Versailles

Today we only accomplished one thing... but oh what a thing it was!

We took two metro subway trains, then a French National Train out to the Versailles Palace.I now really understand *why* there was a French Revolution... This place was way too much! What a HUGE waste of the French national resources. This 'palace' held more than 20,000 people. The King and Queen of course, but also an entire 'court' of french nobility, courtiers, administrators, cooks, cleaners, seamstresses, etc. All supported just to give the King a nice place to hold court. (one of many palaces actually)

A lot of history was here. From Ben Franklin's introduction to the court as the ambassador from the new United States, to where they mob's carried away and beheaded Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, to where the Treaty ending World War I was signed. All happened here.

The palace is huge, monster-sized courtyards coming up to the building, and then huge long wings. This was the largest palace EVER! - yep Ever!

On top of the palace, the surrounding gardens are even more immense! The maps and drawings of the gardens make it look like it is all gardens with low plants. And some of them are, but a vast majority is just huge tracks of land with planted trees. Groups of the same tree lined up in long rows. With roads and paths in between. In the center is a large man-made lake called the Grand Canal is over a mile long - in two directions. It's shaped like a large cross.

Even from this monstrosity of a palace the King wanted to 'get away' from the hectic life of court, and so built other smaller palaces, one for himself and his mistresses, and another for the Marie Antoinette.

The 'over-the-top' ostentatious and overly decorated rooms were way too much for me. Each room had a 'theme' as well as custom works of art, custom wall coverings, custom flooring, and everything was way expensive. Artwork and statues were everywhere! On top of roofs, scattered around the gardens, down walkways, in gardens, ponds, and fountains.

We walked around a lot of the palace and gardens, including the Trianon's - but then Jill, Ryan and Alysha followed Ryan's lead and walked around the ENTIRE GRAND CANAL!

I got in 18,500 steps today, they must have been up around 23,000.
So here come the pictures:

Still a little tired as we start on our journey 'My Girls' getting ready for a day of sightseeing Karrissa, you and your two kids are also 'My Girls' Alysha getting silly on the train Yes, we arrived at the palace! Ryan playing 'tourist' listening to the Audio Recording about Versailles

The 'Chapel' a private little chapel - King and his family upstairs, everyone else downstairs Sample room - one of many stately rooms fully decorated Statues and artwork were everywhere Sample painting of a single ceiling... all the ceilings were like this! Hall of Mirrors - a football field sized room for state functions with 17 facing windows facing the garden Ryan being 'artistic' with the camera in the Hall of Mirrors View from Hall of Mirrors across garden area - end of water over a mile away One of the 'side gardens' not even the main garden In the Hall of Princes - Ryan and Alysha had fun with the camera And I thought she was smiling for the photo So did Jill Didn't even know she was behind me I thought all the gardens were like this one Alysha, just happy to be there The 'Orangery' garden for growing oranges Yep - were are all at Versailles! Looking over the main garden area Kids having fun
Jill and Alysha walking on paths between trees
View from the center 'cross' part of the Grand Canal back to Palace Ryan, Alysha and Jill made it to the end of the Grand Canal It looks much closer with the big zoom lens on my Nikon Resting after a long day in Versailles Kids zonked on the train ride home

Eiffel Tower

The last thing we accomplished today was the Eiffel Tower. There are way to many "firsts" and "largest" and the like statistics about the Eiffel Tower. In the stairwell leading down from the 2nd floor (43 floors above the ground) there are statistics and factoids about the tower. (something to take your mind off the pain of walking down over 660 steps...)

There was a short line for the stairs going up.... 1666 steps. We opted for the long line to ride the elevators up.

The Eiffel Tower was originally conceived for the Universal Exhibition of 1889 - and was supposed to be up for only 7 years. But the Parisians fell in love with their new icon and it's still here today.

The top is over 1000 feet in the air, weighs more than 10,100 tons, and needs over 60 tons of paint to keep the metal from rusting.

I'd been 'near' the Eiffel Tower in the past when I was in Paris... but never this close. This thing is HUGE! It must have really been impressive back when it was first built.

After wandering around the top (that is after waiting for hours in lines) we took pictures and enjoyed the views. Rather than wait for another line to take the elevators down... we opted to take the stairs.

