Untitled Document

Paris, France

February 23, 2003

My third day in Paris was not as hectic. I had two goals: 1) travel to Versailles, and 2) visit the Sacre Coeur basilica. I accomplished those two goals and while doing it, had the opportunity to ride the Paris metro and a regional train. I determined while in Paris that I had to visit Versailles. I was only 12 miles away and probably would never have the chance again. The photos below are of my visit to Versailles and Sacre Coeur.

	The region around Paris is called the Ile de France - the Isle of France. Versailles is the location of one of the world's grandest palaces. Louis XIV is responsible for its construction. Here is a photo of the Sun King, as he was also known.
	The town of Versailles was built to house the 20,000 noblemen, servants, and others who were not quick enough to grab one of the 3,000 beds in the chateau (palace). The town contains wide, tree-lined boulevards, bordered by massive 18th-century mansions. Here is the Avenue of Paris as it leads toward the chateau.
	This is looking down the Avenue of Paris from the chateau. I traveled to Versailles by metro from central Paris. First I traveled to southeast Paris, then transferred to a regional train that took me to the town of Versailles. I then had to walk about a mile to get to the chateau.
	These are the front gates to the chateau. At places like this, where tourists hang out, are the ubiquitous peddler of tourist junk. Most of the people you see on this side of the gate are persons trying to push postcards and other items. Let's go through the gate.
	The is the front of the chateau. It is huge (there is that word again). The Chateau of Versailles took 50 years to build.
	This is the front left wing of the chateau. "Hills were flattened, marches drained, forested transplanted, and water from the Seine channeled from several miles away to supply the magnificent fountains."
	This is the inner front left wing of the chateau. It is here that the Treaty of Versailles was signed in 1919. That treaty placed the responsibility on Germany for World War I and was a thorn in the side of the Germans until World War II.
	This is the inner front wing of the chateau.
	This is the outer front wing of the chateau.
	This is the front entrance of the chateau.
	This is a closer look at the front entrance. Now let's walk around back. As a comparison, in Russia a person has to pay to get into the grounds of palaces. I liked walking around the grounds of the chateau without having to pay.
	The is the back-central portion of the chateau. Are you getting a sense of the massive size of this "chateau"? There I am as proof of my visit.
	This is the left back view of the chateau.
	The right back view of the chateau.
	Some of the gardens adjacent to the left back portion of the chateau.
	The is the chateau's vast park. Guidebooks say it "remains a masterpiece of formal landscaping." Well, that is Versailles! After this visit I walked back to the train station and took a train to central Paris. Goal #1 accomplished. Now to Sacre Coeur.
	I had an interesting trip to Sacre Coeur. I took the metro from central Paris and exited out of the Abbesses metro station. I don't know what that word means, but it looks a bit like "abyss." I felt like I was climbing out of an abyss. When I went back down to return to central Paris, I counted 137 steps. And, even after exiting the metro, I had to climb three other, very long stairways. When I got to the top, I entered this square and saw the Sacre Coeur Basilica.
	This is the Sacre Coeur Basilica, built atop the Butte Montmartre. The basilica was built in "a bizarre, mock-Byzantine style between 1876 and 1910. It has become a major Paris landmark as was noted on the first days web page. The tour of this basilica was a bit unusual because it was Sunday and many people were in the church praying, but Mass was not going on. But, hundreds of tourists were walking around the outer edges of the interior while prayers were being offered. Some of the students noted that the same thing had occurred earlier while Mass was in progress.
	Sacre Coeur taken on April 12 when Kathleen and I were in Paris.
	Another view of Sacre Coeur taken on April 12 when Kathleen and I were in Paris.
	The view from Sacre Coeur was spectacular. It was cloudy and hazy, but a view of greater Paris was possible from here. You can see the Eiffel Tower just right of center.
	Another view of Paris from Sacre Coeur. Just before I started down from Sacre Coeur, I stopped at a stand and purchased a chocolate-covered crepe. It was great!
	The square near the basilica was very picturesque. It was bordered by cafes and restaurants. You can see that this was a popular tourist site.
	In the center of the square was a rather large art market. Here you can see people shopping or looking at the art and the art displays.
	Down the hill a ways from the basilica, I found some very interesting and narrow streets. They also were lined with cafes and restaurants.
	Ok, this is the last photo of the Eiffel Tower. But, as we were preparing to leave Paris and the sun was setting, this view presented itself.
	Paris, like other large cites, is a very expensive place to live or visit. Housing must be terribly expensive and we discovered that food in restaurants is also very costly. My last meal in Paris was eaten in the corner restaurant - it was across the street from the Seine. A medium sprite cost 6.20 euros and a sandwich cost 7.00 euros. A euro is about $1.07. I thought this meal was a bit expensive, but the location in the center of the city probably had something to do with it.
	Well, our Paris trip had to end. We met Rene and his bus at 7:00 p.m. and began our trip back to Maastricht. Here is the happy group getting ready to watch Rene fight Paris traffic until he got north of the city. We arrive in Maastricht about 1:00 a.m. Monday morning. It was not easy to be ready for class at 9:00 a.m. It was a marvelous trip. I hope these photos have given you an idea of what our visit to Paris was like!

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