JoelNothman.com

Today was a horrible day, as far as being a tourist goes. I had set aside the day to actually leave Paris and head to Versailles, seeing as until yesterday I was getting by on a weekly pass for the Paris metro and bus system. But the day started late, and the weather was looking poor (but it had done the same the past few days without a big problem). When I got off the RER train and walked to the famous Chateau, it was undergoing restoration works, so large portions of the building itself were covered in scaffolding. Then I found out that the building was closed on Mondays (well how was I supposed to know?), and although there was plenty to do just wandering around the enormous gardens as well as Marie Antoinette’s dominions, I was a little annoyed with myself. And before long my camera decided to break, so some of the stunning scenes I did eventually see (although it was pouring by then), might have to be found on Google Images instead of JoelNothman.com/Photos. At least, while the day was horrible, it only cost 5.40 Euros!

Despite the looming clouds (I guess that’s something clouds can do), the views were beautiful—although very hand-sculpted, so different from, say, the beauty of the Blue Mountains, or Yosemite. (Indeed, Western Europe is hardly known for its natural beauty, but its culture and history.)

While the site has much grand, open, landcaped scenery abutting the palace itself, it also has numerous gardens or groes led to by alleys, each with their own statues and ornaments. Although so close to the massive palace, the world outside of the grove is hidden. Where there were tourists on the other end of the alley, it is suddenly and completely private. The solace is enchanting. Due to the weather, and my upset about a broken camera, I didn’t explore as many of these groves as I might have liked, but some that I saw, such as one designed by painter Hubert Robert were really beautiful to just lie down next to, alongside some ducks, and enjoy the man-made sights and, closing my eyes, the natural sounds. An advantage of coming on a Monday with horrible weather is that I didn’t have to bear with too many other tourists as well. Living on such an estate must be divine.

All around were hundreds of fountains (only some in operation) and statues in limestone, granite, marble, bronze, gold. A lot of the gardens and its ornaments seemed to be themed around Roman mythology, with names like Apollo, Neptune, or Jupiter, and renaissance subjects like fauns and centaurs, as well as plenty of toga-wearing bearded men, babies (sometimes winged) and bare-breasted women. Indeed, these seem to be fairly popular images throughout the area- in contrast to America where breasts tend to be covered (but this isn’t often a problem as statues there are usually of former presidents).

As well as the handful of tourists that turned up (some by mistake) for the day, there were also some young school children. It is a wonder that for the children of Versailles, the palace gardens could be a sports field. University students might use the abundant quiet space for study, much as those in Montreal might use Second Cup.

No one raised in Sydney imagines having coffee in the late afternoon outside a seventeeth century palace, or walking past medieval ruins or a gothic cathedral on the way to school each day. But people here in Paris and other parts of Europe must do it everyday, most of the time completely oblivious. It is a wonderous idea to me; a thought I had wandering through Luxembourg Gardens a few days ago, and I still haven’t got over it.

It’s extraordinary to ponder.

And by the way:

1. I’ll now only be arriving in Israel after Shavuot, to give myself a bit more time in London
2. My camera started working again on the way home, so I’m not as completely depressed. =)