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jo-shaneparis · 7 years ago

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Versailles and the Arc de Triomphe

26/03/2016: The weather for today. Something like yesterday. Overcast but no showers and cold with a stiff breeze. Still 14 degrees today.

Today we headed off to Versailles, the old brick and stone hunting lodge of Louis XIII which was extended and transformed into a beautiful palace by his son, Louis XIV. Three French kings lived in the palace, each adding to the decadence until the French Revolution abruptly ended the royal tenancy.

Shane headed out early to get some photos before the crowds and headed straight for yesterday’s spots on Pont Neuf just after dawn. The route took him to the fence surrounding the statue of Henry on his horse and Place Dauphine as well as, and most importantly to Square du Vert-Galant to get some pics of the barge.

Locks galore

Place Dauphine (again)

The light changed considerably while he was out there due to the clouds moving overhead. It still worked out OK though.

Cathare from Square du Vert-Galant.

After a few shots, the long way was taken back to the barge, via Rue de Seine to look at some of the art for sale in the shop windows. For this street seems to be the go for high end art of more recent times modern masters rather than old masters.

Don’t know what this exhibition’s about

If you feel the need to buy some overpriced artworks, whether original or in print, this is the place. Or you could drop in to the stalls on the river front for a postcard.

Some of it was OK

Some not so much

After some interesting window shopping it was back to Cathare to prepare for the day.

What? No food?

We headed back out with no breakfast. We’d get something on the way. The first chore of the morning was to buy some Christmas baubles from a shop that Shane had come across on his walk the previous morning and then head to the Metro to get a train to Versailles. After the purchase Shane took them back to the barge for safe keeping while Jo and the kids waited on nearby Pont Neuf, near the Statue of Henry.

The morning standup meeting. Our next door neighbours getting ready for duty

We had all day to spare so we didn’t think that we needed to hurry. Once reunited we wandered across the bridge and by the time we had gotten half a kilometre the kids were hungry so we stopped at a little place next to Le Soleil D’or Brasserie on Boulevarde du Palais for some croissants and other pastries.

After pissing around to the point of annoyance, Shane led the way to the station and proceeded down the stairs of the Cite Metro. Then something dawned on him. Were at the wrong station. We need to be at a Saint Michel-Notre Dame RER station. So, our casual approach became more purposeful as we headed back across the bridge and entered the underground Platform A, 4C route to Versailles - Château - Rive-Gauche on the 10:42 train.

More food on the run at the station

Yippee!! We’re going to Versailles

We reached Versailles - Château - Rive-Gauche terminus after about 35 minutes and wandered up Avenue du Général de Gaulle with our Rick Steves guide book in hand. After briefly checking out the Mairie de Versailles and the Monument aux morts on the corner, we turned a sharp left and headed up Avenue de Paris and into the Tourism Centre to buy some tickets into the palace as advised by Rick in his book as a way to avoid queues at the Palace ticket booth. There was a small queue here, much less than at the palace itself. Great bit of advice. The assistant sold us tickets to the palace and the royal gardens and after marking access points on the map, advised us to utilise our time best, do the gardens first. So, it was up the street toward Louis XIV, passing Petits Ecuries Royales (Small Stables) on the left and Grandes Ecuries Royales (Grand Stables) on the right.

1920’s Site Map

Louis XIV, Roi de France et de Navarre. King of France and the medieval Kingdom of Navarre (Basque country, now part of Spain).

Louis XIV, the self-proclaimed Sun King (he gave warmth and life to all he touched), had the longest reign of any monarch in European history (1643-1715). Louis’ “Grand Century” of rule, or seventy-two years to be exact, glorified the monarchy by ushering in a golden age of arts and literature. The king quickly established academies for such pursuits including Académie de peinture et de sculpture, Académie royale des Inscriptions et Médailles, Académie des sciences, Académie de musique and Académie royale d'architectures as well as Prix de Rome, a scholarship for French artists in Rome. Académie Française, formed under his father was taken under royal control later on. All of these institutes form what is now known as Institut de France.

Louis XIV was born Louis-Dieudonné , or Louis the God-given, in 1638 and within five years was installed king after the death of Louis XIII. He was mentored and educated by his godfather Cardinal Mazarin and his mother, Queen Anne (she was Regent). After the Cardinal’s death in 1661, Louis took over personal control of the nation adhering of the concept of the divine right of kings, advocating the divine origin of monarchical rule.

