Palace Versailles, Latin Quarter, French Cinema and Palm Sunday! What a weekend!

     Another memorable and gorgeous weekend in Europe. St. John's planned a trip for us to go to Versailles and I was beyond excited. Being a Politics and Government minor...to tour the Palace of Versailles in France is just another dream of mine. It was everything I could have ever imagined if not more. I have a LONG Blog post up ahead...lots of info and history about the Palace.
     The morning of Friday started off fairly early. Versailles is located right outside of Paris and was about thirty minutes away from campus. It was a very easy trip though, just one subway ride and a brief train ride. St. John's paid for it all and helped us get there.
    Versailles was built by King Louis XIV for political reasons. It was the summer house for the King first of all and also a place where between 5-7,000 nobles lived. The reason the extravagant palace was located right outside of Paris in the suburbs was for very strategic reasons. The King wanted to make sure all of the nobles and people that worked for him were not conspiring against him. Traveling was much different back then and if the palace was located in the middle of nowhere...the nobles really had to rely on the King for everything and there was really no room for conspiracy.  As I mentioned in my last Blog post, the King of France was basically considered God.
    King Louis XIV was the longest reigning king in the history of France. He became King at the age of 5 years old and reigned until 75 years old. The Palace is gorgeous both inside and out...I guess it wouldn't be too radical to say it is fit for a King. There is not a single room in the entire Palace that has not been remodeled or modified at least ten times.
    As I mentioned above the Palace is in the suburbs. When you walk up to the Palace it seems like it is in the middle of nowhere. The sun was hot shining all over the Palace's square. We were greeted with gold gates. It was breathtaking. 

        St. John's also paid for us to get inside the Palace and once we were inside audio-guides were included. Even though we have done a ton of tours since getting to Europe this was the first time I ever got to use a audio-guide. Obviously mine was in English, but it was available in almost every language you could imagine too. We usually have a tour-guide instead of audio-guides, but I loved using the audio-guide. I felt like I was on my own personal tour in my own little world. Adrian and I wondered from room to room in the Palace learning so much and soaking it all in. The audio-guides were excellent too. They really made me feel like I was right with the King as they explained certain scenarios and events that took place throughout.
      The first room we got to see was the Palace's Chapel. It is the tallest room in the entire palace. Louis XIV wanted to make a statement, that nothing greater than God through the building of this Chapel. When we first looked into the Chapel we could only see part of it because it is so tall it is basically two levels. We were able to go up a few flights of stairs to see the second half of the Chapel as well. It was sooooooo beautiful. Pictures do not do justice. Once again....fit for a King.

           There were so many rooms throughout the Palace we visited I am going to try and touch on a lot of them, but to avoid boring my readers to death I will try to limit. A lot of the rooms were named after God's and Goddesses and each room had a different purpose. The history that took place in some of the rooms is astonishing.
         One of the first rooms we went into was the room named after the Goddess Diana....ironically named the "Diana Room".  Diana was the goddess of the hunt a favorite activity of King Louis XIV. Inside this room is a beautiful sculpture made entirely out of marble of the King at age 27. This room was often used by the King to play billiards and relax.

     As you will see from the pictures everything in the Palace is lavish. It reminded me of the Vatican with all of the artwork. Just like the artwork in the Vatican was used to represent the power and richness of the Church...the same went for Versailles. The artwork and expensive things represented the power of the King.
      The next room right after Diana's Room was Mars room named after Mars the God of War. Mars in French also means March. The name of this room has a duel meaning. March is the beginning of Spring in France so this room was also the renewal room or revival room. Inside this room was two paintings done by the King's favorite painter. The paintings were so detailed and realistic. 

 

        The next room we ventured into was Apollo's room also known as the former bedchamber of the King. It then became the throne room and was used to receive famous or distinguished guests.

       After the Apollo room we went into the War Room. It was symbolically located on the north side of the famous Hall of Mirrors. On the south side the Peace Room is located. It was the former room of Jupiter.

      Next we went into the famous and most well known part of Versailles...the Hall of Mirrors. This famous hall has 17 mirrors to match the 17 windows located across from them, overlooking the Versailles gardens. Here festivities and balls took palace. It was also used as a passage way. Chandeliers lined the ceiling. It reminded me of a ballroom you would see in a movie.

