Day 29&30 La Finale – Paris VI

We bought tickets at our hotel to see Le Palais de Versailles and took a 35 minute train ride to the palace.  When we got there, we wished we hadn’t gone.  The line to get in was unbelievable . . . INCROYABLE! . . . but we were too invested in time and euros to turn back.

The line zigzagged and went on . . . .

. . . FOREVER, as far as the eye can see.  We felt like two French peasants standing in a bread line waiting an eternity to get a few crumbs from the tables of the French nobility.  To make matters worse, visitors dared to cut in line.  A craggy, old German couple (smoking away) jumped in front of us when we were not looking, but we quickly reclaimed our rightful spot.

We finally made it to the front of the line after about 1.5 hours.

Built in 1682 by the Sun King, Louis XIV, Versailles became the symbol of France’s Divine Right monarchy until the peasant uprising in 1789 (during the reign of Louis XVI).  The French Revolution dealt the final knockout punch to the idea that Kings were appointed by God and were therefore above criticism.  The words on the front of the edifice therefore ring ironic: “To all the glories of France.”

Much of the baroque furniture and decorative items we saw in the Louvre came from Versailles.

Today Versailles is a huge museum and France’s paramount tourist attraction.  Jill stands in front of the Golden Gate, which leads to a world of unfathomable opulence.

As we entered, we first observed the kings of France on pedestals lined up in the hallway.

An aerial depiction of the original structure– how did the painter get up so high?  Hot air balloon?

The royal family, Marie Antoinette and her kiddies. The Dauphin was in line to be king.   At the time little did the family know of its destiny.

Fit for a king

We first toured the “Grand Appartement du Roi.”  The crowds were unbearable. Mob mentality set in.

The king’s bed

The Sun King in a Vanity Fair type pose.

Quintessential baroque style

We think it needs a touch more gold.

We think it needs more crystal.  An upward shot of the delicate Czech crystal.

The ceiling of the famous house of mirrors.  This hall still is used for major political functions, and heads of state are frequently entertained here.

Le Roi Verenkoff

La Reine Verenkoff

We then toured the “Grand Appartement de la Reine.”

Tourists jammed the corridor of the queen’s apartment, some of them very pushy and aggressive in their picture taking. Museum visits were better before selfie cameras were added to cellphones. We have never seen so many narcissistic tourists photographing themselves with absolutely everything they encounter.

The famous “Coronation of Napoleon in Notre Dame” painting by Jacques-Louis David. A kneeling Josephine is crowned by Napoleon.

Next to the Queen’s Apartment, the impressive Galerie des Batailles charts in paint the major battles of the French Republic.

Meant to glorify France’s military history, the paintings enumerate the major battles– from the Battle of Tobiac (495) to the Battle of Wagram (1809).

Similar to athletic contests, the country’s battlefield wins are recorded on gold plates.

Busts of France’s military elite, such as Napoleon’s General Jean Baptiste Kléber (whose statue we saw in Strasbourg), line the hall.

Even the Siege of Yorktown is documented.

We returned the favor during WWII.

The outside of the queen’s apartment

Quarters of noblewomen, some of the support system of the king and queen, were not too shabby either.

Why is it that paintings of children during this period make them look like adults with stunted growth?

Elegant living spaces

Our passes denied us access to the garden today because the museum was having a special waterworks show.  We could pay an extra 14 euros to see it, but the fountains were not due to go off for another 2.5 hours.  We had had enough of Versailles & the crowds, so we departed.

We kept seeing the strangest thing in Paris–Francis Underwood (Kevin Spacey) advertising for Renault.   The television spots in France are very similar to the one that Matthew McConaughey did for Lincoln. There is nothing new under the sun.

As we were walking in the rain on Sunday morning, we came across a fashion shoot in progress.

Everything is digital and real time. Here we see the DP viewing each camera shot on a large screen while the photographer continues to shoot.

Like our first few days in France, our last day was rainy; so we decided to stay close to the hotel because we were still exhausted from our trip to Versailles, and Pete had caught a cold.  We walked by the renown Palais des Beaux-Art, the art school that spawned so many famous French artists.  We decided to check out the workshop of one them–L’Atelier de Eugene Delacroix.

The courtyard and entry to his Paris apartment / workshop

Self-portrait of Delacroix, the French Romantic painter

His apartment, all in red, is so fitting for an artist from the school of Romanticism.

The painter’s toolbox

The painter’s palette

Delacroix’s famous painting “Liberty Leading the People” hangs in the Louvre and is one of the most famous paintings in France, for it is a symbol of France as a whole in its quest to be liberated from tyranny.  It is a huge painting (102 x 128 inches), very emotional in nature.  The guy in the black top hat is Delacroix himself.

Some of his work

Some of his belongings

The garden

Renderings of his memorial in Père Lachaise cemetery

Afterward we did some window shopping and had a great dinner.

The line for the local steakhouse with American style food forms even in the rain

We ate our last meal at Le Petit Zinc, and it was one of the best meals we had in Paris.

In an Art Nouveau setting, we dined on Normandy oysters, escargot, veal & veggies, & steak frites.  Then we split a dessert.  We complimented our servers on the food.

The waitress and Jill conversed in French; then the waitress gifted Jill with a beautiful yellow/orange rose.  What a fabulous journey we have had.

Au Revoir, Paris.

Hello, California.