Katherine Around The World: Paris, Je T'aime

So here is a little account of what we did on days 1 and 2 in Paris. We did soooo much! Days 3 and 4 need another chapter.
Bonjour!
Kaitlin and I made our second fall break stop in Paris. We stayed with her Aunt Sher and Uncle Thierry. Auntie Sher went to Paris for a summer to teach English right after college and never came back. She met Thierry and has been living there for a few decades. Sher and Thierry have a daughter Lillia who is a year younger than me and Kaitlin and goes to Berkley School of Music in Boston. The Betz family has an apartment in the city that is full of antiques even dating back to the 16th century. They would get along very well with my grandma and grandpa.

We spent the first few days in the city with the Betzs. Thierry is a history man just like my dad and grandpa. He told us all about Napoleon and the fortifications he made to the streets. He widened them so that an infantry would be able to march through if there were another revolution. He showed us the obelisk that Napoleon stole from the Egyptians that is now in the Place de La Concorde. This is near the Champs-Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe. We learned about the different styles of houses. The Haussmann style which has the porch around the 2nd and 4th floors and the balconies under every window, which French do not sit on, they wouldn't be caught dead sitting on their balconies. You can tell where people live by the presence of balconies.

Thierry and Sher wanted us to embrace the French culture. So this is what we had for breakfast the first day. YUM. Kaitlin and I each had a raisin, a chocolate, and a pistacchio pastrie. We also got fresh squeezed orange juice. I even got a cup of melted chocolate and a cup of hot milk to make my own hot chocolate. DELICIOUS. Apparently the "continental breakfast" was modeled after this. I can see why.

We started our day of sight seeing. It was a luxury to be driven around in a car for once! Cars are not common in Italy. We went to the Place de La Concorde. We saw the Invalides where Napoleon is buried. We saw the obelisk that Napoleon stole. We went on the Alexander III and looked at the Seine. There is so much to look at everywhere, it is hard to take it all in.

Thierry went to work for the day and Sher took us to Notre Dame. We went on a supposedly one hour tour, but the little old lady loved us and told us 3 hours of information. I loved every minute of it. Here are a few facts. Notre Dame actually means "Our Lady" in French. Students who have tests go pray next to the statue of Mary and then leave thank you notes to her if they get good grades. I liked this church because it is extremely gothic which is different from the Italian Romanesque churches. The church was started in 1160 and wasn't fully completed until 1345. I also learned that the famous Gargoyles actually have a function....as a rain gutter.

After all that history, we were hungry and got some crepes. I got one with apricot jam and whipped cream. This little kitty came and sat with me in the booth. I don't know why cats find me all over the world. I mean, I love them, but it's like I smell like catnip or something. This cat looks like my cat at home. Exactly like her and is friendly like her too. It's weird. And here's a shout out to my mom who made me this scarf! Thanks momma!

After we had crepes, all four of us went to one of Lillia's favorite museums, extremely modern. We got some really cool views of the city! You can see some of the other monuments from my previous pictures in them.

la conciergerie- former royal palace and prison! This scary building below used to be a prison!!!!!! It looks like a spooky Halloween haunted house. After the museum we went on a night river cruise of the Seine. We got to see how the Eiffel Tower has twinkling lights every hour. We got headphones and listened to the history of some of the buildings while we gazed at the lights.

After the River Cruise, we swung by the Louvre to take some night photos of the Pyramid and mini Arc du Triomphe that are in the courtyard. It is so cool to see how things look differently at night! My pictures are a little blurry but I think you can get the idea.

Day 2:

On our second day in Paris, Sher and Thierry took us to Versaille. I have always loved the Marie Antoinette movie, so naturally I was very excited. I think I may have been her in my past life. In honor of the most stylish queen of France, I wore my ruffly dress and my vintage baby pink beaded sweater that my mom got in Hong Kong when she was my age back in the early 80's. This sweater is pre mom & dad. Who new there was a time when my parents didn't even know each other.

So here's a little history about Miss Marie Antoinette. She was born in 1755 in Vienna, Austria and was a dutchess. At age 14 she moved to Versaille in order to marry Louis XVI. She married Louis XVI and became the dauphin. After five years they became king and queen when Louis' grandpa, Louis XV, died. Marie Antoinette is known for her gambling, fashion sense, and excessive hair styles. As France was starving, she was spending. She couldn't even read. Would you want the queen of your country to be illiterate? That's kind of like having a president who doesn't know how to use a computer. . .

At age 21 she had her first child, Marie-Therese. Marie Antoinette loved the country and had her own little country house with animals and a garden located behind the palace. It is called Petit Trianon. King Henry XIV also had a summer house back there. We got paninis in the garden and walked around. I wish I could live in her cottage.

Marie Antoinette and Henry XVI ended up having 3 more children, one died. The French Revolution began, the royal family was imprisoned for nine months, the king and queen were convicted of treason, and executed by the guillotine in 1793. When she was told of the French citizens not having any bread, Marie Antoinette said "Let them eat cake!". Silly.

The gardens of Versaille were actually designed after the Boboli Gardens of the Pitti Palace in Italy which was built over 200 years before. Interesting... Those Medici.

The royal family's own private opera house. Not too shabby.

The Room of Glass..

They copied the Boboli Gardens in Florence!!!

View to Marie Antoinette's Petite Trianon. Gorgeous

KK!

After walking around Versailles, we toured the Tour d' Eiffel! And fought with baguettes, just like typical French....not... but it was fun! We took the elevator both up and down because we walked around for 4.5 hours at Versailles on uneven cobble stones. My new favorite song: La Vie En Rose.