I had a day off while in Paris last month and I was excited to finally make my way to see the Chateau de Versailles. The chateau is actually a palace located 30 minutes outside Paris city center that King Louis XIV moved the court to in May of 1682. He made Versailles his home and what a lovely home it is. I love to read period based books and quite a few have revolved around Versailles so it was interesting for me to see the palace firsthand. It was decadent. I have seen numerous palaces around the world but most of them have lost a lot of what made them so grand in the first place. A good imagination is usually needed to see what a palace once was. Versailles definitely was shinier and grander in its heyday but all the pieces to the puzzle still stand and leave you in awe. I was blown away by the paintings on the ceilings. Not only were they in excellent condition, but they were also almost in every room you walked into. I spent more time looking at the ceilings than anything else. Couple this with marble pillars, intricate crown moldings, numerous statues, wall sized paintings, extensive gold leaf, carved doors, rich tapestries and brocades, magnificent chandeliers, etc…Versailles was just beautiful. It was all that I thought it would be and much more. The gardens too are extensive and magnificent. From the back of the palace they extend as far as the eye can see with lakes, forests, and ornamental gardens. I only had six hours to tour Versailles  which definitely was not enough time. You could easily spend a couple of days taking in the palace and all the grounds. I would like to go back one day with a partner and rent a boat to row in the lakes. It would be a perfect day with a packed lunch and a bottle of wine. 

Inside the Chapel

Up-close of painting in chapel’s dome

Up-close of chapel’s ceiling painting

Ceiling Painting

“The Hall of Mirrors”- The right side is a row of windows facing the gardens and the left side is a row of mirrors in which you see the reflection of the garden

The King’s bed chamber

The Queen’s bed chamber

View of the grounds at Versailles

Chateau de Versailles

You can find more photos from this trip at www.ariagiovanni.com

In June of 2007 I had 4 days of my schedule unexpectedly open up while I was traveling in Europe. I was in Paris at that time and I decided to take the train somewhere new to go off and explore for a few days. After looking around online at my different options I decided to go to Rouen for a few days. Being a fan of Impressionists paintings I was sold at seeing the Notre Dame Cathedral of Rouen in which Monet painted a series of during different times of the day. Rouen is the capital of the Upper Normandy region of France. It is a quaint city located on the Seine river with beautiful gothic churches, cobblestone streets, and half-timbered buildings. I arrived by train in the afternoon, checked into my room, and found the nearest outdoor café to take some dinner, drink wine, read, and relax. I took a walk along the Seine and then made it an early evening and headed back to my room. I woke up the next morning and headed over to the Rouen Cathedral and to my luck and surprise the town was celebrating Normandy day in the church square. They had Bavarian beer, hard cider, huge pans of paella, fresh baked breads, baked apples, lemon tarts, etc… There were rows of wooden picnic benches set up with the locals dressed up for the festival in traditional clothing and a band playing music and dancing around making everyone cheer and laugh. I grabbed a beer, a plate of paella, and a lemon tart and sat down with the locals and joined in on the festivities. I thoroughly enjoyed myself that day. After everything died down, I continued walking through the city and found the place where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake. I found a local restaurant down a side alley and enjoyed a relaxing dinner before I made my way to bed. The next morning I went to the Musée des beaux-arts de Rouen in which amongst other artists I saw one of Monet’s paintings of the Rouen Cathedral. I continued on to the Musée de la céramique. My mom paints porcelain and I thought I would stop to take some photos of the pieces for her to enjoy. I wandered around the city some more, did some shopping, and stopped at another café to enjoy some wine, read my book, and watch the people walk by. I made my way to bed and took an early train back to Paris the next day. My little side trip to Rouen was just what I needed, some time to relax and breathe. 

Sunset over the Seine river in Rouen

Side view of the Rouen Cathedral from my room

Rouen Cathedral by Claude Monet

Notre Dame Cathedral Rouen

Half-timbered building

Site where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake

You can find more photos from this trip at www.ariagiovanni.com