In 1660 he married his first cousin, Maria Theresa, daughter of the King of Spain to whom he had six children. Only one survived. He did however have plenty of mistresses including Louise de la Vallière, Françoise-Athénaïs, Marquise of Montespan, Françoise Scarron and Madame de Maintenon, whom he secretly married after the death of his missus. Thereafter, Louis lived a life of pious domesticity.

The most interesting part of the whole thing is the decision by Louis to leave Paris and move the centre of rule to his father’s hunting lodge at Versailles. He moved in in 1682 and started renovations of such proportions and grandeur that it represented the showpiece of French Monarchy and set the standard for palaces across Europe. After all, that is why we’re here.

Representations of the Sun King in the fence pillars

After a quick look at the statue of Louis we moved further up the Place d’Armes and into the throng. Good advice to veer left and into the Royal Gardens.

The long queue to the entry point

Security seemed tight, not sure if it was normal or due to the recent Brussels bombing. We queued up again for a bag check, slow as usual but we just gotta go with the flow. First the gardens, second Marie Antoinette’s residence and lastly the palace when the crowds should have diminished. Firstly, the gardens. Walking through the checkpoint led us straight into the South Parterre, which according to our brochure was previously known as the Flower Parterre or Cupid Parterre, full of flowers and ornamental trimmed hedges forming complicated patterns. It was probably time of year but there were bugger all flowers and the hedges were well trimmed. So much so that they were less than a foot high. We had a quick mosey around and moved on to the Orangerie.

The Orangerie devoid of oranges. Lake of the Swiss Guards beyond

Standing within the South Parterre gave us a great view of the Orangerie with the Lake of the Swiss Guards beyond. The lake was so named as the Swiss Guards, primarily there to protect the King, dug it and extended the Grand canal. Louis used the Swiss Guards as he didn’t think that he needed that much protection and couldn’t stand them standing around.

Eighteenth century painting of the Orangerie from the Hills of Satory. Sailing boats on the Lake of the Swiss Guards

The Orangerie was overlooked by the Queen’s Apartments of the Château. Designed by King Louis’ favourite architect, Jules Hardouin-Mansart, it replaced a smaller one built a few years earlier. Consisting of a central vaulted gallery, it extended on either side by two galleries located under the stairways of the Cent-Marches and lit by large arched windows in the garden itself.

A common feature of seventeenth to nineteenth century royal and aristocratic residences, orangeries were a type of greenhouse that allowed citrus trees to avoid the cold by being grown in tubs, dragged out into the sunshine during summer and dragged back inside during winter. It faded in popularity once the Italians developed processes to produce larger sheets of glass.

Versailles Orangerie had orange trees from Portugal, Spain and Italy, and lemon and pomegranate trees over 200 years old as well as palm trees, oleanders, and eugenias.

The Royal Greenhouse (displaying the King’s power over nature) leading out onto the Orangerie

Moving back across the South Parterre we ended up directly in front of two large rectangular pools designed by André Le Nôtre and constructed to their current form in 1685.

Seventeenth Century painting of the palace. Before Parterre d’Eau in its current form (and before the Hall of Mirrors)

Parterre d’Eau, or Water Parterre, were constructed adjacent to and perpendicular to the façade of the palace and complimented with four reclining statues symbolising the four great rivers of France and their tributaries. The Garonne and the Dordogne, the Rhône and the Saône, the Seine and the Marneas well as the Loire and the Loiret to which are added four nymphs and four groups of children.

Statue of the Loire

From there it was all downhill, literally. From the Water Parterre we oversaw beautiful fountains, statues and lawned areas all the way down to the Grand Canal. Immediately below us was a circular area recessed into the slope and containing three fountains, Bassin de Latone and two lizard pools, the main attraction being Latona's Fountain. Inspired by Ovid’s Metamorphoses, the fountain represents Latona, the daughter of a Titan, who was loved by Jupiter and bore two children, Apollo and Diana in the shade of an olive tree. One day Latona was resting in the land of Lycia as a group of peasants approached. After asking for some water she was derided and as a consequence asked Jupiter to avenge the insult and to turn them into frogs and lizards.

Looking toward the Grand Canal over Latona's Fountain. After an €8m reno

Rather than proceeding further downhill towards the canal we noticed a café on the map to the left so concentrated our efforts in that direction. We looked around the immediate area at the bottom of the parterre before moving straight along Allée de l'Automne, which along with Allée de l’Ete, formed an impressive pathway lined with statues, thicket and gardens to either side, and manicured topiary separating the two. The statues were frequent and splendid.