Today was only 12,000 steps... less than half of yesterday... but still adding up to over 24 miles walked the last two and a half days here. Yes, my legs are aching and feet sore. But we're in Paris baby!

Tomorrow we'll be heading out to Versailles to see the gardens and palaces there. I fear it will include more walking - where is the Segway tour when you need one. ;-)

Photos from the Eiffel Tower

Coming up to the Eiffel Tower from the Batobus Boat on the Seine

Looking up from the base

The base of this thing is HUGE!

Why they need to repaint the metal every seven years

The Louvre from the Top of Eiffel Tower

Kids hanging out from the top - 1000' above Paris

View of Sacre Cour from the Eiffel Tower - only fair to look back

Notre Dame and the Seine Cruise

After the Sainte-Chapelle we walked across the island in the Seine to see the cathedral of Notre Dame Paris. Started in 1163, it wasn't completed for 170 years... That's a lot of work!

They still hold Mass here multiple times each day. A choir was singing plainsong while we toured the building.

Photos from the visit...

Family outside Front of Notre DameNave of Notre Dame looking toward Apse

North Transept Rose Window

Wooden Model of Notre Dame showing Flying Buttresses surrounding Apse

Gothic Architecture Details

Family from Back of Notre Dame on Bridge over Seine

Back of Notre Dame showing Flying Buttresses

The happy family being in Paris at Notre Dame

Full Side View from River Seine

Then on to the Batobus - a river tour of the Seine taking us from Notre Dame through the city down to the Eiffel Tower.

Sainte-Chapelle & Paris Pickpockets

This morning we took the Metro down to start our sightseeing. On the way, Jill noticed some pre-teen little girls acting 'funny' at the gates, trying to sneak into the Metro station. Later they showed up on our platform. Then while entering the train car, I felt someone pushing from behind - not an unknown thing on subways... but there was also someone's hand in my pants pocket searching for my wallet.

I moved forward to get some space, and yelled 'HEY' and that scared them a bit. My wallet was safe and the girls got off the train and watched as we drove away - obvious they had been 'caught' trying to pickpocket me.

Well, that's what we thought. We arrived at our station, and went up to see the cathedral, and I reached in my other pocket for cash... and all the cash was gone! #$%^& those little girls did a good job of making me protect my wallet, but got the cash from the other pocket at exactly the same time. (by the way, the wallet was in a zippered sub-pocket) So we were out some $180 in cash. Not a nice way to start the day.

Be warned! - There are pickpockets in Paris!!!

Now on to the Sainte-Chapelle. This was an almost 'private' chapel for the king Louis IX - it adjoined the palace on an island in the Seine river. Today the palace is the the 'Palace of Justice' and the chapel a tourist attraction. Unlike the Notre Dame where it is still being used as a place of worship with Mass services performed many times each day.

The building was built in only 6 years, from 1242-1248 and it's main purpose was to house the 'relics' the king had purchased from the Emperor in Constantinople, supposedly the true crown of thorns worn by Jesus, as well as parts of the true cross. The paid over three times the cost of building this church, just to have the relics!

Inside the room is full of light! 15 HUGE stained glass windows surround the perimeter - plus a monster-sized Rose Window in the back of the chapel facing West. There are over 1113 distinct scenes depicted in the windows. For folks who couldn't read back then this was a way of teaching the stories from the bible.

When King Louis IX started this chapel the Notre-Dame Cathedral was already started, but it took over 170 years to complete.

Ryan had studied all these stained glass windows as part of his Humanities courses at University.

Here's some photos.

The Sainte-Chapelle

The Lower Chapel Where the Palace 'regular folk' could worship
Looking back from the front of the Upper Chapel to Rose Window facing West

Looking straight up above the Apse

Detail of the interior and one of the 12 disciples

Detail from just one pane of the 1,113 scenes in stained glass
These have survived since 1248 AD!

Louvre and Sacre-Cour

Today we started out buying a bit of breakfast at the local bakery. Alysha found out what Rum Cake tastes like... ;-) on accident of course.

Street outside our Hotel

Then walked about a mile down to the Louvre Museum - down the I.M. Pei pyramid of the DaVinci Code fame - into one of the largest museums in the world.

