World History IV

Oh, to be Princess.

Tuesday
Over the weekend, when I was trying to figure out what to do for my last few days, I ran into the problem that a lot of tourist areas are closed on Mondays. I decided that, since we went to the Catacombs, I'd opt for Versailles over the Notre Dame crypts. Also, since everything had been so easy to navigate thus far, I didn't really look up details on how to get there. Slight mistake. 

Okay, so for Paris trainy public transpo, there's the metro and the RER. I have no idea what the difference is, except you have to buy an RER ticket separately and it's a little more expensive. There are also specific spots you have to get them, and we originally went to the wrong spot. (Oops. Forgot to tell you that BroInLaw came with to get me on the right train.) So we backtracked and got to the right stop, got the right ticket, and I got to the right platform.
Neither of the trains seemed to be going where I needed to though. We tried to figure it out for a few minutes, and then I told BroInLaw to head out and start his errands. He wasn't keen on the idea, but I promised I'd either make my way to Versailles or head back to home base. Why haven't I just been calling it HB this whole time? That would have saved me some keystrokes. Oh wellsies. 

So, this platform was terrifying. It looked like the place where someone might rape and kill you. Dark, dirty, concrete, and veryvery empty. Well, I sat there for a while hoping the right train would come along. No dice. I scrutinized my map over and over, trying to figure it out. A few times I considered just hopping on the train and seeing where it took me, and eventually that's what I did. My thought was that I'd take it to the Champs de Mars and WorstCaseScenario I'd head up to the Eiffel Tower and whatever other trouble I could get into. 
That was the correct option. I was able to get on the right Versailles train from Champs de Mars, and jumped into the first empty seat I found. I sat across from a Filipino couple who eventually started talking to me. The woman said they would have talked to me sooner but she thought I was European (score!) and the language barrier is more difficult. We chatted a bit, they were very nice...when we got to Versailles I wished them well and went on my way. 

As I was walking to the station, the couple caught back up with me and asked my name. Just like that, I had new friends for the day! It was great, because I was able to be in some of my pictures. Anyway we got tickets for Palais de Versailles, Jardin de Versailles, and Marie Antionette's Trianon. Our plan, assuming the line would be really long at the palace, was to check out the gardens and Marie's property first. 

After walking just a little ways, the palace opened up before us. And...wow. 

Just ignore all the people, that's what I usually do. We (smartly) bypassed these lines. 

I think the gardens were my favorite part though; I could have spent days in there. That may partly be because there was so much more space so it didn't feel like you were smushed in there with everyone else. But they were absolutely gorgeous! 

They seemed to go on forever!

As you can see, there was a lot of grass and/or really short shrubbery shaped into the swirl patterns. Just beyond that, check out the line of trees. That wasn't just a line of trees, it was more like a tree maze. But there were kind of pockets in the maze, and each pocket had statues or fountains or something. And when you were in the little pockets, it felt so secluded and intimate. I kept thinking what it would have been like to be a child growing up there and having that as your playground. It was unreal. 

If you look to the left of the picture, you can see a long body of water, which was the next point of interest: The Grand Canal. More beauty:

The statue isn't actually in the Grand Canal; it's the water beyond. 

Next, on the the Trianon. I didn't actually get to see a whole lot, I was trying to be conscious of time. But, of course all of her stuff was luxurious. It was really interesting to think of all the feasts and balls and everything they had back then, and what they had to work with. Even the furniture--EVERYTHING was in matching material, straight to fabric on the walls. No automatic ovens, no KitchenAid tools, no freezers, no dishwashers. The crazy giant dresses for every little thing, with multiple wardrobe changes each day; the insane huge wigs worn for any occasion; the spectacularly expensive jewelry for each outfit. And all of it done by hand. Pretty amazing. 

