Versailles and Eiffel

Today (Friday) Carmelle and I did a five hour walking tour of Versailles, while Caren wanted to explore the Catacombs in Paris as she'd seen Versailles before, so it was just Carmelle and I for the day. It was good because I got to talk to her a bit better too. We had breakfast with her friend from her Rouen high school, Charlotte, who was really nice and French.. We then bought and packed some local chorizo baguettes (I told you I could eat these forever..), met the tour group at St Michels by metro, and took the half hour ride to Versailles. We had one of the same tour guides as yesterday, Adam. Such a funny dude, in a really lame funny way! Too bad he had an American accent to spoil it just a bit.

But we learnt a lot of French history, and the day was such a beautiful sunny day. I loved the grandeur of the chateau. I just kept trying to picture myself in those days, as a rich Marie-Antoinette with apparently 10 000 dresses and riding through the long walkup into the estate, or poor person during the French Revolution and what I would have done. Don't ask me why, I know it's weird. It's amazing that the rich landlords were the ones exempt from the taxes, causing such a chaos that was the Revolution. Carmelle and I wish there were sort of still a French monarchy, obviously not an absolute monarchy (no one person should ever have that much power), but its just had too long a history to just wipe off completely.

Louis XIV was so interesting to learn about. He became king at the age of 4.5, and pretty much proclaimed himself a sun-god. The lengths he went to to demonstrate his prowess. Versailles just being one of them! I can't believe he commissioned all those statues, gardens, everything, whilst his people were starving. I can't begin to conceive how egotistical he was, and just so stupid, to be blunt! However I do without a doubt, love its legacy. The gardens were just beautiful, and I wish i could have entered the Hall of Mirrors, but you know, I'm not that interested in seeing my face reflected 347 (?) times consecutively. Instead we went to the actual Eiffel Tower, and Carmelle and I pretty much talked and took lame photos for quite a few hours until we saw Caren for a bit, and headed again the the Sacre Couer for mass.