Today was to be a "light" day....but Versailles turned out to be a little more complicated than anticipated!
For one thing, the weather continued to be not optimal--grey with intermittent light showers. At the château itself, there was only one line to get in. Normally, there is at least two--one for groups and one for individuals. The good news is that we had our museum passes so we didn't have to stand in the ticket line, just in the line to get in. The bad news is that we stood in line for an hour and a half. Despit
e all this, our students were patient and good-humored (thanks, guys!).I love Versailles (usually!)--my area of specialization spans the 17th and 18th centuries of French literature and culture, and, as you can imagine, there is lots to see at Versailles that is relevant to the period from 1660 to th
e French revolution. I'm including in today's blog some neat paintings and sculptures displayed at Versailles that I particularly like. The first sculpture is a bust of Louis XIV during his very handsome youth. Then, I've included a painting of Louis XIV from later in life (note that even though he's no longer young, he positions himself in such a way that you can see his shapely legs--he was very proud of his legs and danced when he was a young man). The second sculpture is a bust of Marie Antoinette.
Tomorrow: the Montparnasse cemetary and a philosophical discussion at "Les Deux Magots"!
Waiting on the line for Versaille's was definitely very grueling at first, but I feel like we all adjusted well, especially those of the group who managed to sneakingly find their ways to the front of the lines before the rest of the group. ALthough I am a person of absolutely no patience, being on the line with good company and the unescaping rain, helped time go by on this hour and half line fairly quickly. Although the line was verrryyy long, it was well worth it because this was my favorite place.The Garden was the most beautiful thing i have seen. I ignored all the mud around and impatient people and took my time admiring and taking pictures of the The Gardens.
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