The 5th of August 2023. A new day in the city of love. A new morning and new discoveries to be made. With pre-booked tickets and a reserved table at a restaurant, we were ready for today’s explorations. It was the day I turned fifty. It felt like I had just started to walk through all the pages in all the art books. I felt like I was exploring the history books I studied at the university.
Of course, yesterday’s exploration of the City of Love heightened the excitement. It was like walking among cathedrals and tracing in the footsteps of writers. The level of excitement was eleven on a scale of ten. The pages in the books were like the uplifting air under my feet. A journey among art, history, and French cuisine continued.
I took a slow walk through the books in my head. I was like a hungry animal hunting for the best the city can give. Versailles and Le NĂŽtre’s gardens, I blogged about twelve years ago (in Swedish). TrĂ€dgĂ„rdskonst och tvĂ„ kungliga slott, was the first historical and archaeological stop on my 50th birthday. What else I wish for on my birthday?
First of all, there were so many rooms to pass. There were different colors on the walls for different rooms in a row. It felt like walking in and out of a paint box. Then it was nice to wander indoors while the rain fell outside The Palace of Versailles1. And there would be more.
We go through room after room and decoration after decoration. This journey leads us to the most important place in the castle: The Hall of Mirrors. Hundreds of people and the double if I’m counting the reflections in the mirrors. The Hall of Mirrors was built in 1678. At that time, the castle was the king’s residence. It is mentioned in Marie Antoinette’s diary.
André Le NÎtre, Louis XIV, Napoleon, Marie Antoinette and among others, lingered like an invisible smoke around the visitors.
Hungry, of course, but now for food. We had already reserved a table at ORE Ducasse at the Palace of Versailles. What did French cuisine have to offer? Fish dishes with white wine from the Loire Valley would satisfy our appetites. Grilled salmon and vegetables with bĂ©arnaise sauceâan unusual combination. But the wine was good.
Unlike the Italian restaurant yesterday, with nice staff and good service, it was more confusing when we got to ORE. The restaurant is in the name of Alain Ducasse, which holds three stars in the Michelin Guide. I had higher expectations. But something else uncorked that day: the sky. The rain fell like poured wine almost all day.
If there has to be a sun, it’s the sunshine from the Sun Kingâs aura. We took a long walk in the gardens. We listened to the sound of the rain. The falling water wasnât for us. It was above and in the garden lakes for the gardens of Versailles that day.
A castle is filled with hundreds of rooms. It also has a garden that never ends. It was replaced by another spectacular monument later that day. It lefts all the historical characters behind us. A trip by train back to Montparnasse and then the metro to 7th arrondissement.
The Eiffel Tower2, of course. The goal was a glass of champagne, 330 meters (1,083 ft) in the air. However, the weather gods wanted something else. The top floor has to be closed for safety reasons. To travel in a packed elevator up to the second floor was high enough for me. I couldnât look down without getting a little dizzy. But instead, I had someoneâs eyes to stare deeply into. Itâs the City of Love – remember!
One tower, two perspectives. My 50th birthday came to its end in the moment of darkness. There was no rain but it was a windy night. We looked out in the name of love. We looked up and tried to look down in all directions.
A tired tower never sleeps, even as the heavy wind tried to lull it to sleep. For 4 minutes every hour, the tower flashed as a welcome beacon.â Welcome to the City of Loveâ. What if or how it could have happened, must the best place to be at, be just under the tower? Only look up. Itâs a rectangular piece of metal and thousands of pieces of iron.
With hungry stomachs and weary feet, we made our way back to the hotel. It was too late to eat and too late to have fun. The hotel, located near Boulevard Saint-Germain in the 5th arrondissement (the Latin Quarter), became our savior.
The next day brought new adventures and an even greater hunger for exploration in the City of Love.
To be continuedâŠ
© Björn Blomqvist 2023-10-31
- The Palace of Versailles was a royal palace from 1682 to 1789. It had a significant impact on French architecture, art, and also on Europe as a whole. So I got my battery of history and architecture charged â©ïž
- The Tower is named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower from 1887 to 1889. The local nickname of the tower is âLa dame de ferâ (French for âIron Ladyâ) â©ïž
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