Jill, Alysha and Ryan before entering The Louvre Museum

It was a palace until after the French Revolution when in 1792 the National Convention declared it to be a museum for all the people. The place is amazing. The architecture overwhelming. The shear volume of art staggering. We walked about 3 1/2 miles just inside the museum.

Louis XIV's Crown

Gilt Hall - Over-The-Top!

Family in long gallery

Entire Room of Carved Stonework

Intricate carved stonework

Alysha now understands how Karrissa feels about having a small head...

Found a piece of artwork that looked like me!

Italian Paintings, Greek Urns, Statues, Egyptian Artifacts... you name it.

We did get to see many famous paintings, including the Mona Lisa!

The Mona Lisa

Patrons watching the Mona Lisa

The halls were so long, once King Louis had them transformed into a 'forest' and rode horses inside on a 'hunt' for wild stag, *inside* his own palace.

The intricate carvings of stone, wood, gilt areas were also mind-boggling to think of all the hard labor that was provided just to satisfy their Kings and his huge court.

We even went down below the ground floor to where the original foundations of the very first Castle/Palace were built in the 1200's.

Then after a lunch in a nearby restaurant we walked home and took a little 90 minute nap to help with the jet lag thing.

We then took the Paris Metro - including a change of lines - followed by a funicular train... up to the top of the Montmarte Butte where the church called Sacre-Cour was built.

We climbed to the top of this!

The Sacre-Cour Cathedral

We climbed to the very top ring of the dome

Eiffel Tower from Sacre-Cour

Alysha and Ryan after the climb
Ask Lysh about her leg shakes ;-)

A view from the very top

Jill really wanted to go up to the top of the Dome... the first time we went to Rome, we chose not to climb to the top of the dome. Later on our second visit with the kids we climbed to the top and it was great. So up we went on this trek. Over 300 steps to the top of the Dome base, then more up a very small single spiral staircase to the very top of the dome's center. Not a trip for the claustrophobic. Just about all of the climbs were inside cut-stone spiral staircases. (just don't think about the walls coming in on you...)

Bottom dome is the top of the inside - we climbed the thin spiral staircase to top of outside dome

Looking down from the lip of the dome

View from just about half-way to the top

The view from the top was amazing. You are just below the height of the Eiffel Tower and can see a very long ways.

Later we went to the chapel part and watched a Catholic Mass held in French and 'checked out' the rest of the building. We've seen much better cathedrals, but this was a great location with great views of the surrounding areas.

French Public Toilet

Then we went back up the hill to an 'Artist Area' Jill wanted to see (we got to do lots and lots of steps today) Then walked all the way back to the hotel. The kids were too pooped... but Jill and I went out for a nice little dinner of omelets and fries before coming back and writing this blog.

On the way home to pickup snacks Alysha found what she wanted

We finished the day with over 24,400 steps! This was a new personal record. The last record was in Nice with Jill and Ed S. - that was a bit over 21,000. Today was about 12 miles of walking. (plus last night's little reconnoiter ran about 6 miles as well.) so in a little over 28 hours we did 18 miles of walking.

Second day in Paris - complete!

Arrival in Paris

We had a nice uneventful flight from SLC direct to Paris. There was a few spare seats available, so we moved around so each of us had a spare seat next to us. Sweet... Well all but Jill. She got the exit row and it had a chilled air leak that kept her cold through three blankets.

Since the flight went so far north, across Hudson's Bay, we never had the sun set all night. Weird...

Then after a very long... yet not too expensive cab ride... we arrived at our hotel and slept for 4 hours to do the 're-sync' thing.

This evening we did a bit of reconnoitering around the Opera District where our hotel is. Walked about 6 miles around, saw the National Opera, walked down the 'Boulevard' - the actual original Boulevard that all the others in the world are named after.We ended up back at our hotel - having learned where the closest Metro stations are - and had a great dinner at a nearby bistro.My lasagna bolognese was the best I ever had. Alysha had a 5-cheese penne pasta that was wonderful. Jill and Ryan had really good pizza. We even got them to give us a carafe of tap water (crazy Americans)

Tomorrow is the Louvre!