700 rooms, 67 staircases, 2,153 windows… a hall of mirrors, secret doors, Kings, Queens, art and splendor. Sounds like the setting of a fairy tale! The Palace of Versailles has a history that is very fairy tale-like. What started as a “small” hunting lodge eventually became the epicenter of French politics and royal life.
(This is the famous “Hall of Mirrors at Versailles.)
One very famous resident of Versailles was Marie Antoinette, the wife of King Louis XVI. There have been many movies and books written about her life. She grew tired and bored of the “palace life” and had a small village built on the grounds of the Palace so she could “play” like she was a villager.
Here are some of the animals that live there today in her “village”.
The Palace of Versailles was very grand – it had many gold guilded gates like this one:
Huge lawns and beautiful fountains that were bigger than swimming pools:
All that luxury wore this lion out. Whew!
Have an Adventure Every Day!
Love, Dewey
P.s. Use what you’ve learned about internet research to find out who else lived in Versailles. Name two people and when they lived there and you might get tickets from Mrs. Gentis!
May 25th, 2009
I found many ways to get around Paris…
You can travel by bicycle…
hitch a ride in a backpack…
or relax on a train.
There is one other way people move around the city that is faster than walking. Can you name what it is? First person to tell me the name of the transportation mode I’m thinking of gets 5 tickets!
May 19th, 2009
The Louvre. It is the most famous art museum in the whole world. I was so excited about visiting and seeing amazing works of art!
More than eight million people visit each year to see a collection that has been growing since the late 12th Century. Originally the Louvre was a residence for French Kings and Queens. When King Louis XIV chose the Palace of Versailles for his main house in 1672, the Louvre was used for many things but it always housed the royal collection of art. The collection grew and grew and now includes some of the most important pieces of art in the world.
Recently the Louvre was made even more famous because the movie The Da Vinci Code was filmed in its galleries.
Some of the famous works of art that are on display include:
Winged Victory
The Mona Lisa
and Monet’s Water Lillies
Be sure to check out my Paris Album on the More Pictures page to see my other amazing photos from the Louvre.
Have an Adventure Every Day!
Affectueusement,
Dewey
P.s. Use a research webpage to find another fact about the Louvre or the name of another piece of art that is part of the Louvre collection. Leave me a comment with the information you found!
May 18th, 2009
What a big day! Two amazing places that are each the setting of two of my favorite movies!
This is Notre Dame Cathedral, a church that has more history than most buildings in the world! Construction started on the church in 1163 – more than 846 years ago – and was finished about 1345. One of my favorite books-turned-movie is set here. The Hunchback of Notre Dame was written by Victor Hugo in the early 19th century and set there because he loved the church’s architecture. People all over France became interested in Notre Dame and even contributed money for its restoration because of Hugo’s book. Look up Notre Dame on Wikipedia to read some really cool information about it!
This really cool building is the setting for another of my favorite stories “The Phantom of the Opera”. This is the Palais Opera (or “Opera Palace”) built in 1875 under the supervision of Emperor Napoleon III. It is one of the greatest building built in that time – and is still one of the most loved building in all of France. In 1896 one of the counterweights holding the massive chandelier broke and the chandelier came crashing down killing a person. The tragedy inspired Gaston Leroux to write his novel ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ in 1909. The novel was turned into an opera and the opera was made into a movie.
Stay tuned! I have bunches of Parisian adventures left to share!
Have an Adventure Everyday!
Affectueusement,
Dewey
May 14th, 2009
Les Halles (pronounced “le – al”) has a huge spot in the history of Paris. It was an outdoor market place built in 1183 and was remodeled in 1850 to include huge glass and metal buildings. Then in the 1970’s it was replaced with an underground shopping center. It’s nickname is “the stomach of Paris”. One of the really cool things about it is that there is lots of art, sculptures and fountains in the area. It makes it a very nice place to shop!
This is one of the huuuuuuuge sculptures I saw at Les Halles. I wonder if he’s supposed to be napping?
Have an Adventure Every Day!
Affectueusement,
Dewey
May 13th, 2009
I’ve never seen anything so cool! The Eiffel Tower was completed in 1889 as a landmark for the World’s Fair that Paris hosted. Did you know that it was almost built in Barcelona, Spain? The city leaders in Barcelona didn’t like it, so the French said it could be built in Paris!
It is 1,063 feet high and was at one time the tallest building in the whole world. I know that in movies set in Paris you can usually see the Eiffel Tower out of the window… but really, it isn’t like that. In Paris, most buildings are under 7 stories tall, so there are very few buildings that you can actually see it from.
At night, the tower is lit up using over 3,000 lights. The brightly lit tower is partly why Paris is nicknamed “The City of Lights”. There are about 25 known replicas of the tower all over the world from Kazakstan to Texas! Monsieur Gustave Eiffel sure knew what he was doing! I wish I could have told him “Merci” for building such an awesome structure!
Have an Adventure Every Day!
Affectueusement,
Dewey
May 13th, 2009
I guess that going to Paris isn’t bad for my first time out of the country (or even out of Texas, for that matter)! I’m so lucky that Phillip and Lara invited me along on their Parisian adventure.
The plane seems so HUGE! I was a little nervous before we boarded. I wasn’t sure what to expect!
Surely they weren’t going to make me ride in the bottom part… Or were they?
Thank goodness! I had my very own cushy seat by a window! Guess what I saw the majority of the time I was flying? WATER! After we left Houston, we crossed over some of the southern states and then headed off over the Atlantic Ocean for the rest of the flight. The flight from Houston to Paris was about 9 hours and 25 minutes. I can’t wait to show you more pictures of the incredible things I saw and places I went.
Have an adventure every day!
Affectueusement,
Dewey
P.s. What is the longest you’ve ever traveled to go somewhere? Where did you go and why?
May 12th, 2009