The statues along Allée de l’Ete

Arria and her consort, the Roman consul Paetus, had to experience the death of the beloved son, and finally the defeat of Paetus in his rebellion against Emperor Claudius. Paetus, who was sentenced to death, wanted to commit suicide, but hesitated for fear of pain. Then his wife Arria took a dagger and thrust it into her breast. Then the dying woman handed her husband the dagger with the words "Paetus, it does not hurt."

Heckle and Jeckle (living statues). Modern Australian art

We found the entrance to the Brasserie de la Girandole where Allée de l'Automne met the entry to Bosquet de la Salle de Bal (Grove of the Ballroom), semi hidden behind the scrub that backed the statues and promptly headed in and sat for a while with a snack and some hot drinks. It was good to rest our backs and feet as well.

Waiting to be served at the Brasserie de la Girandole

Backs and feet somewhat on the mend and after a less than impressive meal we left the café and headed slightly uphill and into Bosquet de la Salle de Bal, the open-air ballroom also known as the Cascade Ballroom or the Rocaille Grove due to the millstone sand seashells brought back from African coasts and Madagascar. The shells form the obstacles from which the water cascades over. The musicians were perched above the cascade while Louis XIV danced around the marble dance floor below. Onlookers found room around the peripheral of the amphitheatre which was full of grassy tiered seating.

Bosquet de la Salle de Bal

Moving on, we passed Bacchus Fountain and further on to the Bassin du Miroir (Mirror Pool) where water was spouting to classical music. This was quite impressive, so much so that the kids were even impressed and sat down to enjoy the entertainment. Not for long though as they must have been sitting in the wrong spot. Security pounced and off we went to the next section, which randomly ended up being in le Jardin du Roi (King's Garden).

Area off limits. Bassin du Miroir

Jardin du Roi was quite peaceful with only a few people in sight. Lush grassy areas were punctuated with large trees but still surrounded by the scrub that seemed to partition off the separate areas and made them only accessible by the designated pathways. Following several minutes on the grass of the King’s Garden, we headed along one of these designated walkways and in the general direction of the Grand Canal. The route we took led us directly to Bosquet de la Colonnade, this fantastic circular structure of pink and blue-grey marble.

Jardin du Roi

Bosquet de la Colonnade was created in 1684 and intended to promote French marble. A peristyle accompanying 32 arcades with triangular tympani between. The columns are slate blue, violet breccia and pink Pyrenean marble.

Proserpine Ravished by Pluto

From Bosquet de la Collonade it was only a short distance to the Great Lawn, along a narrow pathway which ended at Vase à décor de feuilles d’acanthe, recently refurbished (by a sponsor) and located on the edge of the path down to the Grand Canal. Only one hundred metres down the path we encountered Apollo’s Fountain, constructed and gilded in lead in 1670, it represented the legend of Apollo, the Sun gold and emblem of the king. Beyond Apollo was a large grassed area, the foreshore to the Grand Canal and an opportunity to get wet.

Vase à décor de feuilles d’acanthe, (Vase decorated with acanthus leaves)

Soph & Apollo’s Fountain

Grand Canal from Apollo’s Fountain

The path from the foreshore directed us to a gate manned by security who was happy to let us out but reminded us to keep our tickets if we wanted to get back in. So, we moved out of the gardens and onto the Grand Canal where we hired a row boat and rowed halfway down the canal and back.

Showing them how to row (sort of)

We spent some time on the water and a lot of fun it was. Luckily there was not much wind so to row in both directions was not a chore, dodging the other boats was. The canal crossroads (bras et la Ménagerie to the left and bras et la Trianon to the right) was the limit of our rowing prowess, half a kilometre away so we put about and commenced rowing the return leg. Again, trying to avoid other craft.

Rowing back to toward the Palace from the Grand Canal

The return of the row boat to the marina was straight forward, particularly with the help of the shore man there to pull us into the wharf with an extended hook. Disembarking meant payment was required on a time basis so after handing over a few Euro’s we were headed off along Allée de la Reine for the six hundred metre stroll to what we thought was Marie Antoinete’s Estate but was in fact the Grand Trianon. Our mistake.

Le Grand Trianon formerly Trianon de marbre

Le Grand Trianon, previously known as Trianon de marbre was built in 1687 at the behest of Louis XIV on the site of the smaller Trianon de porcelain that he had built almost twenty years earlier. You guessed it, a building of porcelain was replaced with a building of marble. Trianon de porcelain was built as a retreat for Louis XIV and his maîtresse en titre of the time, Françoise Athénaïs de Rochechouart de Mortemart, Marquise de Montespan (he razed the township of Trianon to make room) but by the time Trianon de marbre was finished, the king’s newest bit of crumpet, Françoise d'Aubigné, Marquise de Maintenon was on the scene.

