Look at this beautiful postcard I bought at Versailles!
Oh wait.... just kidding!! This is a picture I actually took and edited of Versailles. There were no tourists around because the actual chateau had closed. We were left because we had been wandering the grounds. More on that later!
But first I want to talk a bit about my site visit to the Louvre! First of all, I want to visit again at night because the glare on the paintings from the sun made them a little difficult to fully see and appreciate. Also, the day we were there it was SO HOT! Literally, just standing still was all you needed to do to be dripping in sweat. Because I am a history of art major, I have studied a lot of the works of art in the Louvre. So it was really cool and kind of a surreal experience to actually see these paintings and sculptures in real life. One of the main differences from seeing them on a PowerPoint slide and seeing them in real life is their scale! Some of the paintings actually take up entire walls. Also, I would have to disagree with the general consensus of the experience of seeing the Mona Lisa being anticlimactic. There is just something so intriguing about a painting that is really not that impressive in its subject matter and technique, but has the ability to literally creates mobs of people crowding around it just to take a glimpse. I personally think that the mystery that comes with it, and the hype created by the Mona Lisa are HUGE factors in its success. Also, being at a museum such as the Louvre with my favorite professor was such a wonderful experience! Just being able to hear what he knows and thinks about each work of art was such a treat. There were even people that kind of attached themselves to our class just to hear him speak!
Before I retell my experiences at Versailles... let me shed some light on another little "learning experience" that happened to me. So I was sitting in my room in my host family's house and all of a sudden I heard a huge "CRASH"! Now, noises like this are normal for my area of Paris because they are usually people in the courtyard below throwing bottles in the recycling. So not thinking anything of it, I got ready for class. On my way out the door, my foot crunched on something. Once I looked down at the ground, there was a plate literally completely shattered on the kitchen floor. Like beyond shattered... it was powdered!
There was no way it could have been my fault because the place where the plate was hanging was high above a door frame, too high for me even to reach. But OF COURSE I was the one to find said plate and OF COURSE I had to be the one to inform the family. UGH. Also, it turns out it was my host mom's great-grandmother's plate... Really though that would happen to me. The family was of course not mad, but my host mom did say she was sad about it. Again, there was NO way it could have been my fault... but still I felt bad.
Anyways... on to the next site visit... Versailles!
The chateau is about a 30 minute RER (train) ride outside of Paris, and then you can literally see its gold lined roofs gleaming in the sun. So, as in my picture above, Versailles was BEAUTIFUL! Also, the weather was beautiful to match. It was hot in the sun, but there was a cool breeze blowing. First we got a special tour from one of my professor's friends on the King's and Queen's quarters as well as the famed Hall of Mirrors. I cannot believe how breathtaking the whole chateau was! Everything was the very epitome of royal opulence, and nearly dripping in gold. The breeze through the open windows over looking the gardens added to the overall very enjoyable tour.
Then of course we had to visit the gardens! TIP: If you ever find yourself visiting Versailles... make sure to stop at the little food stands in the gardens because they sell the best ice cream you will ever have in your life. Seriously that chocolate vanilla twist changed my life! And the gardens were absolutely beautiful. We walked about 4 miles of garden in total and I actually enjoyed every minute of it (not being one to usually enjoy taking walks haha). We walked to the little (well, little compared to Versailles they were still enormous) chateaus on the outskirts of the gardens, and by the time we got to Marie Antoinette's peasant village, of course it was closed. But I was glad to have spent more time with my professor and my gsi (who is also wonderful!) and learn more about Versailles. Here they are walking ahead of the group! Discussing some scholarly work of art, no doubt.
Also, I found this YouTube video that uses some of the scenes from Sofia Coppola's movie "Marie Antoinette" set to Katy Perry's "Waking Up In Vegas". I thought it was pretty enjoyable and also captured the life of Marie Antoinette pretty well! :) Watch!
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