So, I started out the week with a visit to the Church of the Madeleine, which was pretty darn big.  All around the outside are statuary of apostles and saints.  There was a wedding about to take place this day and there are no cameras allowed inside the church, so picture opportunities were not all that great.  There was also a bit of restoration going on, which is very common with many monuments and churches here. 

We also took a guided tour around Versailles and saw some absolutely beautiful things.  This is Louis XIV’s work room where he apparently plotted many military actions.  Yes, the desk is beautiful, but I absolutely loved the carpeting in this room.  Most of the rooms are decorated in the same fashion, with elaborate wall tapestries, outrageously ornate furniture and huge fireplaces, but this one was done in a bit simpler fashion (believe it or not) and I thought it was amazing that the rug still had such vibrant colors.

Say what you want about the monarchy, but they sure know how to mow a lawn!  The entire place isn’t this manicured; mostly close to the palace.  All of the fields are lined with perfectly manicured hedges and trees, but there are still fields for goats, sheep, cows, etc…  Access to the grounds is free, but there is a charge if you want to see the palace, the trianons and Marie Antoinette’s little hamlet. 

Yeah, I know this one came out sideways, but I had to include it.  There is a little story about this guy.  Five years ago, my sister and I visited Paris and this panhandler was outside Sacre Coeur on Montmartre.  He was striking a serious pose then and I don’t know how successful he was bringing in the euros, but everybody wanted his picture.  Well, as I was making my way to the train back to Paris, who do I see, but my little buddy King Tut the Panhandler!  Quite a lovely little tidbit of nostalgia for me!  And he must be doing better to be able to take his act on the road to Versailles….kudos!

Had to include this one too.  On my way back from Versailles, I got off the train a bit early so I could walk around a bit and see a bit more of the city.  This entire building has vegetation growing on the outside.  I thought it was just the neatest thing!  And it smelled great! 

So, the Versailles day was great and thank gosh I decided to buck the fashion police and wear my sneakers because I walked about 5-6 miles that day.  It was such a beautiful day that I walked from one end to the other at Versailles and then back and then all around the grand canal.  There were bicycles you could rent, but do you think I dug out $7 for one?  Nnnnoooo!  Had to walk.  Then, when I got off the train early just south of the Eiffel Tower, I walked all the way to Pont Neuf, which is a bit of a hike as well.  Pull out a map or two and check it out.  I figure that I didn’t come to Paris to just see the metro, the only way to see the city is to get out there and walk it, so that’s what I’ve been doing every weekend.

Classes here are going well although sometimes it’s a bit difficult to attend 3 classes in a row every Monday and Wednesday for 1 1/2 hours each.  I only have 2 classes on Tuesday and Thursday and they have a long break in between them.  Classes here are conducted kind of similarly as in the U.S., but the assignments and testing are very different.  Most of my classes have 2-3 essays to be turned in over the course of the semester, with a mid-term and a final in almost all of my classes and that is about it for assignments and testing.  There are no pop quizzes and my language class is the only one that has grammar exercises that are assigned for homework.  All of the rest of my classes just have reading assignments.  Fridays there are no classes, but we do have ‘cultural outings’ for some of our classes that are done on these days.  I’m looking forward to these because we actually go out into the city and learn about the architecture and history of the buildings and monuments. 

Well, until next time, which will actually be tomorrow since I have a bunch more to post.  Up next…the Basilica at Saint-Denis and Giverny!  Toodles!

Mary

Location: Paris, France