianon to be used for his and Madame De Pompadour’s private use. A theatre was added in 1770 in time for the marriage of Louis-Auguste Dauphin of France to Marie Antoinette. After he became King Louis XVI he did not make many changes to the building, but gave it to Marie Antoinette for her use. She as queen made numerous changes to the interior and the gardens. This became Marie Antoinette’s place to entertain as she was known as a “free spirit” and wanted to continue to entertain her friends even if they might not be approved of by the royal family. She liked her privacy and as such she installed a very ingenious system of sliding mirrors which were dropped down into place to cover windows when she wanted her privacy. Quite an advanced system indeed. In the Petit Trianon the décor is much more moderate without the heavy amount of gold that is found in the main Palace. Here the walls have delicate plaster floral designs, the wall covering is of a mute color and the furniture is delicate. Marie-Antoinette loved to stay in this home and away from the pomp and ceremony of the royal
One of the First Fountains You See
from the Palace as you look toward the Grand Canalpalace.
During the French Revolution the royal family was forced to move to Paris in October 1789. After this occurred Versailles fell into disrepair and most of the furniture was sold. Napoleon in 1810 did some restoration work at Versailles as well as by Louis-Philippe in 1820.
We could have easily stayed longer as we didn’t get a chance to explore much of the gardens after exploring 3 Palaces, but with the grounds closing and our backs and feet realizing that it had been a long day, we figure we can always go back in the spring when we return to Paris and visit the gardens. Hopefully then all of the fountains will be working and the spring flowers will be in bloom.
Wednesday - October 12 – Another beautiful sunny day in Paris so of course we couldn’t stay on the boat – we needed to explore another area while the weather is still good. Today we decided to head up the hill to a section called Montmartre. It is an area famous for its association with artists such as Renoir, Degas, Picasso and Toulouse-Lautrec. It previously had been a hilltop village outside the city walls
Maintaining The Palace Gardens Must Be a Job
with these being only a small section of the gardens of Paris. It is now quite a popular tourist area with one of its attractions being the Sacré-Cœur Basilica. We knew that there was a tram that could take you up the hill, but we decided to climb the stairs to the top winding our way through some of the alleys on the way.
There is a large overlook just below the Basilica which was full of people looking out over the city of Paris. Unfortunately this morning it was hazy and the view was not that clear. Here as with all of the public places we visit you see numerous armed military as security. The first time you see them (they usually travel in groups of 3 or 4) with their gun in hand, it is a little un-nerving, but you get used to it and definitely understand the need for security in this day and age. Now you are actually happy to see them walking the streets and at public venues. If you do not see the military, then you see groups of national police with side arms at the ready. You also have to go through security of some sort, some better than others. Typically this
A Couple of the Fountains
unfortunately not working the day we were there means opening up your backpack or bag for them to take a cursory look, while other places actually use a “wand” over you as well.
We went into the Basilica and again did an audio-tape tour. This is a much more recent structure having been started in 1875 but not finished until 1914. The mosaics in the basilica are magnificent with the one over the altar being one of the largest in the world completed in 1923. It seemed that no matter where you looked there was another spectacular mosaic. The dome allowed light into the building so you could see the glimmering from the gold used throughout. You are able to climb up to the tower to get a better view of Paris, but with the haze today we decided to bypass this today.
We then wandered through the streets enjoying the artwork that was on sale. We were tempted by a couple of paintings, but weren’t ‘sold’ on them so didn’t buy this time. There are also plenty of artists willing to do a drawing of you on the spot – a few were being done and you could see they were quite talented.
It is an interesting and vibrant area of the city that we will have to go back to. We hiked back down and walked past the famous “Moulin Rouge”. Now this is not the only show in town and they appear to have quite a bit of competition. Definitely another pleasant day in Paris!
Saturday – 10/15 – Market - Anyone that has been following our blog knows by now that we enjoy going to the markets wherever we are. Paris is no exception. We went to Place d’Aligre that we found to be an excellent market and within easy walking distance. There is both an indoor and outdoor market with everything from flowers fruits, cheese, vegetables and almost anything else you would like as they also have a flea market on the side. On the same street as the market we found a bakery and they were putting out fresh hot bread! We bought one baguette and when we realized it was hot we went back for another as we knew we wouldn’t be able to stop ourselves from eating a good portion of one right away! It is great to find that such a good market is
The Famous "Hall of Mirrors" in the Palace
mirrors giving the illusion of a much larger room so close to the marina as we will definitely be going back.