Trianon de porcelain

As we neared the end of the dirt track known as Allée de la Reine, we hit the forecourt of the Grand Trianon veered into the left pavilion and showed our tickets. Not too many people around so it was straight in.

The birth of the fifth French Republic gave rise to a new chapter in the château’s history. Not only was the Grand Trianon transformed by General Charles De Gaulle into a presidential residency to welcoming foreign dignitaries, it has also been prominent in France's international relations. Over the years the château has hosted John and Jackie Kennedy, Queen Elizabeth II, the Russian president Boris Yeltsin.

The first room of significance that we encountered was the Salon des Miroirs, formerly Cabinet des Glaces. The room was quite dark with doors only partially opened for some reason. Maybe to keep the sun out, it may have been to protect the contents from the sun. Although mainly original, much of its contents was sold off during the Revolution and subsequently replaced by Napoleon Bonaparte.

The adjacent room, originally Louis XIV’s bedchamber, featured the original décor of Corinthian columns and mosaic panelling. The room was divided into smaller sections by Empress Marie-Louise, Napoleons wife to incorporate a sitting room.

Salon des Miroirs. Apparently with the doors open, the room affords lovely views of the Grand Canal. The former Great Study was the final apartment of Louis XIV between 1691 to 1703 and served as the room where he met his privy council. The original cornice and mirrors embedded in carved panelling are still intact

Known as the Empress’ Bedchamber. The bed belonged to Napoleon and Louis XVI’s brother, Louis XVIII, who died in it in 1824

Through a couple of more rooms and we were in the Peristyle, wrongly named from the days of Louis XIV, the colonnaded portico linked not only the two pavilions, but the courtyard to the rear gardens. The walkway opened up the whole area providing access and an overall perspective from left to right, front to back.

The so-called Peristyle, looking towards the right pavilion

A couple of rooms into the right pavilion found us moving through the Salon de la Colonnes (Round Room), the vestibule which led to Louis XIV’s first apartment from 1688 until 1691, Salon de la Musique (Music Room) which Napoleon converted into an officers’ room and subsequently into a billiards room by King Louis-Phillip I (great, great grandson of Louis XIV). We then entered into the Louis-Philippe Family Room, which the King had modified from two smaller rooms to make more spacious for his family’s evening comfort. After a good look at the furniture and décor in this room we proceeded forward through the Malachite Room (named after the malachite gifts Czar Alexander I gave Napoleon after visiting the room), the Cool Room (which faced North) and into the Cotelle Gallery and beyond to the Garden Room.

Louis-Philippe Family Room was furnished with games and embroidery tables and padded chairs and sofas, all upholstered in intricate designs of blue-patterned yellow purl.

Originally built to shelter the gardens from the cold northerly winds, the Gallery was where the final peace treaty of World War I was signed between the Allies and Hungarians.

The stair case leading from the gardens to the Garden Room

The rear of the Peristyle from near the Garden Room stairs

The next few minutes were spent around the gardens but we were time poor so headed back through the gardens to the Palace above.

The tiers of the Bassin de Latone. Concentric circles of turtles and alligators at the base, surrounding the frogs at the centre.

After we had left the gardens we moved back out to la Cour d'Honneur where hundreds of people were queueing earlier in the day. By the time that we arrived there were still hundreds of people but not as many hundreds. The queue snaked to and fro to fit the people in the courtyard and keep control. Closely watched by several security people and several more soldiers we shuffled our way closer to the entrance and after about one hour of queueing we managed to get in at 4pm.

Shuffling our way forward

And keenly watched

We showed our tickets, done the obligatory strip for the scanner and after clearing security walked through a side door and headed across the Cour Royale.

The main gate to Cour Royale

The palace and chapel to the north

We took a bit of time to get to the other side of the courtyard due to continual deviations to check out the splendour of the architecture but once inside the northern entrance, climbed the stairs and entered Salon d'Hercule, a large drawing room which connected the Grand Chapel to the Grand Appartement du Roi. Originally called nouveau salon près de la chapelle, construction was commenced in 1710 but suspended in 1715 following Louis’ demise. Building works once again started in 1724 and was completed, ceilings and all twelve years later. We thought this was our starting point and proceeded into some adjoin rooms but doors were being closed in front of us. They were starting to shut and wanted to herd the people towards the exits so it was time to be part of the herd, whether we liked it or not.

