Day 5: Paris

I don't think I can even begin to accurately describe the craziness that is Bastille Day in Paris. It seemed as if the entire nation of France converged upon Paris to celebrate the anniversary of the revolution (14 July 1789). We skipped the crowds lined up for the big military parade in favor of an excursion to the palace of Versailles.

Versailles was the home to only three French kings. Sick of living in Paris and suspicious of nobles conspiring to grab power from the crown, Louis XIV chose to move the court 12 miles out of the city to a hunting lodge his father had built near the small village of Versailles. Of course, he had the little lodge enlarged over the course of 20 years to accommodate the nobility, who were required to spend part of the year at Versailles, and the thousands of servants required to maintain royal and noble households. The palace consumed over half of all French revenue to build and maintain. Our visit to Versailles included a walking tour of the central building of the palace, including the king's apartments and the Hall of Mirrors. After being completely amazed by the inside of the palace, we strolled out into the gardens where we were treated to gushing fountains and baroque music before our bicycle ride through the outer gardens.

The second half of our day was consumed by a visit to the Louvre Museum. The museum was free in celebration of Bastille Day. With a little help from Thomas, we were able to avoid the lines outside the pyramid entrance by entering via the underground shopping mall and metro station that sits directly beneath the museum. The crowds inside the museum were surprisingly small, and we managed to visit the Mona Lisa with no trouble. There was some excitement shortly after we left the Mona Lisa gallery when someone left an unattended bag near the famous portrait and an angry tourist assaulted one of the guards as she tried to clear the room. The madness was soon cleared up and everyone went back to enjoying the art.

Our dinner in the neighborhood of Montmartre kept us in the world of art. This neighborhood, covering the highest hill in Paris, was once the home of artists like Van Gogh, Degas, and Picasso. This little piece of Paris has managed to retain some of its village charm in the middle of the urban expanse of Paris. After dinner and a crazy metro ride back to the hotel we were treated to a full half an hour of fireworks in front of the Eiffel Tower. San Diego sure could learn something about fireworks shows from the French. ;-)

 

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