Part 2: The Netherlands and Paris

So, continuing on from part 1…

This particular post is going to be quite photo heavy. So, without further ado...

On Sunday (15/12/13)  we visited the city of Leiden to visit Astrid. It was such a pretty and quaint city. Quite like Amsterdam in many ways, but on a miniature scale.  It was a beautiful place to walk around, and I'd quite like to go back one day.

On Monday (our final day in The Netherlands) we visited both Zaanse Schans and Volendam. I've been to both of these places before - but I still think they're great, and I'm glad I went again. Zaanse Schans is so sweet and cute, and just SO Dutch in my head - windmills, clogs, cheese, the lot. Volendam is also a very quaint seaside village. I think if I was rich it wouldn't be a bad place to reside, perhaps except for the hordes of tourists that descend upon the place.

So The Netherlands was great overall. I'm so glad I visited again, because it really is a wonderful country to visit - very pretty, great food, and a generally cheery population (in my experience).

Leiden!

Cute little streets in Leiden

Umm Town Hall I believe?

Everybody's happy in the clog (Zaanse Schans)

Cheese!

Zaanse Schans

Windmill

More windmills!

So cute

Volendam

Volendam again

Now onto Paris!

We arrived in Montmartre on Tuesday evening. I think I decided I loved the place as soon as we arrived. It's just so...quintessentially Parisian...or at least stereotypically. Our hotel is quite lovely. The wallpaper is just so sweet...and they filmed Amélie here...and we all know how great that film is! It also has a wonderful view of the Eiffel Tower that no camera has done justice yet. There's also a sweet little Christmas market in the square just below our window. It's all quite like being in a film (well that is until you get on the metro - which smells like cat piss - although a man with a piano accordion did play songs from Amélie on the underground, so that's probably the closest I've ever been to being in a film). 

Our first proper day in Paris saw us play typical tourist. We firstly visited Sacre Coeur, which is just awe-inspiring. Even though churches aren't my thing I was very glad to have gone inside because it really was something amazing to behold. Then Eiffel Tower was visited of course, and many, many photos were taken. We also walked until we couldn't walk anymore (literally) - all the way to the Louvre (about an hour, but it was a great way to see the city).  The Louvre is of course amazing - no one needs me to tell them that. Though everyone who goes is really excited to see the Mona Lisa, I think I was more impressed by The Coronation of Napoleon by Jacques-Louis David. It's amazing! There are so many things to look at. Although I think I'm amazed by anything David does...

After the Louvre, we visited Stohrer, which is, according to Sandrine Voillet and the internet, the oldest pastry shop in Paris (founded in 1730). It was amazing! We ate mille-feuilles and a sort of tart with creme patissiere and raspberries. They were both delicious of course.

After that our feet were so sore we had to go back to the hotel.

Pretty wallpaper in our hotel room

Church outside our hotel

Market outside our hotel

Kinda shitty photo of the Eiffel Tower from our window - it looked better than this in real life I promise

Sacre Coeur! 

If you don't know what this is then you deserve coal this Christmas

Looking kind of grumpy thanks to the sun

Les Invalides

I didn't take this photo.

Random photo

The Seine

The Louvre

Pyramid outside the Louvre

Amazing ceiling

The Coronation of Napoleon by Jacques-Louis David

Fake Mona Lisa

Louvre again

Oldest patisserie in Paris

Yum

Thursday saw us once again play tourists as we saw sights such as the Paris Opera (so beautiful), and visit Galeries Lafayette. The Galeries Lafayette had such sweet window displays for Christmas - it was clear that both young and old found the windows a joy as basically every person who was walking past would stop, look, and smile.

Following that we made our way to the Place de la Concorde, the Champs Elysees and the Arc de Triomphe. Walking along the Champs Elysees you can see the Arc de Triomphe getting bigger and bigger, and when you've finally made it to the end of the street it's hard not to be impressed by the triumphal arch, as it's just so huge! The carvings on the arch are also beautiful to look at and so intricate.  We decided to climb to the top of the Arc de Triomphe, and it was quite the climb (my legs were burning). But I think it was worth it as it gave us a great view of Paris.

Later in the day we met up with the expert Anna (yay!) who showed us around the Luxembourg Gardens, and then took us to Notre Dame. We went inside and it was very beautiful, but so crowded! All that working left us feeling peckish. So we made our way through some very cute, little streets with cobblestones to a place called La Jacobine. I ate a sort of oversized raspberry macaron. Needless to say it was amazing. I'd say it was up there with one of the best desserts I've ever eaten.

We were so full we had to settle for sushi for dinner - but no one was complaining!

Opera

What the sign says

This was quite lovely

Dancing Prada teddy bears

Luxor  Obelisk

I believe this says Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette were executed here in 1793...

Arc de Triomphe!

Under the Arc de Triomphe!

The view

We found Anna! 

Fountain in the Luxembourg Gardens

I can't remember exactly what this was called...

Notre Dame of course

Statue of Charlemagne

Nice detail on the Notre Dame

The interior

Pretty window

Anna: "I like to take photos of dead people"

Amazing dessert! A giant macaron with cream, raspberries and custard

Le Jacobine

I fell in love with this place

My other love: Kouign-amann

Impressive chocolate

And again

Gyoza!