After this part, my Filipino friends and I went our separate ways. I wanted to check out the gift shop; I was on the hunt for some macarons, and they wanted to start up to the palace. I wandered leisurely back up through the gardens to the front. I did a little happy dance on the inside as I walked right up to the front door, picked up my audio guide, and started the tour. 

Though there weren't a lot of people waiting, there were still too many people for comfort on the inside. But I did get a chance to see the artwork, multiple bedrooms and staterooms, and learn a lot more. 

I think I spend the entire walk through the Hall of Mirrors with my jaw hanging down. And (a bit surprisingly for me) the mirrors weren't even the best part. I don't even know how many chandeliers there were, and they glittered and shone. There were also a whole lot more painted ceilings. 

 

I didn't spend as much time in the palace as I would have liked to, either, mostly because the crowds were so dense and it got really stuffy and uncomfortable. I also decided I'd done enough walking and I was tired enough to go home. So I jumped onto the train that would take me back to Champs de Mars, then back to Porte Neuilly. 

That night we had a picnic in the Bois de Boulogne. With it having been so close to my sister's place, I'm really bummed I didn't go jogging or even wander around in there. It was a nice, peaceful park with a good size pond right where we decided to eat. We even had a naughty puppy try to jump into our picnic, but he was adorable. 

Wednesday

The trip to the airport and back to the States was pretty uneventful, though all of the lines were long. Being absolutely exhausted, uncomfortable, and hurty, I definitely took advantage of the free wine. Even the layover at O'Hare wasn't too bad, though they did move the gate a couple of times. 

However, once we landed at my last stop, we just stayed. And stayed, and stayed. We sat on the plane, outside of the airport, for an hour. And I was forced to listen to three exceptionally obnoxious southern boys sitting behind me. Because they "didn't have" a gate for us. But mostly because American is BS and nothing goes smoothly ever. It's a wonder they're still in business. Oh wait, it's because of idiots like me who swear to never use them again and then find a really good deal. I only have myself to blame! 

But we finally got inside, and there was Tee waiting for me. When I saw him, I started running. For real running, which was difficult with my stupid legs. And then I kind of propelled myself into him and squeezed him as hard as I could. I was very excited to see him. 

I'm sorry, guys, this post took forever. I'm having a "flare-up" and I've been completely exhausted and feeling crappy again. Also, what a stupid thing to call it. My body's attacking me like an evil, sneaky little army. Maybe I can come up with some other fun way to say it. 

Anyway, it was a wonderful, wonderful trip. I'm so glad (and grateful) that I got to go to France, not once, but twice, in one year. And I'm so glad I got the extra time to spend with Sister (ugh, I could have been calling her Soeur this whole time! I am dropping the ball, people!) and BroInLaw. I hope to make it back someday, and to be able to explore the rest of Europe. Since then I've been furiously devouring books and documentaries about European history. 

But, you know what they say...someday my Prince will come.

World History III

Opulence and Style

Monday
It was raining when I woke up. I wasn't complaining, for two reasons: 1) It gave me a good excuse to sleep in and be a little bit lazy. 2) The weather was amazing for the rest of the trip. It also didn't throw off my plans because I'd already made the fan-freaking-tastic decision to do a Hop-On-Hop-Off bus for the day. These things are ingenious for vacations.

There's a set route which multiple buses travel all day, you pay one fee, and you get on and off as many times as you want. Plus, they give you earbuds to listen to a commentary that tells you stuff about the city as you're riding through. I learned so many cool things! 

I picked up the bus at the Arc de Triomphe, which was closest on the metro to home base.  I honestly enjoyed listening to the history as much as I did actually seeing the things. My first interest was the Hotel des Invalides, and the closest stop was the Grand Palais, right across from the Petit Palais. They might as well both have been called Grand and Fancy as Fuck Palais. And I didn't even go inside. But check this shit out: 

This is the entrance to the Petit Palais. Petit. I call bullshit. 









