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[The Sun King's Hazardous Nude Statues]
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An extra hour of sleep this morning was highly relished in light of the full day that we had had the day before. Went downstairs for breakfast at around 8 and had enough scrumptious croissants to last me the next fifty years. I was going to gain a thousand pounds on this trip, I figured, especially with all the eating I was doing and all the hours of sitting around on the coach as we traveled from country to country. Ah, a small price to pay for the fun I was having, I suppose. I was excited about the day because we would be spending the entire day meandering around Paris. Some people say that Paris is a highly overrated city, but after visiting it, I honestly feel that no one can possibly be immune to the endless charms that surround this extraordinary city.
Onto Versailles we go! As we neared Chauteau de Versailles, the architecture of the surrounding buildings began to grow more distinctly ornate, complete with gilded embellishments of long forgotten days. Wanting to escape the busy life in Paris, and to keep the nobility under his control, King Louis XIV, of The Man in the Iron Mask fame, built this chateau in which he set up home and installed the government. Originally an old hunting lodge, renovation and extension of Chateau de Verseailles began around 1664 and continued until Louis XIV's, or the "Sun King's", death in 1715. The chateau was abandoned for a few years after his death, only to welcome King Louis XV in 1722. It remained as the royal residence for the royal family until the French revolution in 1789.
The parking lot of Versailles was immense, distended with tour busses from all over the European continent, no doubt. The front courtyard area leading into the chateau wasn't any less crowded, in fact it was nearly impossible to take a photograph without some lone individual accidentally walking into your picture. Upon entering the chateau gates, an enormous statue of King Louis XIV stood regally, ready to greet us as we marveled at his estate.
What an utterly lavish retreat it must have been for the French nobility! The extensively vast grounds alone could take a whole day to roam and meander through, especially if you wished to fully capture and appreciate the meticulously cared for gardens, noble-looking statues, and gloriously spouting fountains. Upon entering the park, the grounds seem to stretch on forever, or at least for as far as the eye can possibly see - amazing, is the only word I can use to describe it. It was so incredibly large, in fact, that it was almost impossible to decide where to begin. Jason and I tried looking for the Grove of Venus where one of the most controversial scandals in French history took place. It is here where, supposedly, the Cardinal of Rohan fell to his knees, kissing the skirt hems of an imposter disguised as Marie Antoinette, who replied in response, "you can be assured the past has been forgotten". This simple phrase of reassurance initiated "L'Affaire du Collier", a conspiracy that is believed to have been one of the main contributors to the French Revolution. We only got so far as the Jardins et Bosquets area and never made it to Le Grand Canal because we didn't have enough time.
I somehow managed to actually injure myself. No, not my tripping or falling over or by doing anything remotely dramatic, but by cutting the side of my palm on this short wired fence that surrounds the statues. So, what were you doing way down there now anyhow, you ask? Why, I was stooping down low trying to get a smashingly beeyootifool shot, that's why. Initially thought that I had just nicked myself and so I didn't pay it much regard, but turns out it was a rather deep gash because a little later on Jason was like, "Gross, you're freaking bleeding everywhere." Whoa, yeah, those crimson splotches can't be tomato sauce, we're not in Italy here. As I rummaged around for tissue, he continued, "Have you gotten your tetanus shot yet? Wouldn't it be funny if you were to die from this and on your tombstone it said, 'Here lies Lynn, who died from trying to photograph a nude statue." Haha, very funny, I told him, rest assured that if I happen to die from this, I'll make sure to come back and haunt you first. No more tetanus shot jokes after that, mwahaha.
In the parking lot, a ton of dudes were trying to sell fistfuls of painfully tacky memorabilia by thrusting them in our faces. When we shook our heads and said "Non, merci", they started speaking in Chinese, under the assumption that we were Chinese. Wow, congratulations, you can speak more Chinese than me. When I said, "Je suis desolee, je ne comprends pas parce que je ne suis pas Chinois (I'm sorry, I don't understand because I'm not Chinese)", they immediately reverted back to French and started barking at Grand Prix speeds I couldn't keep up with. Je, vous, and Euros was all I picked up, along with a nasty look for not buying their goods. I'm sorry, but an obviously chipping Eiffel tower on a fake, plastic marble base just does not appeal to me.
Nevertheless, Versailles was an unforgettable experience, and anyone visiting Paris MUST swing by the Chateau. Despite my appreciation for the beautiful grandeur of Versailles, all in all, I think that I could imagine how a hungry, helpless peasant living in the 18th century might have felt upon witnessing the extravagant splendor of Chauteau de Versailles. No wonder there was a revolution.
***MORE COMING SOON!***
[The image depicted on this page is not my own. To view my personal photos, please click on the "Photo Album" above.]
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