We had a really good holiday, both in good health and have a lot to be thankful for. We'll miss our little apartment over looking the roof tops of Paris and of course my good night view of the Eiffel Tower from our bedroom French doors.
The plane ride was un eventful and we arrive at YVR @ 1 pm.
Good to be home ( a few Euros lighter) , au revoir Paris.
It's our last full day in Paris we thought exploring our colourful neighbourhood of St Germain with boutiques and cafés would be a great way to say au revoir. There is a beautiful old church named St. Sulpice with a 7000 pipe organ 300 year old that is quite famous and is still played today. The huge old organ produces the most wonderful tunes for a peaceful meditation or prayer moment. There was a service in progress when we arrived. We just sat quietly in our own thoughts reflected on our experience in Paris and how blessed we are to enjoy this romantic city together.
There is another famous landmark in this area called the Bon Marche. A traditional department store like the old Woodwards that has a wonderful food department. We decided to take it easy and indulge ourselves in more food and more window shopping. I've cleverly deviced how to do this without letting Gary know.
Our budget is nearly out but our spirits are still high. French people take the art of epicure as serious business. It is about presentation, colour, form, how one ingredient relates or interacts to one another. Me - I like it all. There are three floors devoted to ingredient shopping and not a whole lot of prepackaged or processed food here. If u can't or don't have time to cook u buy deliously already made food and the people will help you organize the whole meal with you. The basement level has a huge wine cellar with tasting room so u can experience what wine paring works with the meal you are serving. Oh my, I've gone to heaven and back to enjoy more. Who says grocery shopping is borrowing?
After all the sensory over load, Gary and I headed out for our last "menu" dinner. It's a term used for a three item set meal which includes an entree (appetizer) , plat (main course) , dessert for set price range from $10 - $50 pp.
The lunch deal is called formule; entree + plat or plat + dessert. A plat du jour is special of the day which sometimes includes a drink. Usually very good valve and more than even what I can eat for lunch.
I couldn't resist one last window lookie after lunchie.
While my Prince put our lock on lovers bridge to secure our happiness ;). what a sweetheart .
The Versailles palace was once a SMALL hunting lodge when Louis XIV was a boy. Now it is a massive blockbuster place with lavish gardens and guilded Chateau's. I read somewhere The House of Versailles is best seen on a bike as the grounds and garden are perhaps the most impressive as they were created by manual labour by orders of the Sun King. There is bike tour that initiates from Paris then a 45 min train ride to the town of Versailles. I got brownie points from Gary as he loves cycling and I love to try the croissants fit for a King's appetite ;)
Our guide for today is Costas. An inspiring film industry expat from New Zealand living in Paris with his French girlfriend . . He does bike tours around Paris to supplement income as it is difficult to find english speaking employment. We soon found out Costas should really be a comedian as he had us in stitches right from the first pedal.
There is no way to see the grounds on Versailles on foot with 2000 acres (20,000 acres before the revolution) to cover and we only saw a little more than the average tourist even with a vehicle. 80% of the tourist only see 10% of Versailles. Travel guru Rick Steeves devout a whole chapter on this place but don't worry I won't.
Once we arrived at the train station, Costas guided us straight to the local market to purchase wine and food (good guy I like him) for our picnic on the Versailles grounds. Here he gives us tips on what's good and where the best selection can be found.
There was a big line up at the bakery Costas told us about, looks yummy huh? All those petit pastries can make me sleepy on a cold day. Hey, French people are a laid back group, when in France do as little as the French does.
Gary is attentatively listening to the history lesson and all I want to do is sneak a little bite of goodies I'm carrying in my rucksack when no one's watching. Unfortunately , I got busted both me and my bike fell over made a big bag now I have to ride in the front so teacher will be keeping an eye on things :(
After ten minutes of riding, we turned the corner and walla, the most beautiful tree lined boulevard I've ever seen. Good old Louis sure know how to pick them. He didn't bother with nurseries, why would a King have to wait for even a tree to grow in his palace? Louis summoned his gardeners to find already matured trees and bring them back to Versailles from all over France just Marie couldn't see what he's up to from her side of the palace. In fact, he planted hundreds of thousands of them. Now that's a guy with a green foot!
Marie-Antoinette was a young Austrian Princess when she married Louis. She hated the main palace where the king lived & played so she wanted to live on her own somewhere away from the nosy and often disapproving courtors. Louis happlily agreed and built her an entire village where she could play dress up. Marie's fantasy world is named the Hamlet. Together with a moat around the houses, hand picked villagers and different farm animals she could have days of fun with.
Whatda u looking at buddy? I'm from a long chain of royalty boars there's no beef here!
Gary always nags me about not having more picnics, well he got what he wanted. We are finally sipping French wine, he's having a bagette w cheese n meat and I'm having marinated octopus and olives. Oh, I forgot I'm not in Greece. Oh well food is food. Yes those are thunder clouds u see behind us. My Prince opens an umbrella just in case his bagette sandwich won't get soggy. He's such a hopeless romantic!
( now u know why I'm having something waterproof for lunch)
After our cold picnic, we are back to where it's crowded, loud and very gold - the palace tour. There's probably no need to insert a lot of photos here. Imagine being in the movie set of Goldfinger. It's just, well, very gold and lots more gold.
Then there are the mirrors- as in an entire wing of it. Someone should really calculate the foot candles in this room. I'm seeing double of myself and that's not necessary a good thing. Ive only captured the upper walls and ceiling to save u from seeing the mobs of tourist below. Very scary site indeed.
the marble work is really quite stunning but no one seems to be interested in that.
