(I realize this was a month ago, so I am referring to my handy dandy journal I kept up the whole trip to relate my experiences to you as if I blogged while it was happening).
I wake up every day so exhausted. A part of me just wants the trip to end so I can start sleeping regularly again. A sign of age, I'm sure.
Had my typical breakfast in the hotel, then we had to load the bus up to go to Versailles. I've been so excited for this day, I can hardly hold it in. We got to see the Palace of Versailles, which was built by King Louis the VIX, or Louis the Great or the Sun King. Whichever you prefer, I'm not picky! Pictures cannot do the place justice; it is huge, and this was a progressive time when artists and architects used a lot of optical illusions to make things appear bigger than they really are.
I wish it weren't so cloudy today...
Vanna White
There's no way to describe each room other than they each had a theme either specific to a king/queen, their guards, or the roman gods. Louis actually had a lot of paintings made portraying him as a roman god, to show off his achievements in battle or otherwise.
Just to give you an idea of how huge these rooms are...
Ceilings painted after influence of Michaelangelo and the Sistene Chapel
Epic Hall of Mirrors
The chandeliers were removed every day and rehung every night.
Marie Antoinette and her children before the Revolution.
Did I mention that the garden is also amazing? Because it is. You should see this, too.
I love the view!
We had lunch about a block away from the palace at a little restaurant called Pizza Cesar Restaurant, but sadly we did not get any pizza. We did get some delicious chicken, and I loved that the decorations on the higher walls were expired license plates from all over the States.
I have no idea whose face I blurred out.
Authentic 'French' fries! aha!
What is this???
So the glasses they served us coca cola in had a Gilbert signature (the exact way my dad and I sign!) with a crown above, as well as the serving trays. I inquired Noha to ask the servers about where they bought them, since that is my last name and I would love to buy a case or set and take them home to my dad and brother, but found out that they order through a company that only services hotels and restaurants, so they GAVE me one of the glasses to take home! I was so touched by their generosity! (Now, I need to open a restaurant to buy a set! Or find a friend that owns one, so I can ask them to order a case and I'll buy it from them.)
I am truly curious now as to whether or not their is French in my descendants. My father has us traced back to England, but hey, what is we come from a royal line in France? Not complaining!
I catnapped on the bus ride to Chartres, which sounds like you're coughing up a hairball when spoken correctly. It was like another dream come true. Truly. I cannot get over all the beautiful architecture here.
Can't you just die?
This is so beautiful
They literally can't make colors like this anymore. There were no recipes, people just added whatever they had available. Like urine. True story.
These are the paths of the maze on the floor that members would follow on their knees, signifying their spiritual pilgrimage, especially if they were not in a financial position to take the physical pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
I was so sad that the restorations going on in the chapel did not cease at 5 pm like they were supposed to. There was so much banging and clanging that it was distracting to both us and the audience. The reverberation was overwhelming, though, as was obviously the venue. Some really sweet ladies, Annie, Kate, and Marie all approached me to buy CDs and talked with me for over 20 minutes. We left as kindred spirits. They even asked for pictures with me, which I haven't received yet but will hopefully soon. It was so nice to meet them.
After we got changed, we had about a half hour ride back to Paris, and we took a group picture in front of the Eiffel Tower in normal clothes.
(photo by Bekah Bliss)
I ended up going back to the hotel, which was obviously a mistake on my part because I didn't realize the people I had been regularly hanging out with had stayed behind at the Eiffel Tower, and then couldn't find anyone to go out with once we got back. As the French say, C'est la vie. Tomorrow will be better. I was able to get some updates on my blog, so that's at least a small consolation.
Hope you are all enjoying these!
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