After church on Sunday, I decided that, since the buildings were free and it was a gloriously beautiful day in Versailles, I was going to take the opportunity to explore more of the private sectors of the city. I'd seen the buildings in Paris which blew my mind, but I didn't expect Versailles to do the same! I don't know why I didn't expect that but either way, I think I found "my city".
I paid a visit to Hotel de Ville, not a hotel but a federal building like the mayor or something (town hall), and walked through a small war museum they had set up. On display in the WWII cases were actual uniforms worn by French Jews which are the well-known "striped pajamas". I nearly gasped when I saw those. To think of the awful things that the people who once wore those uniforms had to suffer through made my heart heavy. There were books, diaries, photos, and maps on display which I found incredibly intriguing. The WWI section was less stocked full of actual documents (obviously), but still very interesting. I have really only learned about these wars through the eyes of an American perspective so seeing the French point of view was amazing.
I also stopped by a huge Catholic Cathedral which had THE coolest courtyard full of pigeons and the Ministry of Defense where a mock 40's style camp was set up. They had men in uniforms, the green tents set up, tin mess kits, swing music playing, and old artillery on display. I'm sure real war was not as jolly as their setup was, but I enjoyed it :) I couldn't help but think that my mom would have loved this set up. Even the military cars and tents had USA stamped on them. I had a little wave of patriotism wash over me.
After the Cathedral, I spotted a map that had a huge green chunk of garden nearby so, as my terrible navigation skills would allow, I walked the perimeter of the garden walls (like 15 feet high) going in the wrong direction, and first landed in a cute but much smaller park. Little dirt paths led through the grassy wonderland, around the cutest pond and friendly ducks who would waddle up near you, and then back out again. There was a cool teepee type structure in the middle of the park, but the cutest thing there was this old couple sitting on a bench together. That's when my newfound conclusion began to form...more on that later.
So my quick lap around that park led me back out onto the street in a determined search of this blasted park that I knew was huge and probably amazing because all gardens in France are. I back tracked my steps (for what seemed like a good two miles) and then found a side entrance to the garden that I slipped into. I'm sure I didn't need to "slip" into it, I mean it was a pubic entrance, but I felt cool, okay? Anyhow, I just "slipped" into my favorite labyrinth of fruit trees, fragrant shrubs, vegetable bearing vines, and secret garden doorways. I'm not kidding, this is the prime garden of Versailles. Well, it's my first garden but it's amazing! One thing that you can get really sick of in France, though, is the number of couples, young and old, who walk hand-in-hand and flaunt their "love" around like they are in a parade. I'm slowly evolving into a bitter, hopeless romantic. (Okay, who am I becoming? FRANCE, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO JULIA?)
But anyways, yes. Couples strolling through the picturesque, extremely romantic garden, and there I was, petting a stray cat and eating an apple that I picked off a tree. Not sure if that was illegal but there weren't any signs...Besides, it was the Sabbath and I had to keep it holy so I couldn't buy any lunch! Great apple. Very tart and crisp. Mmmmm. The pear (above) was not yet ripe enough to eat. And the cat was an okay replacement for someone to talk to while strolling up and down rows of golden pears and bright flowers. Please, if you ever get the chance, go to Versailles and see more than just the palace! Stroll through the city, bask in it's light and history, wander through the beautiful gardens, and just soak in the love that emanates off of everything in this blasted country.
But, back to my theory...... (read next post)
No comments:
Post a Comment