Versailles

Friday, February 3^rd

                Today was Versailles Day. We met at the train station, and took the train half an hour outside of Paris to the City of Versailles. I can’t really describe Versailles any differently than anyone else has. It’s huge, of course, and full of ornamentation, of course, and really gaudy ornamentation at that, of course. It was also crowded and not well heated, but it was out of the wind, so I can’t complain about the cold too much. I took way too many pictures, and probably not very good ones at that, but that’s sort of what you do when you go to a place like that. We did learn quite a bit of history and such which was interesting. Like the fact that there isn’t much furniture, not because they didn’t have it, because boy did they, but because it was destroyed during the revolution.

                ALSO! All the paintings on the ceiling of the Hall of Mirrors are depictions of France’s victories over other countries. The kings of France, I think it was Louis XV in particular, liked to invite the kings of those other countries to Versailles and show off his spectacular Hall of Mirrors and the beautiful paintings on the ceiling…after said victories were achieved and painted. :D I also learned that most of the mirrors in that hall serve double duty as doors into the ‘private’ rooms of the king and queen. I say ‘private’ because their lives really weren’t private at all.

               We spent several hours in the palace, and then a couple of hours getting back to Paris, splitting up, and eating lunch. The group I was with explored the area around the school for a bit after that and did a bit of grocery shopping for our dinners. Fridays and Saturdays we’re on our own for dinner as well as lunch. The rest of tonight I’m hanging out at home, alone, as my hostess is out with her friends for the night. I’m watching one of her DVDs, which she recommended, as I write this. She described it as a classic French film and a bit strange. I have to agree with the strange part as I’m not getting much of it. She seemed a bit surprised that I was spending a Friday night in, but I’m enjoying it, especially after the past week of constant information input and walking. Besides, I’ve got plans to meet up with people tomorrow afternoon to do some tourist sites. Then most of us are getting together for dinner and then going to a club tomorrow night. So I have my peaceful night alone tonight, and tomorrow I’ll be an active, social person! And then classes start on Monday!