Salon d'Hercule

As we stood around in the Salon d'Hercule, what was a crowded room became claustrophobic as the people in adjoining rooms were pushed towards us by staff. They had it worked out well as there was only one way to go, out but via the Grand Appartement du Roi. Like sardines were shuffled our way into the next room, Salon d'Abondance which was the sixth and last room of the apartment. Yes, we were going arse about.

Salon d'Abondance

Salon d'Abondance was so named due to the central artwork on the ceiling. The artwork depicts three deities. Magnanimity, Magnificence and the Genius of Art. It represents the benevolent power of the monarch and evokes the King’s wealth. Originally built as the antechamber of Louis XIV’s Medals Room showing the Cabinet of Curiosities or the Rarities and subsequently changed to the Games Salon of Louis XVI, the salon was also a place of refreshments, where a buffet served coffee, wine and liqueurs. Today it joins Salon d'Hercule to Grand Appartement du Roi.

There was no choice but to push around the crowds if we needed to get close. So, we did. We pushed and were pushed into the next room, Salon de Venus, then Salon de Diane, then the next, Salon de Mars, and the next, Salon de Mercure. If you hadn’t noticed the configuration was an enfilade of seven rooms, each dedicated to one of the then-known planets and their associated titular Roman deity.

Salon de Mercure was used as a parade chamber however during winter the bed was removed so that gaming tables could be installed. Louis XIV laid in state in this room after his death.

On we went, passing through the other rooms until we entered Salon de la Guerre, the War Salon. Decorated to the glory of military victories leading to Peace of Nijmegen, the Franco-Dutch war which drew to a conclusion during mid to late seventeenth century. Marble panels adorn the walls accompanied by trophies and gilded carvings.

Salon de la Guerre looking into La Grande Galerie

Oval plasterwork bas-relief of Louis XIV on horseback trampling over his enemies

Onto La Grande Galerie or The Hall of Mirrors. So called due to the three hundred and fifty seven mirrors that adorn the seventeen arches opposite the windows. Quality and luxurious mirrors that demonstrated the economic prosperity which accompanied the diplomatic and military victories Louis had during the first eighteen years of his reign. From 1661 until the Peace of Nijmegen.

La Grande Galerie (Hall of Mirrors). The hall served as a passageway and a waiting and meeting area, frequented by courtiers and the visiting public

Still moving with the crowd, we next entered Salon de la Paix, the Peace Salon, interestingly enough almost exactly mirroring the salon at the other end of La Grande Galerie, Salon de la Guerre. Looking around as we progressed, we exited Salon de la Paix and entered Grand Appartement de la Reine, The Queen’s Apartment. Continuing on, we moved through, stopping briefly at la Chambre de la Reine, le Salon des Nobles, l’Antichambre de la Grand Couvert, Salle de gardes and finally la Salle du Sacre or Coronation Hall where the copy of the Coronation of Napoleon is displayed.

Coronation of Napoleon

Following victorious military campaigns in Egypt and Italy, Napoleon gained power as First Consul after the Coup of 18 Brumaire. He was proclaimed Emperor in May 1804 and coronated seven months later at Notre-Dame in Paris so as to secure his legitimacy and secure his authority in French monarchic and catholic tradition. He did however take the crown from the pope and crowned himself facing the congregation, with his back to the pope to signify his independence from the church.

The artist was at the coronation and original sketches depict it as it was, Napoleon crowning himself but the finished product tells a different story, Napoleon crowning the Empress. This gesture presented a nobler portrayal and was described by Napoleon himself as that of a “French Knight.”

The original painting hangs in the Louvre, was commissioned by Napoleon in 1804 and completed in 1808. This one was commissioned in 1808, immediately after the completion of the original and painted from purely from memory. The only difference is that one of Napoleon’s sisters, behind the altar boy is wearing a pink dress rather than white.

Several other military themed paintings accompanied the Coronation of Napoleon. We were being pressured by staff at this point to move on so off towards the l’Escalier de la Reine to vacate the place.

l’Escalier de la Reine

Hallway on the ground floor

We only saw half of the joint but impressive it was. The decadence, extravagance was obscene, particularly considering the multitudes that starved. They taxed the people, didn't tax the churches and built indulgent palaces. No wonder by the time Louis XVI had turned up the revolutionaries had had enough. We definitely advise booking an early tour through skip the line to enjoy the visit.

