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I knew once I
got to Paris that I wanted to spend at least part of a day in
Versailles. Unfortunately, getting there proved a little
more difficult than I would have liked.
There is a different
train system, independent of both the Metro and the main rail, that
goes out into the suburbs and countryside around Paris. It is
slightly more confusing than the other trains, mostly because
several different unmarked trains arrive on the same tracks. I
thought I had boarded the correct one the first day I tried to go to
Versailles, but I'd actually boarded one that took a sharp turn back
toward the Eiffel Tower a few stops down the way. I got off as
soon as I realized I was on the wrong one, and spent the rest of the
day grumbling and walking around Paris in the miserable weather.
A few days later,
however, two guys from the hostel and I decided to try again, and we
proved that three heads are better than one when it comes to
deciphering foreign rail systems.
The elevated rail ramps
up over the hills of the city, providing a great view down into some
of Paris' less prominent neighborhoods. Versailles is not too
far from the city center of Paris.
Just a brief background
on Versailles: It was Louis XIV's extravagant home away from
home just before the French Revolution broke out. It was a
time of much need for the French people, so they were not altogether
pleased when Louis went out and spent an enormous amount of
resources building a sumptuous palace and expansive, manicured
garden just for the fun of it. This is where the treaty of
Versailles was signed just after WWI, and it's also the home of the
famous "hall of mirrors," which I'll get to in a while.
As it turned out,
getting lost on the first day I tried to go to Versailles was a bit
of a blessing in disguise because of how nice the weather was.
It was a little chilly, but the sun was out and it made for some
great photo ops. The above photo was actually taken through
the fence bars of a nearby hotel before we actually arrived at the
palace. This bit of landscaping looks like a giant, functional
wristwatch, complete with the band (which you can't really see).
Part of the palace
was being renovated, but the outside was still extremely impressive.
The above photo
represents a very exciting moment for me, because this was the
moment I discovered that one of my favorite contemporary artists,
American Jeff Koons, was
actually having an art show at Versailles. Oh my gosh.
I have studied nearly every one of the pieces they had on
display! I had no idea that he was holding a show at
Versailles, of all places, and I would have gladly traveled out of
my way just to see the individual works of art that were on
exhibition here. Versailles was fantastic enough on its own,
and Versailles + one of my favorite artists was almost too much.
This is the
palace's private chapel. Nobody was allowed in, sadly, but
even from here, it's easy enough to tell that it's crafted
rather remarkably. Every last inch of the palace is
trimmed in gold or another sumptuous material.
A stairwell.
This odd, almost ironic
juxtaposition of the gaudy ornamentation with the hyper-smooth,
reflective, kitschy balloon animal is exactly the kind of
shenanigans Jeff Koons is famous for.
In the palace of Versailles, there
is a room for nearly every imaginable activity, all of them choked
to the gills in cold, paintings, and finery. In this room is
one of Jeff Koons' most famous pieces, "Rabbit."
Here's a view out one
of the windows. This is only a tiny fraction of the vast
gardens of Versailles. I know not everyone is as big a Jeff
Koons nut as I am, so I'm leaving out of the photos I took of all of
his artwork, mostly for time's sake.
THIS one, however, I
just HAVE to show. You may be thinking, "So what, it's just a
stupid balloon animal again." All of this stuff is cast in
solid metal, including this lobster. The window was open and
the wind was blowing the curtains around, but the lobster didn't
budge. Even a mere two feet away from it, I couldn't tell that
it wasn't a real balloon animal. I wanted so badly to touch
it.
This is actually
my bed from my apartment back in Portland, OR.
Here is the
all-famed Hall of Mirrors. Although it was impressive, it
was certainly not my favorite part about Versailles.
I liked the art
gallery more, for example. This is also kind of what some
parts of the Louvre looked like.
My very very most
favorite part about Versailles, however, was the garden. It is
the closest I've ever come to feeling as though I'm standing amidst
the terrain of an alien planet. I'm going to let my pictures
do the talking for me.
Caution: Swans
are a lot bigger and meaner than they look.
Check out those
little trees on the right! My friends and I wondered and
marveled at the amount of upkeep this place must have.
This was a fountain at one point, but
it looked as though it had been dried up for ages. Here, my
friends and I recounted all the fond memories we'd created so far on
our travels through Europe. A couple of days later, I hopped
on a plane back to the United States. I remember the last time
I looked up into the blue Parisian sky, and I wondered with a heavy
heart if I would ever see it again. I truly hope that someday,
I do.
Not home yet!
Stage 8 - New York City |