        There was very little furniture in the Palace overall. In fact, most of it was destroyed or stolen during the French Revolution. With that said, some furniture is still being located and returned to the Palace today.
      There were several different rooms off of the Hall of Mirrors, some open to the public and some not. One room was the Bull's Eye Room named for the oval shaped windows. Courtiers would wait in this room before being admitted into the King's bedroom. It was a very lavish room, but had little furniture.

       Connected to the Bull's Eye Room was the King's bedchamber. It was created by Louis XIV in 1701 and was where he lived until his death in 1715. In this room the royal rising and going to bed ceremonies took place. 

    The entire time we were in that room I was trying to picture someone sleeping in that sort of bed. It is almost sickening some of the things the King and Queen of France had...yet their people continued to suffer in poverty. It just really doesn't make sense to me.
   Connected on the other side of the King's bedchamber is the Council Study. This room was where a lot of great decisions were made. It is where the council met, Louis XIV would work, private audiences and where the crown was sworn in.

         After venturing through the King's apartment we walked back through the Hall of Mirrors towards the Peace Room. The Queen of France occupied the south wing while the King occupied the north wing. The Peace Drawing room was apart of the Queen's apartment. All of the artwork depicts peace. 

     Connected to the Peace Room was the Queen's bedchamber. It was probably my favorite room within the Palace. In 1786 Marie-Antoinette lived here. A famous story about this room is that on October 6th, 1789 Marie escaped rioting crowds by the door to the left of the bed so she could take refugee in the King's apartment.

On the other side of the Queen's apartment the Queen's noble room is located which is the former Queen's antechamber. Then it became a cabinet room and was where the Queen held her official audiences. Marie-Antoinette designed the room with her personal style in 1785. She chose the green and gold colors. 

 The next room along was the Antechamber of the Grand Convert. It was where the King and Queen ate their daily meal around 10pm. It was a public meal so anyone could view them eating, and a lot of persons did. Only the children and grandchildren of the King and Queen were allowed to share in the meal. Most of the furniture from this room disappeared though the beautiful artwork still remains. Nobles used to sit around the room on the benches viewing the royal family eat.

      The next room was the Queen's guard room which was the former vestibule. It became the Queen's room for the guards in 1680.

     After the Queen's guard room was a room dedicated to Napoleon known as the coronation room. It was the former place of the second chapel of the palace. It was also the last room on our tour. 

          The artwork throughout the Palace is amazing and it makes sense that they dedicated a portion of the Palace just to artwork. The museums and galleries were located just after the room dedicated to Napoleon. The museum was called Le Musee, de Louis-Phillipe a'nos Jours after the King who commissioned it. Here is one of the greatest collections of art in the history of France. The museum was commissioned as a gift to the French people during a turbulent time. It was to commemorate French history and give them what they deserved...artwork of their history.

   We went through several rooms of artwork. One being the French Revolution room also known as the 1792 room that had all different artworks depicting battle, soldiers, generals and government officials. There was a few painting of Napoleon and other King's as well. 

    After spending sometime viewing the various artworks we went and got to see the famous Prince Staircase. It was called that because it was the corridor where all of the Prince's used to live and the staircase they used. 

      After the Prince staircase we went and saw the Queen's staircase. I of course took a picture on it...being a Queen and all ;)

After walking down the Queen's staircase it was time to hand in our audio guides and head outside to see the Versailles Gardens. We could get glimpses of the gardens from the inside rooms, but there was nothing like actually walking through the gardens. The views were breathtaking. 

 

        The gardens were huge. Adrian and I spent a really long time walking through them and just admiring the beauty and serenity. We saw a lot of people sitting down by the water that seemed a little far from the Palace, but we had all the time in the world and decided to walk down towards it.

         There were two different sections of water. The first one we came upon had a fountain in the center and Swans swimming all around. Believe it or not I have never seen an actual Swan before. The Swan's swam so close to us I was able to get some pictures.

      There were lots of people taking pictures of the Swans. Adrian and I could tell there was something going on up ahead so we decided to keep walking to the second plot of water. It ended up being so gorgeous. We plopped ourselves down in the grass by the water for nearly an hour, people watching and catching rays. Some St. John's students rented rowboats and were rowing on the water. We had a lot of fun observing. The beauty of Versailles was captured in this one spot. Between the weather, water, fountains, and greenery I felt like a Queen. In that moment, I wanted nothing more to be exactly where I was.

