Finally, Provence...

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Versailles

I'm not sure that over the top begins to explain Versailles. It is 12 miles southwest of Paris and certainly takes you to another world. It was the residence of French kings and certainly an homage that Louis XIV made for himself. The picture is the gilded gate at the entrance. Don't know the woman, she wasn't moving fast enough and we were entering the building.

This model gives you an idea of the size of the Chateau but you really do have to see it to believe it.

This picture gives a small impression of the interior of each room. Painted ceilings and gilded everything are the decor of choice in every room. The next few pictures are some examples of the rooms.

Could you sleep in this bed?

The hall of mirrors is amazing. Pictures really don't capture it well. We were trying to imagine walking through the room in a ball gown.

Sleepy, yet?

The queen's bedroom was much more enticing! Beautiful tapestries and fabrics were everywhere.

And so was Marie Antoinette!

And yes, there was time for a treat. This was called a Mont Blanc at Angelina's, a famous Paris restaurant. Filled with cream and meringue at the bottom. Delicious!

Even the water closets were signed with the theme of the chateau. This one was co-Ed! Interesting.

After spending many hours in the opulence, we ventured out in the gardens, which are sprawling and gorgeous. This was a pretty amazing statue, only one of many, in the gardens.

Pretty tired at the end of an exhausting day. This has been a wonderful 4 days in Paris. Many thanks to Candy and Rich for making me feel so welcome in their Paris apartment. Tomorrow I'm on to Provence by train.

May post a few more things later. Hoping to include a very special picture for you.

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Another glorious day in Paris!

Today was another beautiful weather day here in Paris. We stayed a bit closer to home and went to Musee d'Orsay. It is a beautiful museum which was originally a train station. They have a large Impressionist collection and luckily we got there early enough to beat the crowds. They started growing right before we left.

You can see the train station look from this picture I took as we were approaching the entrance. Again, more of that amazing architecture.

We were not allowed to take pictures in the museum but we ate in one of the restaurants which happened to be right behind one of the enormous clocks on the front of the building. Pretty cool.

This was the Croque Monsieur which I had there for lunch. Pretty fancy grilled cheese I'd say.

After lunch we went out on the balcony and took this picture of the Louvre which is right across the street. I won't be going there this trip but really do prefer this museums to the Louvre. I saw that on my last trip here and it was pretty overwhelming.

And one final shot of Montmarte in the distance with Sacre Coeur shining in the sunlight. Having a quiet evening since we are heading for Versailles tomorrow. Truly a case of the sublime (Musee d'Orsay) followed by the ridiculous (Versailles)!

Monday, September 23, 2013

A beautiful day!

This morning did not start out promising in the weather department but as you will see in the pictures, it did turn out to be a gorgeous day!

This is what it looked like when we started out, just crossing the Seine, on our way to St. Chapelle, a Gothic chapel with truly amazing stained glass windows.

This picture was taken in the lower part of the chapel, where the common courtiers worshipped. Still pretty impressive.

The ceiling was pretty amazing too. We had to climb very winding concrete stairs (think Fonthill, for those in the Doylestown area), to get to the main floor and the stained glass there made it totally worth the climb. The onslaught of color was simply breathtaking. I don't think my pictures can aptly convey the sight but here are a few anyway.

And we can't forget the floor. It was some kind of inlay. Always so impressive when you think that all these amazing places were built without benefit of modern technology.

When we finished it was time for lunch and perfect for sitting outside, people watching and lunch. Doesn't get much better than that. Fortified by lunch we started walking again and made our way to Shakespeare and Company, which was a real treasure place for book lovers and right across from Notre Dame.

As usually happens in any book shop, this little treasure fell into my hands and I had to buy it! And of course, I needed a bag to put it in.

It's a story about someone who gets locked in a library overnight! Can't you just imagine...

Our last stop before heading home was at a little cafe right near Notre Dame. As you can see, the sky was the perfect blue and the sun was shining. A wonderful ending to our day's outing.

Now it's out to dinner and then watch the light show on the Eiffel Tower tonight!

Ah, Paris!

Sunday, September 22, 2013

Paris at last!

I'm here at last. Only one glitch on my way to the airport when I realized I forgot my camera! It was charging and I just walked out without it. But, you will see, thanks to my trusty iPhone, I still have pictures! Almost easier that way.

My flight landed a little late and then the interminable wait for the shuttle, I arrived at Candy and Chuck's apartment. Very French and a view of the Eiffel Tower which you can see below.

Can't wait to see it lit up tonight.

The view down their street. Love all the grillwork you see everywhere.

We took the Metro to Montmarte and the funicular up to Sacre Coeur. Wonderful view of the city from here. Very popular place.

Yes, the Eiffel Tower is everywhere! I don't think you can take a bad picture of it.

We saw this interesting fountain. Candy said it is pure water and you can drink it. Have to bring your own containers!

We walked a lot and had a great day. I only took a short power nap when I got here and we were off and running. At the end of the day, we stopped in a cafe, my favorite thing, and had a drink. Don't you love the way they adorn their hot chocolate! I had lemonade which was puréed lemon. I added water and lots of sugar but it was just a bit too tart for me.