Paris - The Second Time Around

Jane & I finished our European Adventure in Paris. We arrived in Paris on Wednesday, May 31. We decided to go to the Louvre first. It was raining outside (go figure) and a musuem is a good place to be when it is spitting water outside. As I had been to the Louvre before, I opted to do an audio tour this time around. When we were in Paris, it was right after the release of the movie "The DaVinci Code". To add to the excitement, the Louvre was offering audio Tours in which it guided you through museum where the murder happened and it explained the symbology behind the paintings that are described in the famous book (and now movie). It was fun to have the audio walk you through the murder scene. I'm really looking forward to seeing the movie, as I was a good girl and I've already read the book.

The next day, June 1, Jane and I went to Versailles. Versailles was the residence of the French King. For about 100 years, money was spent like it grew on trees to turn the palace into a place "Fit for a King". However, when the Royal family was evicted in 1837, King Louis Philippe opned the palace as a musuem.

The Palace is a fancy house, with lots of art, etc. One aspect of the house that I found interesting was the "Hall of Mirrors." At a time when mirrors were a luxury, their installation told of a time when people were pleased with their looks and fortunes. The other neat aspect of this room was that this was where the Treaty of Versailles was signed, ending World War I.

If I would have to say what one aspect of my visit to Versailles was my favorite, I would have to say it was the Gardens. Spread out over acres of land, these gardens are vast with a large canal, "Orangerie" and seperate retreat houses to get away from the public life in the palace. Marie-Antoinette even had her own "Hamlet" in the gardens where she could get away from Palace life and entertain her friends in her own setting.
Some of the house in her Hamlet:












































The weather was not that good the day we were in Versailles and the fountains were also not running, which is a shame, because I hear they put on a really good show. After running through the gardens, Jane and I ate some dinner at a Restaurant back in Paris in the Rue Clare area and then after eating about the 10th Crepe in the past 2 days, we bought some wine and snacks and went and sat by the Eiffel Tower.

The next day, I was off to Normandy and a visit to the D-Day Beaches.