A Walk in Paris -- Part 1

Versailles

I spent a day at the Parisian suburb of Versaille. It was quite a cold day and it was the first time I witnessed snowfall! It was really cool to see my black coat becoming fully white. I really did not feel cold as I was well protected with that coat, a muffler, a hat and gloves. All black and grey, looking chic ;-).

Versailles is home to one of France's grandest chateaus. It was home to the Kings of France from King Louis the XIV. I took a guided tour and learnt quite a bit of French history in the process. I learnt about how the Kings used to use the palace and also about their idiosyncracies. I saw some amazingly decorated rooms and also places where some history was made. For example, I saw the desk from where Louis the XVI signed the treaty which authorized French support for the American independence struggle against the British. I saw a room where Mozart once played. I saw many wonderful pieces of machinery and furniture. For example :

The clock on the left was built in the 17th century. What makes it so stunning is that it can count the time, un-aided, until 31 December 9999. It keeps track of leap years, dates, lunar cycles and all! A truly marvellous piece of technology for its time. I stood there looking at it for quite a while. Classical clock-making is a trade that has declined with the advent of electronics. That is quite sad, because we no longer are likely to see masterpieces such as this.

The chest of drawers on the right is supposed to be one of a kind. The decorations are done purely with butterfly wings and something equally delicate (I can't believe I have forgot that detail!). This chest of drawers belonged to the daughter of the King Louis the XV and was placed in her room. She loved music and as a result the King had Mozart play in this very room for her. Such is the life of royalty!

I ended the day with the walk in the gardens of the Chateau. These are huge expanses of land which the Kings used for hunting. Here are some pictures of the gardens taken from inside the chateau. It was a beautiful snowy expanse!


After walking around in the chateau for a while, I decided to explore the gardens. They were really beautiful to walk in. And my feet made a nice crunching sound on the snow. And as you might be able to make out from the photographs, the gardens are huge, so I had lot of latitude for exploration. As it happens, it was around 1645 and in the winter, the sun sets at around 1700. I started walking, thinking I would walk for only a little while because it was cold and I didn't want to get lost in the dark. But it was such a peaceful walk, and with the snow ahead of me and the trees around me, I just got more and more absorbed in all sorts of pleasant thoughts. Somwhere along my wanderings I spied a pathway to a nice nook in the woods with its own fountain. I went up to it and looked around. I then saw another path which looked very pretty in the dusk, so in my self-absorbed state I started down this new path of pleasure. After a series of similar unfortunate decisions I suddenly realized that I could not see anymore as it was completely dark! And I was surrounded by tall trees so all I could see was the sky. In particular, there was no chance of catching a glimpse of the chateau. Add to my plight, there was not a soul around -- the gardens close at 1700 in winter just to protect agaist people getting lost in them. I had no idea of where I was and no idea of where to go. I had walked up and down a number of indistinct paths, all of which were covered with snow and lined with trees.

But I was not completely out of luck. I could just about a sight a faint glow in the sky at a distance. I reasoned that either it was the chateau which is lit up in the dark, or it is a road of some sort. So after winding through a long series of paths in the general direction of the glow it was with great delight that, after making a turn through the trees, I saw the chateau gleaming in the dark in front of me. It never looked so beautiful. By then it was around 1900 and I was quite cold. I managed one last picture of the chateau in the dark. Enjoy it :

The Lourve


One of the major attractions of Paris is the Lourve museum which houses what is possibly the most famous painting of all time : the Mona Lisa. I must say that I am not a fan of paintings in general. They never move me like music sometimes does. I have never understood what was so great about the Mona Lisa. I thought that if I see the real thing, it might make more of an impact. However, the Mona Lisa was just about as disappointing in real life as it has been when I have seen prints of it. What is so remarkable about it that makes it so remarkably popular is beyond me. Perhaps I am just too coarse-grained in my appreciation of fine art, but I just don't see. I even walked around it from side to side at the prescribed distance of 6 metres and that re-affirmed my opinions on the matter.

I did see some other nice paintings though. Opposite the Mona Lisa is a gigantic painting which depicts a Roman feast. I was more impressed by its grandeur and size than anything else. I did notice something strange about the paintings of the Renaissance Italian artists. Particularly in their depiction of battles. These fine men seemed to identify fierce battles with passionate sexual orgies. I mean in all the paintings which depicted battles there were naked men with armaments, and naked women in all sorts of poses and naked children crying on the floor. I just didn't get it, but they were fine spectacles in themselves. All in all, the paintings at the Lourve did not strike much of a chord in me.

One thing I have learnt from the Lourve, however, is that I love sculptures. I went to the Richeleau wing which houses several busts and sculptures of the French and Italian emperors of the years gone by. They were truly impressive. In particular there was the sculpture of an Emperor Constante tucked away in a corner of some room. I was drawn to it the moment I entered the room. It was an imposing sculpture in marble. Looking at it, you would think the marble was alive and the emperor could unsheath his sword and chop off your head at any time. It was truly a powerful image and if it was meant to inspire fear into the Emperor's subjects then I would imagine that it did an excellent job.

Many of the sculptures I saw were of the same quality. Almost lifelike in their stillness. Gentle on the surface but hinting at some sort of turbulence underneath. I spent hours examining the sculptures and in the future I will not pass up an opportunity to see more of them.

So much for my time at the Lourve.

Still more to come

Over the next few days I will write some more about what I have seen in Paris. Particularly about the Champs de Elysee, the Arc De Triomphe, and the Notredamme. After that I will write about the interesting nights I spent in the youth hostel in the montmarte district of Paris.

Enjoy!