After a lot of relaxation and sun Adrian and I decided to head back to Campus. We grabbed a quick bite to eat and hopped on the train. I got a really great view of the Eiffel Tower from the train station.

        For those that do not know it was Luke's 18th Birthday the same day I went to Versailles.  I was feeling a little down thinking about all of the opportunities I was given in just one day that Luke would never get to experience. I was also feeling nostalgic wishing I could be with my sister Erin during this difficult day.
      Adrian and I decided that we were going to dedicate the night in Paris to Luke and celebrate his 18th birthday. We got dressed up and went into the Latin Quarter. We had dinner at a little Italian Restaurant called Loriana. We toasted to Luke, to his birthday, to his life and to living our lives to the fullest. After dinner we roamed around the streets of Paris chatting about how fortunate we are to be in Europe living the dream. Its easy in the moment to forget sometimes I am in Europe and given an opportunity so many others are not. Luke reminded me on his birthday how fortunate I am. How blessed I am and even though this trip is over in just a few short weeks...I will have my memories with me forever. I made a promise to myself to celebrate his birthday every year.
     Adrian and I had a lovely night together. I felt honored to have him by my side yet again. He just gets me and for that I am grateful. The streets of Paris were as busy as ever. People everywhere. On our way back to the Metro station we walked by Notre Dame lit up at night. It is a different perspective than at day. Beautiful really.

            Saturday I slept in late. A combination of 8am classes and being sick got the best of me and I really needed to catch up on some Z's. A lot of people recommended a Sushi place in Paris called Sushi 6. It has unlimited Sushi and Japanese food for 16 Euro a person. It seems like a lot of money, but in Paris the cheapest meal you can get is about 12 Euro. Just paying for one meal a day here has been a strain. Adrian, Dana, Sean, Danny and myself decided to go to the Sushi place for lunch. It ended up being really nice, clean and filling! We got unlimited sushi, chicken, rice and salad. I haven't had Sushi since I left Queens in December. The Sushi in Paris is nothing like the sushi in NYC, but it was still good. We spent almost three hours at the restaurant talking and eating.

      Paris reminds me so much of New York City in general. Its huge, constantly busy and there is always something to do. Just walking the streets is an adventure. I love the atmosphere here. After our lunch/dinner (we were so stuffed Adrian and I forgot to eat again!) we headed back to Campus to get ready to go see a movie. When I was really sick the majority of our friends went to see The Hunger Games at the French cinema. I still really wanted to see it having read all the books and so did Adrian and our friend Danny. We got directions and headed towards the theater. We were a little early so we bought our tickets and then went and sat at a bar by the theater. The boys both got a beer and the bartender laughed at me when I asked for a water. We spent about forty minutes at the bar before heading back to the movies.
      The movie was in English with French subtitles. Apparently, most American movies are shown in their original version with French subtitles. I could not imagine growing up reading subtitles all of the time!!! The theaters here are so different. They are extremely small maybe 100 people in the entire theater. Even if you have a ticket that does not guarantee you will get a seat and you might end up on the floor. You have to wait outside in the cold in a long line until the movie time and when they open the doors to the theater it is a mad dash to get seats. Thankfully, Adrian, Danny and I were fairly early and were able to get decent seats. There are basically no previews either and within five minutes of being in the theater the movie begins. They did have popcorn though! Adrian went and got some for the three of us.
     I LOVED the movie...so thrilled to see an excellent portrayal of a book. I was also so happy to finally see a strong female character and someone for girls to look up to. I had such a nice evening in Paris and now I can saw I experienced a cinema in Europe!
     Today, Sunday, was Palm Sunday. Adrian and I missed out on mass in Notre Dame because I was sick so we decided to go to the church St. John's was bringing us to today. One of the sisters that works for St. John's works at this Church too and gave us a personal tour. The Church was Chapelle Notre Dame de la Medaille Miraculeuse. It was not much to look at on the outside, but from the line extending blocks down the street it was clear it is very popular to the locals.

 The sister explained that most tourists do not come here, but this church has so much to offer. Mass started at 11:30 and was pretty long especially since it was in French, but we had such cool seats. The nun was able to hook us up with the upper tier balcony of the church overlooking the entire mass. 

