Paris Chapter 3: Saturday

Palace of Versailles & the Louvre

Royal Courtyard Gate

We woke up early to a beautiful sunrise from the hostel window. 

  Jason, Joseph and I traveled early to the Palace  of Versailles. but what a journey getting there! The first station we went to the train never showed up so we walked to a different one. It was a little confusing firguring out which train to take, because the maps are a little misleading. 

So this is about how we felt at the time.

Along the way...

We also got off on the wrong stop once and had to wait 10 more minutes in the middle of no where. So I tried to get the boys to play the alphabet word game with me. They wouldn't.. so I blatantly forced them to play against their will. I started with Aflac, then when someone said something that started with a "B" I used that. And so forth...Well.. I was entertained!

Somehow we managed to second guess if this was the Palace of Versailles... it had been a long morning.

This is the start of Louis XIV's vanity.

We entered in the Place D'armes courtyard of honor.






I decided to look into the wreathes that many angel statues hold. It is Victory of the Redemtion, but also can mean in memory.

The gold is only so bright because they repaint it. It's a little disappointing because it takes away from originality, but it is still amazing, and highlights the original decor.

And the views only become more impressive!

This fire place was in the Hercules Room, a chapel in the palace that also served as a ballroom in the XVIIIth century.

Nanny: wouldn't you like to have this organ?

An incredible staircase!

I hope to someday have at least one chandelier in my home, they are so pretty, perhaps I'll make my own!

The hall of mirrors,

I hope sometime people will learn to think twice before marking and staining up something so beautiful. 

This is the cieling in the Mercury Salon. The decoration took 10 years to complete. Gaspard and Balthazar Marsy oulded the stucco work, and Jean-Baptiste de Champaigne painted. Mercury oversees the work of Science.

Council Study; the King would meet with ministers from Councils, entertain guests, and receive oaths of loyalty.

King Louis XIV's bed

This window gave the room the nick name the Bull's-Eye room, the waiting room for entry into the King's bedroom.

Table setting ideas...

Marie Antoinette's bedroom.

If I had all the money in the world...

"Why I ask, just doesn't make much sense, that a man of my stature should have to where a dress?"

We visited the north and the south wing. The gardens were closed due to the cold weather, but I am definitely planning another trip to Paris in the warmer weather.

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Louvre

Jason, Joseph, and I entered the Louvre underground via the metro. We had 2 hours, and luckily missed all of the lines that collect at the main Pyramid entrance.

So much personality!

The Winged Victory of Samothrace

Handsome man! Don't even know his name...

 The Mona Lisa

 

We saw hundreds of paintings... Spanish, and Italian paintings from 13th century to 18th.

 We also saw sections of pre-classical Greece and greek ceramics, Terracotta...

Twisted paintings by Ary Scheffer;

To remind you, when things are bad, they could be worse.

And then a huge section of Pharaonic Egypt. This is for you Cassie!

It would be nice to be able to read all these hieroglyphics!

The family of the God Osiris, his wife Isis, and son Horus

For the King Ounas, made of alabaster.

Jason imitating the Egyptians

 

It's Egyptian crew Siyi!

Sphinx

The original underground moat of the grounds.

A model of the castle

The final bits of the Louvre:
 Upon leaving, I described the Louvre as mind blowing, because it really feels like you are traveling through time, and when you enter into a new section, you feel disbelief. How does this even exist in the same place?

So then I look up, and I see this man describing rather how my mind felt! haha

 

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