Versailles and Chartres

Well, now that my blog seems to be gaining in popularity, I feel the pressure to live up to a high standard of wittiness! Let's see if my experiences today are up to the challenge.

To start, last night I had an interesting chat with one of my hostel roommates, who is fresh out of high school from New Zealand and here on a work program. He mentioned that Americans have a general reputation for being the highest tippers in the world, and wished to know the reason. After much debate, I suppose I am not surprised why we are. I explained in extremely exhausted language that wait staff at restaurants rely mostly on tips, since their wages are much lower than other hired help. So tipping is expected as a result. I decided at the end that it very much relates to our philosophy of equality; just because I am the one being served does not mean I am any better than the person who is serving me dinner. So I feel a responsibility to compensate them for their services. I mean, I cannot even bring myself to stiff a terrible waiter! Again, exhausted language gets the best of me, so feel free to return comments on how better to describe this extremely cool phenomenon, which only just recently occured to me!

Anyway, this morning I woke up early and took a day trip to Versailles and Chartres. Versailles was amazing, even in the less than gorgeous weather I have been enjoying. As I toured the palace, I was impressed by the French extravagant style, even if I did not quite admire it. To think that so much wealth could create such incredibly rich gaudiness! But still, an incredible palace. Outside, I could not help but start to contemplate what made the French royalty think that they needed so much space! The thing is huge! You can see it from miles and miles away! Of course, I helped to justify it a little by remembering that the palace did, after all, hold not only the royal family, but also the newly centralized government and everyone who was anyone of the French nobility. So I suppose hundreds of room was the bare minimum they could get away with after all (slightly kidding). And once I had concluded thus, I turned back to the gardens, which are just as extravagant, if not more in a different way. Countless fountains, millions of gallons of artificially pumped in water, and an immense fake canal for afternoon gondola parties, not to mention the orangerie, are just a small part of the 25 miles (or some such number) that make up the estate. As a country girl, I could look at the miles of perfectly manicured lawns and forced wilderness and go, 'Yeah, I can see why you needed all of this.' Had it been a nicer day, you could bet I would have explored every corner of it. Perhaps later this summer, I could convince some people into accompanying me for another trip...

As I left the gardens, I took probably the longest shortcut in the world (a recurring theme of my adventures so far) back to the train station, only to find out that APPARENTLY the other station can only be reached on foot...not train or bus though there were many. So off I went, and arrived (amidst numerous buses, just for the record) at the information counter one minute before the train left. And you would think I would just wait for the next one? Nope, the most wonderful woman behind the counter jumped up, told me she would take me, and off we ran together, and I made it there with time to spare. Not only did she take all the work out of figuring out where to go, but she also took my word for it that I had a valid Eurailpass. She just handed me a ticket to get me through the turnstiles, and sent me on my way. Now that is what I am talking about! It was a great time.

Chartres was a great cathedral, with terrific stained glass creating a soft glow on the inside, and impressive sculpture making it a historic and artistic landmark on the outside. I walked all around it, and was rewarded with breathtaking views and excellent art throughout. Despite its significance both in religion and in art, I was a little surprised by its general lack of interest from tourists and slight state of disrepair from locals. Still, a worthwhile trip for anyone touring the Paris area, and definitely a feasible sidetrip from Versailles! It was a busy day, and I earned my shower at the end of it.

Tomorrow, I leave Paris behind (sad sigh), and head off to Normandy, to see Bayeux, Caen, and the D-Day beaches. Not sure about the internest access there, so until the next post!