 

    The church is one of the lightest in all of Paris. Many insides of churches in Europe in general are dark on the inside and do not have many windows. This church was bright, light and truly beautiful. In Paris they do not use palms like we do in the United States. Instead they use more of a tree branch looking thing. It was quite interesting and very different. 

           The church was packed. One thing I really took note of was during the first reading was that the reader was a blind woman reading braille. The mass, though in French, was very similar to an English mass.
          After mass sister took us on a personal tour of the church. Most people never get to see the parts of the church we were able to see, but because this is her residence she was given special permission.
        The church is the international headquarters for Daughters of Charity. During the French Revolution religious institutions were banned from France. After the war, Napoleon realized he had a ton of sick soldiers with no one to take care of them. He knew the religious would help so he allowed the church to be opened.
      After mass each week people rush to the alter. The nun explained this is because several different miracles occurred in this church one taking place at the alter. St. Catherine of Laboure is buried here and on several different occasions in this very church the Virgin Mary appeared to her. Once she appeared in a blue chair that is now roped off in the corner of the church. Another time she appeared holding a golden globe that represented the world, another time she appeared in the window and another time she appeared above the alter. The story was very detailed, but that was the basis of it. Now Catholics from all around the world pilgrimage to here. The Church is located just a few feet away from our campus. After St. Catherine's death she was buried here. When her body was exhumed hundreds of years later to be canonized...it was found her body was still fully intact. Those exhuming expected to find just her skeleton. They believe this was a miracle as well. We were actually able to see her entire body, she is an old woman, but yes fully intact.

     Also located in this church is the body of St. Louise de Marillac. I especially liked this because one of our Halls at St. John's in Queens is named after St. Louise....Marillac Hall. It is one of the most used Halls on campus. The fact I was in the same place her body is was really neat. Also, St. Vincent de Paul is the patron saint of St. John's. His heart (not his whole body...just his heart!) was located here. The rest of his body is at another spot in Paris. There were statues of St. Vincent everywhere within the church. It felt homey because St. John's has his face and statue everywhere too.
    The sister than took us to view some private paintings that visitors are not allowed to view, only special guests. One painting was based on a vision of Mary that came to a Jewish man...who then converted to Catholicism. He was wearing the medal that St. Catherine had made when Mary came to him.

   We also saw a painting of Jesus.

      Sister then took us down to see the Chapel of St. Joseph. Here we met a 92 year old nun that was absolutely adorable. She told us a story about a statue of Mary that was down there in French and our sister translated it. She was sooooooooooo cute I could not get over it.

Lastly, we got a private tour of the gardens. One garden was private and the other public. The gardens were so beautiful. I have found Paris really takes pride in their greenery. Flowers and trees everywhere really add to the mood of Paris. In the private garden is located a 400 year old tree.

      In Paris everyone besides President Sarkozy and the Prime Minister live in apartments. The Church in Paris is really the only institution that has any land at all. Therefore, the Church over the years has tried to make a lot of their land public so Parisians can use it at their free will. The last garden we were taken to was the public one. The sister explained the gardens and parks here are nothing like America. People respect them so much and take so much pride in them because technically it is all they have. If it was not for the public parks in Paris these people would have nowhere to go because there is no such thing as backyards here. 

     After Church we all headed back to campus. For everyone that went to mass, which was a good thirty people, St. John's bought us pizza (bribery! haha). We do not get meals on weekends so this was an extra nice gesture! This evening I have lots of homework to do and I am hoping to get to bed early. I only have one class tomorrow from 8 to 10pm and then we have another trip planned by St. John's for the afternoon.
     This weekend was low key, but so much fun. I had a great time getting to know France even better. For dinner tonight Adrian and I are just going to go to the super market and get some cheap sandwiches.
      Wednesday I am officially on Spring Break!!! I cannot believe it is here already. We leave for Ireland on Thursday...the weather is not supposed to be very nice, but I am SOOOOO excited. It is going to be a BLAST!!! I hope I will be able to Blog while I am there, but if not I will do my best to take good notes :) I can't believe I have just four weeks left in Europe....as usual...time is flying!
     I hope everyone had a nice weekend :) thanks for reading this very very very long Blog post!!!!! Have a great week!

XOXO
Shann