After taking some pictures I walked across the Pont Alexandre III. Super gorgeous, and another great view of the Tower. Not bad. Another history lesson! The bridge is named for Tsar Alexandre III and his son, Nicholas (yup, that Tsar Nicholas) laid the foundation stone. 


Then it was on to Hotel National des Invalides. It was originally meant to be a hospital for veterans, and part of it is still used for that, but most of it is a museum. It has like 5 or 6 different areas, and I really only fit in a few of them. I basically walked into the first section I saw, which had military stuff from Louis XIV to Napoleon I. It was pretty neat; lots of uniforms and weapons, even some cavalry stuff, maps, and medical equipment. 
I was trying to keep track of time, so I wanted to see Napoleon's tomb next. Of course it's housed in the big, ornate domed part of the Invalides. Not exactly humble, was he?

When I walked in I was of course blown away by the intricacies of the building. It had an amazing ceiling, which was another theme to the trip: kickass artworked ceilings. The next thing that caught me was a huge gilded crucifix. It was amazing. Behind it was basically a wall of glass, and I could see the chapel through it. I couldn't stop staring at it, it was just magnificent. 
See for yourself: 

Ah-may-zing.

After seeing that, I had to see the chapel. And it did not disappoint. Like the chapel at Giverny, it had gorgeous stained glass windows, and lots of flags (which you can kind of see in that picture). I know there's more I could say about the chapel, but it's such a personal and spiritual thing, I really don't know how to put it into words. So, I won't even try. Moving along. 

Because I'm completely logical and not at all stubborn, I didn't want to go back the way I came. Any of the ways I came. I needed to head toward the Eiffel Tower, but, I had no idea where I needed to go. Sounds simple, right? Wrong. When you're in the middle of the city, even a giant tower isn't terribly easy to find. The good news is that I was able to find it every once in a while. While I'm sure I took a very roundabout and extended walk, I got there. And I did get to see some random neighborhoods and areas of Paris. Even though I'd only seen one attraction, I was already a few hours and a LOT of walking in, and I'm not ashamed to admit I was already getting a bit tired. 

After catching the bus again at the Tower (I'm glad I got another chance to see it up close) I gladly sat for a while and listened to more interesting information about the city. The next stop (and the next one I was interested in) was the Opera Garnier. 

Hiiistooory! Technically the Palais Garnier, it was named after its architect, Charles Garnier. When they were building it, they found underground lakes, which made it difficult. Garnier was also pretty difficult and insisted on some pretty opulent touches. That included a six ton chandelier, which at some point crashed into the crowd and killed a guy. Or a girl, I dunno. Someone died. Have you figured out where this is going yet? It was the inspiration for Gaston Leroux's Phantom of the Opera. This was another attraction I'd been eagerly anticipating. Unfortunately, they weren't doing tours the day I went, but I did get to walk around the outside and (of course) visit the gift shop. I passed up the opportunity to buy a copy of the book in French, and I now regret that. C'est la vie. 

My last stop was to see Notre Dame again. I walked through quickly to marvel at everything again. The main reason I went there was to buy a new rosary, I figured that was a pretty good opportunity to replace the one I can't find. By this time I was really tired, but I didn't quite want to finish my trip. I took a few minutes to sit in the square and just people watch and look around. 

Pretty exhausted with very tired feet, I got back on the bus, learned a bit more, and made my way back to the Arc de Triomphe. Then it was down to the metro and back to home base. We again just relaxed at home, which was great for me. I was pretty drained. 

Okay, that was a lot for one post, so I'll drag it out and leave my last day for another one. Plus it's bedtime for me, so goodnight my lovelies! 

World History II

The art of life

Saturday
We got up pretty early to catch the train to Giverny. This was one of the main reasons I'd wanted to get back to Paris, so I was really excited. Sitting on the train, I watched Paris fade away as we headed northwest to the country. At the station, we quickly made our way to the station for a short bus ride to Monet's Gardens. Just before we reached the gardens, though, we passed by a field with pigs...and emus. Because, why not...I guess?

