Bonjour! After visiting the amazing Chateau of Francois I yesterday, today we visited yet another historical castle, Le Chateau de Versailles. Regardez notre journèe.
The day began with us walking through the beautiful, misty Paris streets in the early morning to get to the metro.
After taking the metro and then a train, we arrived in the City of Versailles! There was a dense fog covering the city, but it was beautiful nonetheless.
As we approached the palace, our guide, Eva, told us about the history of the place. She informed us of how Louis XIV built the Chateau, Louis XV lived in it, and Louis XVI technically "destroyed" it (because the French revolution caused Louis XVI to be taken back to Paris and later beheaded, Versailles no longer served as the capital of France).
Frequently, throughout the Chateau, one could see Louis XIV's symbol, the sun. We learned that he received the name, "Sun King" or "Le roi du soleil" not only because he participated in an Opera in which he portrayed the sun, but also because he believed himself to be, much like the sun, the most important person in perhaps the world and wanted everything to revolve around him.
The castle itself was amazing! It was bustling and crowded, but beautiful. Each room had tons of elaborate artwork and sculptures to fit with its individual theme.
Below is the entrance to the Hall of Mirrors. In the Hall, the Treaty of Versailles was signed, ending World War I and putting down numerous restrictions of the Germans, eventually leading to World War II.
After exploring the magnificent castle with abundant paintings scattering the many walls, we grouped together in front of the Chateau before heading off for lunch nearby.
Two brave souls tried the escargos at lunch. Look at the excitement!
After lunch we headed over to a Fragonard to get a tour on how Perfumes are made and how the particular branch we visited has existed for about a century. No pictures were allowed on the tour, however at the entrance they were indeed okay.
After the Perfume tour, we headed through the metro once more and passed by the Opera (which we will be visiting later this week!) and entered a beautiful park. There, we had free time to admire the many art shops nearby and to enjoy the area.
After that, we had dinner at Les Bourgesses. C'était le meilleur dîner de la semaine! (It was the best dinner of the week!). First, we had a Chèvre Chaud which was a salad with goat cheese (very French and very good).
Then we had the main course. Everyone had a choice between fish, steak, or raviolis. I got the raviolis and they were amazing.
And finally, there was the dessert. The options were a Tarté Tartin (An upside down apple pie) or the Fondant au Chocolate (Chocolate lava sponge cake). Both choices were very delicious.
After the wonderful dinner, we said merci and au revoir and headed back to the hotel via metro to prepare for a new day. For tomorrow, there will be art and beauty in the belle ville de Paris.
Au revoir!
~Krystin C. Haser
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