Anyway, after we were out and back on the street, we headed down to the train station stopping at McDonalds on the way so that the kids could have a 6pm lunch. Maccas was packed but we found somewhere to sit so that they could eat. We then moved across to Versailles-Château-Rive-Gauche for the train home. We could hardly get through the station’s front doors. It was packed, mostly people buying their tickets. If only Shane had bought a return rail ticket when we left this morning.

A bursting at the seams Versailles-Château-Rive-Gauche

Let’s take a cab. We stood at the rank for what seemed an eternity but to no avail. After a half an hour we started walking towards the town to see if we could hail one. Also to no avail. We walked around for what must have been another half an hour before we ended up back at the rank. Guess what, there was one waiting so we grabbed it, jumped in and ended up requesting a trip to the Arc de Triomphe. A further half an hour and fifty Euro later we were dropped off on the huge roundabout that surrounds the monument.

First impressions, straight out of the cab

At the conclusion of the Battle of Austerlitz, Napoleon I declared to his soldiers that they would march home through the arches of victory, and so it was that in 1806 the arch was commissioned. Completed in 1833 it was inaugurated by French king, Louis-Philippe in 1836. Not many of the soldiers that were preached to would have seen the final product. It stands as a symbol of French triumph.

Inspired by the Roman Arch of Titus and standing at about fifty metres high with a vault of nearly thirty metres, the four pillars displayed four huge relief sculptures at their bases commemorating The Triumph of 1810, Resistance, Peace and The Departure of the Volunteers, more commonly known as La Marseillaise.

The Triumph of 1810, featured Napoleon being crowned by the goddess of Victory to celebrate the Treaty of Schönbrunn after his victory over Austria

We had to cross the roundabout to get to the monument but how? There was no way across the road as it would be suicide. Cars were stopping on the roundabout to give way here. It seemed the opposite to home. There must have been a better way. After a bit of searching we ended up going through a subway, underneath the roundabout to resurface beneath the arch.

The subway reminded us of a railway subway, tiles, people and all. It was however access only to the Arc de Triomphe. The people were queuing to climb the monument. Upon resurfacing we found ourselves beneath the arch and within one of the lateral vaults. The structure was rather impressive. Huge and well inscribed with the top of the arch listing major victories that occurred during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic periods, the minor victories were inscripted on the interior. The vault walls to be exact. The owner of Cathare, Claude mentioned that one of his recent ancestors fought in the Napoleonic Wars and was listed on the monument.

War inscriptions

The arch became the focus point for the parading of French servicemen following success on the battle field. It also serves as a rallying point for France’s annual Bastille Day military parade.

Other famous victory marches included the Germans after the unification of Germany, the French in 1919 after the First World War, the Germans again in 1940 and the French with their Allies at the conclusion of the Second World War. Three weeks after the parade, Charles Godefroy took off in a biplane early one morning from an airfield at Villacoublay and flew the aircraft through the arch to protest the direction that the French airmen must march on foot like the infantry.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIZzkq5Y8q0

The place was very crowded, particularly within the vaults. We moved away from them towards the large chain fencing that separated us from the even more crowded roundabout. This allowed us to get a better look at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier who was laid to rest on Armistice Day 1920 (actually buried there a couple of months later). An eternal flame was lit and represents the unidentified souls of the war just ended and the Second World War that was yet to come.

ICI REPOSE UN SOLDAT FRANÇAIS MORT POUR LA PATRIE 1914–1918 ("Here lies a French soldier who died for the fatherland 1914–1918")

Darkness was upon us as we left the arch and moved down Champs-Élysées toward Place de la Concorde and Cathare. The streets were filled with tourists and young locals. Food was at the uppermost in our minds and after several glimpses of footpath menus and the resistance to driving Lamborghinis and Ferraris around the block for €90 a pop, we settled on Leon de Bruxelles for a well-deserved dinner.

Traffic at the roundabout on dusk

Looking towards Place de la Concorde

Back to Arc de Triomphe

Leon de Bruxelles was packed. We initially thought that we wouldn’t get in but the place was large and there was room down the back. A bit of a wait though due to the staff being so busy. Everyone was keen but the day was at an end. Moules and chips and crepes were ordered and along with a few beers and wines we headed off back to Cathare. With fatigue setting in, after dinner we sought a taxi and headed back to the barge.

Caught cab from restaurant back to Cathare and straight to bed.

Once dropped off at Pont de Arts it was a short stroll across the river to bed.

Tomorrow Disney Paris.

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