I took a breather from all the goldness and looked outside. The garden is immaculately maintained and everything is done in the traditional French style. Geometric Shapes, balance, symmetry, and lots of fountains. Such order in the design. Hope the gardener is not a tall guy or he would have a very sore back.
Bloody hell there's even more gold outside!!!!
It's no wonder the people revolted against the tax imposed on them thus the Revolution. How much can one give in order to supplement the over the top life style of this couple?
The restoration kinda ground to a halt since the economic downturn and there is a section at the right side of the palace that's still in darkness. Louis would have a temper tandrom fit if he knew what happened to his show piece palace hundred of years later.
After Goldfinger palace, I decided to have simple peasant food for dinner - cuisses de grenouilles to finish a very enjoyable bike tour and exhausting day in Versailles .
The weather has turned cold on us this morning so it was a good day to hang out a department store. (Aka - shop). Before I can twist Gary's long arms, we signed up on a tour of historical buildings in the famous Opera district. Our tour leader this time is Celia. This was her first time leading a free tour on her own and she was just wonderful. Celia is from Paris but travelled and lived in the US and Argentina to study languages.
We met the group on the front steps of the famous Paris Opera house - Opera Garnier. (1875) The building covers almost a block. A young architect by the name of Charles Garnier relatively unknown at the time won the competition to design this 2000 seat Opera House. Gary is standing in front of the floor plan of the theatre. No revisions here.
I'm standing where Napoleon would enter. The side door.
Enough history lesson for now. Celia took us along Place Vendome - a very famous and important address if you have something to sell. In Paris, if you do not have a store on this street u don't matter. All the big guns are here, Chanel, LV, House of Dior, Piaget, Van Cleef & Arpel and the biggest of them all - The Ritz. French couture doesn't get any more famous than goods from this address.
I've successfully lead him to the shops :)
Our final stop was Plaza de la Concord. Nope, not where the Concord has a metered parking stall but the location where many executions took place in history. Louie XIV and Marie both ended up on public display here.
Oh, did I mention expensive ? Not only are the merchandise eye poppingly gorgeous & costly, even a chicken ( yes Thalia) sandwich and two cafés costed us $33 euros ($50 cdn) Needless to say we wanted to camp overnight here to recoup our investment.
Luckily there is a roof top (almost free) level with money taking view for those who can't afford the lower floors. We took advantage of this purk for as long as possible.
Grasping for luxury goods is not a good idea in Paris as it will be never ending. So we went to satisfy our other pleasure - hearing! At a classical music concert VIVALDI / 4 seasons-PACHELBEL / Canon-ALBINONI / adagio in the stain glass supreme of Sainte-Chapelle. A Gothic cathedral built between 1242 and 1248 Louis IX the only French King who is now a saint. Then a slow evening walk along the Seine on the way home.
After spending so much time admiring Monet's painting of the water lilies, it would be a real shame not to make a visit to Monet's actual home and the Lillie pond he created at Giverny. Giverny is located in the town of Vernon 45 mins by train from Paris. I debated whether to visit Monet's home and garden on our own or go with a group tour. We decided to go on our own as I wanted to spend more time admiring the spring blooms and have lunch at the famous Tea room Les Nympheas which is a recommend. Turns out this was the right choice.
We got on the 12:30 train and worked on the blog until our arrival at Vernon just after lunch. A handy tourist Giverny bus awaits to take the crowd not only to Monet's place but in fact there is a whole village, street, stores, hotels, B&B and of course museum named after Monet.
The small country roads that lead you from the parking lot to Monet's house is like you have arrived in to Hansel and Gretal town. The streets are lined with beautiful perennials and houses with thatch roofs and the locals all seem to be artists or very wealthy Parisians that just want to live like an artist.
I suppose one should appreciate an artist who can be a master at gardening and a master painter all rolled in one. I have a fairly small garden compared to that of this town let alone this place and I can barely keep up with the weeds and I hire someone to mow the lawn. It is truly amazing that one man could have such a creative vision and the ability to capture what he created and arouse such powerful emotions.
We toured the inside of the home first as the line ups was shorter than all the folks taking pictures outside. Monet loved Japanese block prints and filled his home and every room with this medium. The Fondation reproduced Le salon-atelier - the drawing room studio as it was when Monet spent time here sketching by memory. There is a beautiful hugh window that looks out on to the garden and understandably the light is just perfect for his creative mind.
The peacefulness and serenity once you are outside is truly mesmerizing. Even Gary stopped photography for a fleeting moment to capture the well planned garden and the interplay of colours that inspired Monet.
I of course, stopped to smell the peonies. My father has peonies that he planted almost fifty years ago at our house that I found are here also. It is truly moving for me. The blooming time for peonies is very short and I am fortunate that I came at the right time to see them in full display.
We followed the path and our natural curiosity to the famous lilie pond. Once around the corner, there it is. The pond almost takes your breath away as the crowd clears as if the painting came alive right before you.
The water lilies were in bloom, the weeping wills are hanging just above the water, the reflections all of it is right before your eyes. I can hardly take my eyes away from all this.
We tried to capture the Japanese bridge without tourists on it but without luck. (Sorry Jen we missed the wisteria in bloom)
Gary & I spent over three hours in Giverney and worked up quite an appetite. As promised we dined at the tea room Les Nymphea right across the street from his home.
Before we headed for our 6 o'clock train back to Paris, we paid our respects to the Monet. He and his family are buried at L'eglise Ste-Radegonde in the church cemetery in Giverney.
Posted with Blogsy