My birthday—9/16/2011
I went to Versailles on my birthday by taking the suburban rail there. I found the metro station and Versailles from the metro station very easily but I spent over an hour underground figuring out how to get on the right train.
to be continued later today
It is now 1:30 am 19 September and I’m in Budapest with Jessica and Kaitlin but I can’t fall asleep so I’m going to try and update this tumblr thing.
Versailles 9/16:
I figured out my mistake then had a very peaceful 30 minute ride to Versailles. I spent most of that time writing in the little Renoir notebook, which I know will make Tina happy. I remembered how much I enjoy writing with a good pen on a clean page in cursive. I started writing in cursive all the time back in high school after seeing the afore mentioned Travis writing class notes in cursive. I asked him why he did that and he said it was so that he could get better from the practice or maybe it was because it is faster….I’m not quite sure anymore since that was over 7 years ago but basically, I wanted to see if he had a point and I’ve been doing it ever since. (holy moly high school was so long ago!)
Once I got off the train, I headed straight for the palace because I had my nifty museum pass which helped me make up for lost time. The first picture is of me just inside the gates after passing security. I spent a few minutes trying to find a qualified picture taker. My requirements are free hands, look friendly, and don’t seem clumsy. If they speak English or Spanish that is always a plus, too. However, most people understand what I mean by s’il vous plait and some camera hand gestures.
I went through the palace listening to Rick Steves free Versailles audio tour which definitely made the trip more memorable. I was able to pause and replay from the ipod and actually understand what I was looking at. I took a picture of this man because Judith’s street is named after him. (And yes, I know his name but just to be safe I don’t want to post it.) Rick Steves didn’t have anything cool to say about him but I was excited to know the origin of her street name.
After I finished seeing the interior, I let Rick Steves guide me to the orangerie courtyard. It is a courtyard of potted orange trees from Chile with tons of winding paths. Rick Steves said that they used to be in silver containers that were wheeled in and out of the adjacent green houses depending on the weather. I think there are 800 of those trees and back in the day this was the only place to find oranges.
I listened to this and ate some of the baguette sandwich that Judith’s mom made for me. I wish I could remember the name of the cheese because it was delicious.
I followed the audio tour to Apollo’s fountain which would be turned on every time Kind Louis XIV walked by it. The water’s spray would create a fog and gave the illusion of Apollo’s chariot coming out in the dawn bringing the sun. On the weekends, you can see a water and music show to the fountain but I’m sure the crowds get crazy which is why I went on a Friday.
I decided to take the long route to the Grand Trianon along the Grand Canal which meant that I was able to just enjoy the surroundings without a whole bunch of people around me. Rick Steves didn’t have anything to say so I decided to listen to music and sing along as I walked since no one could hear me anyways.
The Grand Trianon and Petite Trianon were built because the King wanted to get away from the courtlife at Versailles. The petite Trianon was more for Marie Antoinette and her quarters were my favorite. Versailles is big and grand but the space is overwhelming. Here in the Trianons I felt able to appreciate the big, yet more practically, sized rooms, vaulted ceilings, and tall windows. The pictures of the flowerbeds were said to be changed daily for the king.
I started my walk back so I could see the dragon fountain which was probably 20-30 minutes away from Petite Trianon. I felt a little lame taking a picture of myself but not many people venture to this part apparently. And finally, I made it back to the castle and snapped a final picture to end my trip to Versailles.
On the way back, I noticed a tex-mex restaurant and I was really tempted to see if they had bean and cheese tacos. (I love those things in case you didn’t know.)
My birthday—9/16/2011
I went to Versailles on my birthday by taking the suburban rail there. I found the metro station and Versailles from the metro station very easily but I spent over an hour underground figuring out how to get on the right train.
to be continued later today
It is now 1:30 am 19 September and I’m in Budapest with Jessica and Kaitlin but I can’t fall asleep so I’m going to try and update this tumblr thing.
Versailles 9/16:
I figured out my mistake then had a very peaceful 30 minute ride to Versailles. I spent most of that time writing in the little Renoir notebook, which I know will make Tina happy. I remembered how much I enjoy writing with a good pen on a clean page in cursive. I started writing in cursive all the time back in high school after seeing the afore mentioned Travis writing class notes in cursive. I asked him why he did that and he said it was so that he could get better from the practice or maybe it was because it is faster….I’m not quite sure anymore since that was over 7 years ago but basically, I wanted to see if he had a point and I’ve been doing it ever since. (holy moly high school was so long ago!)
Once I got off the train, I headed straight for the palace because I had my nifty museum pass which helped me make up for lost time. The first picture is of me just inside the gates after passing security. I spent a few minutes trying to find a qualified picture taker. My requirements are free hands, look friendly, and don’t seem clumsy. If they speak English or Spanish that is always a plus, too. However, most people understand what I mean by s’il vous plait and some camera hand gestures.
I went through the palace listening to Rick Steves free Versailles audio tour which definitely made the trip more memorable. I was able to pause and replay from the ipod and actually understand what I was looking at. I took a picture of this man because Judith’s street is named after him. (And yes, I know his name but just to be safe I don’t want to post it.) Rick Steves didn’t have anything cool to say about him but I was excited to know the origin of her street name.
After I finished seeing the interior, I let Rick Steves guide me to the orangerie courtyard. It is a courtyard of potted orange trees from Chile with tons of winding paths. Rick Steves said that they used to be in silver containers that were wheeled in and out of the adjacent green houses depending on the weather. I think there are 800 of those trees and back in the day this was the only place to find oranges.
I listened to this and ate some of the baguette sandwich that Judith’s mom made for me. I wish I could remember the name of the cheese because it was delicious.
I followed the audio tour to Apollo’s fountain which would be turned on every time Kind Louis XIV walked by it. The water’s spray would create a fog and gave the illusion of Apollo’s chariot coming out in the dawn bringing the sun. On the weekends, you can see a water and music show to the fountain but I’m sure the crowds get crazy which is why I went on a Friday.
I decided to take the long route to the Grand Trianon along the Grand Canal which meant that I was able to just enjoy the surroundings without a whole bunch of people around me. Rick Steves didn’t have anything to say so I decided to listen to music and sing along as I walked since no one could hear me anyways.
The Grand Trianon and Petite Trianon were built because the King wanted to get away from the courtlife at Versailles. The petite Trianon was more for Marie Antoinette and her quarters were my favorite. Versailles is big and grand but the space is overwhelming. Here in the Trianons I felt able to appreciate the big, yet more practically, sized rooms, vaulted ceilings, and tall windows. The pictures of the flowerbeds were said to be changed daily for the king.
I started my walk back so I could see the dragon fountain which was probably 20-30 minutes away from Petite Trianon. I felt a little lame taking a picture of myself but not many people venture to this part apparently. And finally, I made it back to the castle and snapped a final picture to end my trip to Versailles.
On the way back, I noticed a tex-mex restaurant and I was really tempted to see if they had bean and cheese tacos. (I love those things in case you didn’t know.)
Posted 8 months ago