We walked through this little town, some of it touristy, some just normal town stuff. Finally we came to the actual gardens. You have to walk in through the gift shop, and then it opens up to all the flowers. 
Apparently Monet was a collector of exotic flowers, and he did the whole thing himself. It was gorgeous and amazing. 

The pictures don't do it justice; the colors were so vibrant. Then we got to the area with the waterlilies. W-O-W. The secluded area of ponds with lilies, the bridges, bamboo, and a whole bunch of weeping willows, even a little rowboat. And Monet built it all. (Disclaimer: I guess parts of it were destroyed during WWII, so it had to be redone. But I think he probably still deserves most of the credit.) 

He created this other world out of a fairy tale. I can't even imagine how beautiful it would be to spend time there without all the tourists. I wished I could make everyone else disappear and sit under the willows with a book. 

Although, one thing I did like about all the other people was a big group of art students. They were broken up into smaller groups and sketching the waterlily area. It was kind of neat. 

After we got our fill of the flowers we stopped for lunch. My sister let me try her steak tartare...I was disgusted. The texture seriously grossed me out. But at least I tried. 

Our last quick stop was the church. The Monet family was buried there, and it had a small cemetery. The church seemed kind of rundown and unremarkable, so I was a bit surprised when I found an open door. It was very pretty--it seemed to have been done in the style of Monet's time. And then I saw something that took my breath away. To the right of the altar there was a statue, I don't even remember what it was, but there was also a stained glass window. It let in this ethereal bluish light, and only covered a small area. It was unbelievable. It's still stuck in my head as one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. 

The train back to the city was packed, and we weren't able to get seats. It was excruciating having to stand the whole time after all the walking, and Bro-In-Law had twisted his ankle so he was having as much fun as I was. On a positive note, there was kind of a mall at the train station, so we did some shopping. Another successful day.

Sunday

The plan for the day was to go to Marais to do some more shopping, and then Montmartre so I could visit the artist's square. 

The shopping started out slow at some boutiques with expensive and...unique clothing. Then we walked into Jo Malone, and had a lovely time. The girl who helped us really enjoyed her job and we walked out laden with packages and smelling great. 

We took a little break and sat down in a park--Place des Vosges. The park is surrounded by buildings that all look exactly the same, and Victor Hugo lived in one of them. It's said he wrote parts of Les Miserables in the park. 

Bro-In-Law decided to bow out at this point and rest his sore ankle, so Sister and I headed up to Montmartre. 

We needed lunch at this point, and there were restaurants that had set up kind of tents in the middle of all the artists. I accidentally ordered a tequila flavored beer that, interestingly, was brewed in France. It actually wasn't bad. Then we got crepes...mmmmm. I definitely did my best to get my fill of French foods...although I don't think there's such thing as getting a fill of them. 

I went a little nuts with getting artwork, and got some really good pieces for Tee. I was so glad that I did more shopping this time. 

We traveled back and relaxed for the rest of the day. I noticed that, even without doing a whole lot, I got very tired. I was perfectly happy spending the evenings in and trying to recoup. I tried as hard as I could to not let my legs impede my trip at all, and I did pretty well for the most part. But it was a lot of walking and I definitely needed the time to rest. 

Being a world traveler is hard work, you know. 

World History I

Exploring the City of Lights and Love

Sorry for the delay on this post; it's been a busy few days. But I'll cut right to the chase.