Sunday 10/16 – A loosely planned day today. The only thing definite was getting to Saint Merry Church at 4PM for a piano and flute concert and finding a place to have our lunch outside as it was a beautiful warm day. Most of the day was determined by looking down streets and figuring out what looked interesting to explore. When we looked down one street we saw an archway that definitely beckoned us. We are glad we went through the archway as we found it opened up on the other side into Louis XIII Park surrounded on all sides by buildings. The name of this area we learned later was Place des Vosges. It was built by Henri IV between 1605-1612. It is a true square measuring 140 meters x 140 meters. It was part of the first European city planning program being a prototype for residential squares that were to become commonplace in European cities. The concept of having all of the buildings on the square the same was a new idea. It had been called Place Royale even though no royalty ever lived here.
Instead it became a residential area for the elite in the city. Now the park is well used and the surrounding buildings house numerous art galleries.
Another place we wandered into was Hôtel de Sully (hôtel is a private mansion) which was built between 1625-1630 by a financier. It is located next to the Place des Vosges – an exclusive place to be near at that time. There was a lovely area in front where many were soaking up the sunshine. With the weather so nice we decided it would be an excellent place for us to enjoy our picnic lunch. We really are enjoying the ability to have picnics outside in October here in Paris.
After wandering around the area we decided it was time to stop for a coffee and enjoyed a dessert crepe before heading to Saint Merry Church for a fabulous concert of piano and flute. The music that was selected demonstrated the range of the instruments and was amplified beautifully within the church walls. We were very pleased with both artists – they each did solo pieces as well as played a few of them together. What a great blending of these two
instruments.
Saint Merry Church was built between 1500 –1550. It has a wide side aisle on the south and the same layout as Notre Dame with a choir and nave of equal length. It is Gothic in style and as such tries to diffuse light throughout the building. In the 17
th C. this was improved by replacing some of the stained glass with clear glass. When you see the photos you will see some “clothes hanging from the ceiling”. We know it is an art installation, but as all of the information was in French we aren’t sure of the details.
When the concert was over we continued to wander through the streets finding more interesting places to see. One building that had been very controversial was the Pompidou Centre with its “internal workings” such as the duct work and its structural load located on the outside of the building. It houses the Museum of Modern Art and opened in 1977. It is located in an area with numerous centuries old buildings and the contrast is quite striking. Next door is the Forum des Halles which is an underground shopping centre that is in the same location of
the former Les Halles (covered market). A very modern shopping area replacing an older traditional market place.
While standing in at these 2 modern structures you can look out and see Saint-Eustace Church built between 1532-1632. Definitely a sharp contrast in architecture spanning centuries. It looks quite interesting and have added it to our growing list of places to come back to explore.
Even though it was a Sunday night the place was alive with people eating at cafes, shopping in the numerous places that were still open and sitting around socializing. It was definitely a laid back but very enjoyable day.
These are the highlights of the week, but just being in Paris and walking the streets taking in the sights has been enjoyable. We try to have a goal of places to visit as you can see, but other times we just pick a section of the city to wander in. Just taking in the architecture, the vibrancy of the city and of course enjoying the French baguettes, cheese and wine is a given!
We have only been in Paris two weeks but we already have started to learn the city. There are a
few streets that we tend to walk down often as they lead to other sections that we wish to explore. One of the buildings that we have passed by a few times now is the Hôtel de Ville. It is not actually a hotel in the traditional sense, it is the City Hall. It has housed the municipality of Paris since 1357. It started out in this same location, but in a different building. In 1533 King Francis I had that building torn down in order to build a city hall worthy of Paris. It was not completed until 1628 under King Louis XIII. The building was unchanged until 1835 when two wings were added to the main building as space was needed for an expanding government in Paris.
Of course, just like all of you there are those other activities that everyone has to do – clean, cook, do dishes and laundry and grocery shop fill in some of the other time. We also try to check in with the news and email every day online, pay bills when needed and then work on sorting through the hundreds of photos taken and information we have learned to eventually
incorporate into these blog entries. We have definitely felt good about all that we have done this week in Paris!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.098s; Tpl: 0.018s; cc: 10; qc: 29; dbt: 0.0533s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb
