Saturday, June 4, 2011

Day 15 - 6/1

Paris – Versailles

This morning we went to Versailles, the palace of King Louie XIV, also known as the Sun King due to his association with Apollo. The murals on the ceiling are of Greek gods who revolve around the the King or Apollo. The king's bedroom is located directly in the center of the palace.

The king would wake up, get dressed, eat, etc in public. Everything the king did was open to the courtiers. He built the palace with 4000 rooms so they could all live in the palace or have land near it. This kept him in good favor with the courtiers. They plotted against each other rather than him. More importantly, he could keep an eye on everyone giving him an absolute monarchy.

We also saw Marie Antoinette's bedroom. The french revolution started when they tried to kill her. I took a picture of the door where she escaped through interior rooms to the King's bedroom. She was not well liked by her people due to her lively social life and gambling habits.

After the hour tour of the museum, we walked to a patisserie where I picked up quiche Lorraine and a chocolate eclair for lunch. After taking a peek at the palace gardens, we took the train back to Paris.

Once back in Paris, I went to Notre Dame Cathedral. It breathtaking inside! The ceilings are so high and beautiful. Its dark inside because it was very hard to build windows that high. I lit a candle for Popi in the church. In the picture, its the one on the top in the center.

This evening, we went to a french show similar to the Moulin Rouge. They had beautiful dancers, each selected as an image of french perfection and acrobats. My favorite act was two brothers who did a very intricate juggling act. We watched the show while sipping champagne. It was a great experience.

After the show, we walked up to Momart, the oldest part of Paris where you could see the whole city at night. I had a Nutella crepe as I looked over the beautiful city. It was a wonderful way to spend my last night in Paris.

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