I booked a parent/child compartment on our Inter-City Express and was delighted by the spaciousness of the seats and privacy the compartment afforded us. The kiddos plucked their DS game systems from their backpacks and settled in for the four hour ride.
Upon our arrival in Paris, we were met by the gentlemen whose apartment we rented and were personally directed to our accommodation which was situated adjacent to the Parc des Buttes Chaumont, a lovely public garden in the English and Chinese fashions.
We had scarcely settled ourselves in the flat when Littlest began repeatedly asking to go to the Louvre in order to see the Mona Lisa. I had hoped to persuade the kiddos to enter the Louvre via the less congested Carrousel entrance but the draw and appeal of the Pyramid proved too much. Because of the fine weather, many visitors removed their shoes and plunged their feet into the fountains at the base of the pyramid. After making our way into the belly of the museum, we snaked our way through the corridors of the Denon wing to the salle where the Mona Lisa hangs taunting viewers with her enigmatic smile. Littlest was delighted to see the painting but expressed that it was much smaller than she thought it would be; a seemingly universal impression. Afterward, Log wanted to walk through the antiquities and look for sculptures and statues of Medusa among the Roman artifacts. I was delighted to see work-ups for Nouvel's masterpiece that is to be the Louvre Abu Dhabi, a museum that on appearances alone will rank with Bilbao's Guggenheim and Pei's pyramid in wonderous aesthetics.
After the kiddos reached their surfeit of art, we purchased salami sandwiches and found a shaded spot in the Tuileries Gardens. Taking a bite of his sandwich, Log announced that the 'mayonnaise' tasted weird and was shocked to learn that the French spread butter on the baguettes used to make sandwiches! We continued our walk to the Place de la Concorde, site of the guillotine during the Revolution, and across the bridge to the left bank where we caught the RER connection to Versailles.
Saturdays during the summer, Versailles hosts a Grandes Eaux Nocturnes during which the fountain show is set to music and light culminating in a fireworks extravaganza. The spectacle was so beautiful that it escapes description.
The kiddos and I arrived shortly before sunset. Though restoration work continues on the Chateau, the cleaning of the facade was complete and with myriad layers of grime removed the palace seemed gilded in the fading light. The setting sun reflected off of the mirrors lining the Hall of Mirrors making it nearly impossible to look at the Chateau.
The kiddos were drawn to the intricately patterned hedges.
At sunset, the park came alive as a great roar announced the beginning of the show as the water flowed toward the basin and canal erupting from the many fountains as it did so. Littlest chased after the bubbles blown from machines at the top of the first terrace.
Lit fountains appeared to be aflame.
Lanterns lit at path level illuminated the way among the many hedgerows to the enclaves. Music played over loud speakers in the enclave, and at times it was necessary to rely on hearing to make our way to the fountains embedded within the garden; it was very much like playing Marco Polo. Each fountain varied in its presentation, and the kiddos were entranced by the Colonnade which featured eerie green light created when a fan blew mist from the fountains into lasers. Bop and Littlest remarked that it appeared the fountain's figures were conjuring a magical storm.
The Neptune Basin at sunset.
Every sense was appealed to and enlivened by the show. The beds were beautifully manicured and offered up intoxicating scents. The flowers' perfume mixed with the scents wafting up from the food vendor's stalls: smells of baked potatoes filled with creme fraiche and gruyere cheese, the juice of freshly squeezed oranges poured over heaping mounds of shaved ice, panini's being toasted, and hot chocolate.
The Grand Canal at sunset. The fairway leading down from the gardens to the canal erupted in bursts of fire shot from cannons during the show with heat licking the faces of those along the path.
Details of the figures adorning the walls of the fountains.
We had such a lovely time that I plan to return next year with J. It truly was a sight that was so moving that one cannot help but fall victim to its charms. I saw many people walking down the terraces toward the basin with a kind of sashaying dance step. I saw couples pause among the hedgerows and dance with one another as classical music played. Others sipped champagne as they sat on steps once reserved for the satin-soled feet of royalty. Children looked wide-eyed at the lights and chased bubbles along the gravel paths. It was simply lovely.
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