Versailles on the 4th of July

Got up early this morning to meet up with my students and head to the Palace of Versailles. The Practice Visit paid off: our train trip went smoothly and we were at the Château by 9:45. Lucky thing too: some rooms were already getting crowded by the time we went through and when we left around 2, the lines to get in were almost down to the main gates. Versailles is slightly hard to get into, I will admit. It is remote from Paris, chronically crowded with tour groups moving like schools of fish, and it's expensive (€18 for the ticket that gets you into the château and gardens). And visitors are treated to a choice selection of cobblestones, pea gravel, and stone floors. It's hard on the feet. But there is a reason it's so popular: it is breathtaking! The exterior is so grand and elaborate that it's surprising even if you've seen it before. The interior is at least as grand and elaborate as the exterior but all that grandeur and attention to detail is contained in individual rooms, which somehow makes it even more overwhelming. Just when you think you will fall over if you see one more portrait of someone named Louis or one more embroidered bed curtain, you pop out into the gardens, which are as restrained and elegant and methodical as the château is ostentatious. Most exciting for me was seeing the Hall of Mirrors, which was closed for renovation the last time I was here. It is, as Jane Austen said of her writing, "light and bright and sparkling." The Hall of Battles is also spectacular--a long gallery filled with busts of French princes, marshals, and admirals, with enormous paintings of French victories in battle on the walls. I am not a military historian but (and? so?) I found the room to be a particularly pointed piece of propaganda. Of course that's what the whole palace is, really: a reminder of the power and supremacy of the French court. 

Our tickets included admission to the current special exhibition, "Treasures from the Holy Sepulchre." It was a collection of gifts given to the Franciscan monks who maintain the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem as well as documents from the Catholic Church and from leaders in the Middle East creating the agreement for the Franciscans to have the "custody" of the church. Seeing the documents was a thrill: they displayed a papal bull from the 1200s, which I think is the oldest document I've ever seen in person. There were also some beautiful examples of Arabic calligraphy from the sultans and caliphs who agreed to this arrangement. Once the custody was established, various nations started sending gifts to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre: vestments, chalices, altarpieces, lamps, all of it in silver or silver-gilt with gemstones and velvet and embroidery all over the place. All that finery certainly throws some light on the Protestant Reformation, I can't help thinking. It was amazing to see all those treasures in one place. Unfortunately no photography was allowed in that particular exhibit, so I can't share any pictures. I did take a lot of pictures around the rest of the château and gardens, though. They are awaiting organization and posting which hopefully I'll get to do tonight or tomorrow. 

We finished our visit on the steps behind the château overlooking the gardens, where we ate a nice picnic from the château's restaurant. We split up for the trip home as some of my students wanted to stay longer and take more pictures. Three among the group were a little worried about getting back on the train by themselves (my train prowess intimidated them, haha) but I trusted that they would do great. One nice thing about traveling to/from a tourist destination is that you can't go too far wrong just by following other people who are carrying cameras and wearing comfy shoes.

It's definitely time for dinner--I'm in the Cité Universitaire reading room and I'm afraid my stomach-growling may be disturbing someone's serious scholarship nearby! Classes tomorrow, the Louvre on Saturday, and Giverny on Sunday, so stay tuned. À très bientôt!