Wednesday-Thursday
Firstly, the flight was horrid; worse than I'd expected. Not because of anything the airline did, just because my legs were so uncomfortable. The free wine did help a bit, but not much. And it really didn't help that I couldn't really sleep because I was all hurty. I tried as best I could to stretch my legs out every once in a while; paying extra for first class might be worth it for me. Riiight, like I could afford that! Eh, a girl can dream.
I tried to be a nice flight-mate and chat with the gentleman next to me. I found out that he's an ENT surgeon somewhere around the French-Italian border. We chatted and he was very nice. When I mentioned that my sister was working and I'd be taking a taxi, he offered to give me a ride since he was renting a car. I hesitated for a split second before I accepted. A split second after that, I questioned my decision. I know, I know, whatintheworldwasIthinking. I decided that, as a precaution, I'd call my brother-in-law when I got in the car. That way, he knew I was in the area and when to expect me. So if worse came to worse they could track the phone and, even if I was dead, maybe catch the guy. Hey, I like to be optimistic AND cautious when I'm on vacay!
ENT and I both got our luggage, and he asked if I'd like to have some real French coffee. Since he was saving me about 70 Euros, I agreed. We stopped at a café and had espresso, orange juice, croissants, and pain au chocolat. Delish. He wouldn't even let me pay for it. I called BroInLaw as soon as we got the car and told him I'd be there soon-ish. Navigating through Paris and getting a quick tutorial in French helped make the time pass quickly. ENT asked if I would like to meet up and visit some attractions in the few days he would be in Paris, and I said I didn't think I'd have time. Keep that in mind as the moment I may have passed up my chance at trophy wifeness.

I was beat so I sat on the couch for a bit, but knew I'd fall asleep if I didn't move. I mustered up all of my adult courage, maneuvered the metro, and visited the Arc de Triomphe. I got some awesome pictures, which I shall now grace you with.
Here's the inside of the Arc, with the ginormous French flag.

We weren't supposed to take pictures inside, but I couldn't help myself. (Plus they really only had one half-assed sign when you got your ticket). There were a shit-ton of stairs. I felt very out of shape, and my thighs were actually sore when I had to go back down them. I'm embarrassed to admit that.

 And, of course, the obligatory picture of the Eiffel Tower from the top of the Arc. Good God, with the addition of pictures I feel like this is a real blog or something. Weird.

I decided that was enough of an outing on my own. Back to the apartment and to hang out with ma famille. 'Twas lovely, just as I expected. 

Friday

BroInLaw decided to join me today in visiting the Catacombs. It was one of the coolest, craziest things I've 

ever seen. 

Here's your history lesson! That area of Paris had a ton of limestone, and it was mined for...I dunno, stuff that uses limestone. (I'm tired, give me a break.) They would follow along the vein and then just abandon the mine when they used it all up. So rude. Next thing you know, too many people are dying and the cemeteries of Paris are being overrun. Some brilliant guy decided to kill two birds with one stone, and put the bones in the empty mines. They made them all decorative, eventually opened it to the public, and, voila! The rest is basically fluff until last week when I visited. Cause it's all about me...YAY! 

Six million freaking bodies. Six. Followed by six zeroes. Multiplied by lots of bones per body. They also labeled which cemetery the bones came from and when they were moved. Super cool, and here's a fun shot from it: 

Next we stopped for lunch, where I learned I'm not a huge fan of anchovies, and BroInLaw and I debated some social topics. I'm not entirely sure how we figured out where the hell we were or where we were going, but we made a quick stop at the Luxembourg Palace. Very pretty. 

We went out to dinner that night, at a very small, cozy, lovely place. I had skate fish (still don't really know what it is) and grouse. Holy crap! Skate fish is a ray! I ate a freaking ray! That's super exciting. It was super yummy. 

On the way back I got to stop and take some pictures of Notre Dame all lit up. That is a thing of beauty; absolutely breathtaking. My pictures didn't do it justice, but here you go: 

Eh, I guess it's not too bad. You get the idea.

I was slightly buzzed, and we had to get up early the next morning, so that was it for the night. There weren't any late nights this time, and that's okay with me. Besides, the leg stuff makes me much more tired now. There was also a lot of walking involved. So, with a full belly and a smile on my face, it was time for beddy-bye. 

Two days down...well, two and a half I guess with the flight...next two, next post!