We've all seen this before

Today was a very exciting day for me. We visited the Palace of Versailles, which I've wanted to visit ever since studying the French Revolution in high school. Gone were the days when I would buy calendars with pictures of Versailles on it, now it was for real! I'm very pleased to say it didn't disappoint and lived up, perhaps even exceeded, my expectations. When you first turn the corner from the train station and see the Palace it's quite an awe-some sight.  This is largely due to its enormous size - particularly as it's on a slight hill which makes it look even bigger than it already is. To my delight I managed to get in for free (otherwise it would have been 18 euros!) because I have a British visa, and Versailles is free to all residents of the European Union under 25 years of age.

The exterior of Versailles is just magnificent. There really aren't enough words to describe it. Props to the Sun King (Louis XIV). It's just totally lavish and over-the-top. That's not a criticism though. It somehow manages to be completely over-the-top without being gaudy at all. Just really, really beautiful.

The interior was great as well. I loved seeing the 'bedrooms' of the King and Queen, even though they didn't actually sleep there. They were just so grand and colourful. My favourite part, though, was the famous Hall of Mirrors. It was just so shiny and pretty, and I was reminded of all the time I'd spent looking at photos of Versailles when I first studied the French Revolution, wishing and hoping that one day I'd be able to visit. And, I did visit it! Was it a dream come true? Yes I'd say so. Simply stunning! Oh, and I was also excited to see many original paintings which I'd seen only in books, such as the famous painting of Louis XVI in his coronation robes.

Following our visit to the palace we ventured into the gardens. I think the only word I can use is wow. The garden was just so beautiful. Definitely the best garden I'd ever seen. And it was ENORMOUS. It seemed to just go on forever. Unfortunately the very beautiful fountain just outside the Palace was undergoing restoration so we couldn't see it (cue sad face), but I think this just gives me another reason to visit again as soon as possible. We walked for a very, very long time until we reached the Grand Trianon. It was very nice. I really liked the colourful furniture! 

Then we walked even more to visit the Petit Trianon (which was originally designed for Louis XV's mistress Madame de Pompadour, but who died four years before it could be completed, and therefore was given to her success, Madame du Barry), which given to Marie-Antoinette by her husband Louis XVI upon his accession to the throne. It was really exciting and lovely to see the Petit Trianon, as it's a place which is incredibly important to understanding the life of Marie-Antoinette. I'm not one of those people who just loves her endlessly for the image she projects, but I've always had an interest in her life and her rejection of the stiff French Court - and all of those things become clear in the Petit Trianon.     Her bedroom and boudoir were really nicely furnished and were 'so Marie-Antoinette'.  I was also very excited to see the original painting of Marie-Antoinette with a rose, by Elisabeth Vigee-Lebrun, as I love that painting, and basically all of Vigee-Lebrun's work. 

A little walk further on from the Petit Trianon is the Hameau de la Reine (or, The Queen's Hamlet), which was used by Marie-Antoinette as a retreat from the constraints of royal life - she basically dressed up as a shepherdess and lived the life of what she imagined to be the ideal peasant - which unbeknownst to her was as far from the truth as it could possibly be. Regardless of this, I think it was my favourite part of the trip to Versailles. It was just so rustic and beautiful. It's not a place many tourists visit either, so unlike the rest of the grounds, it was very quiet and peaceful.

Okay I can tell I'm boring you to death…photo time…

Versailles!

Fancy gates

It's quite nice

So good

The chapel

Ceiling in the chapel

And again

Nice painting

Hall of Mirrors!

I love it!

And again

You guessed it: Hall of Mirrors again

The ceiling in the Hall of Mirrors

The King's bedroom

Inside the King's bedroom

The famous bed

Some graffiti on a mirror from 1893

The Queen's bedroom

Incredibly extravagant and intricate

A bust of Marie-Antoinette

Chandelier

In the garden

The view of the chateau from the garden

The view of the seemingly endless middle section of the garden from the palace

The Palace from the garden again

And a little bit further away

Fountain

A very long road with an arch at the end

More of the biggest garden I've ever seen

Part of the Grand Trianon

Anna is very happy to be at the Grand Trianon

So is Vicci

The garden in the Grand Trianon

Anna the photographer

Grand Trianon

Grand Trianon

The study in the Grand Trianon which was once used by Napoleon

Marie-Antoinette dancing with her siblings which I've seen so many times in books

The very famous painting of Louis XVI in his coronation robes

Marie-Antoinette with a rose by Elisabeth Vigee-Lebrun in the Petit Trianon

Bust of Louis XVI in the Petit Trianon

Marie-Antoinette's bed in the Petit Trianon

The Petit Trianon

Gardens on the Petit Trianon

The lake from the Hameau de la Reine

Marie-Antoinette's Hamlet (Hameau de la Reine)

The Hamlet again

Very sweet

And a nice building on the way to the train station

Yesterday we visited Pere Lachaise cemetery to see tomb of Oscar Wilde, as well as the graves of Jim Morrison and Edith Piaf. It was a very nice cemetery I have to say, although it was pretty clear that everyone who is buried there comes from rich families as they were not just little plots in the ground. Every grave was enormous with elaborate sculptures and carvings. It was quite difficult to navigate the cemetery, but once we got anywhere near a famous person's grave it was pretty obvious due to the hordes of tourists and their flashing cameras.

After that we visted the Musee Rodin. Even though it was freezing cold, I'm so glad we visited. His sculptures really are amazing up close. It's obvious he was a genius. His ability to depict humanity, and the suffering of humans, was really impressive, and in a way, quite emotional. The Thinker was obviously very exciting to see, but really all of his sculptures were wonderful . The Gates of Hell was particularly amazing. But as well as that, I was really amazed looking at the expressions he was able to convey on the faces of all his sculptures - although I'm not sure of the names of all these sculptures.

After that we walked along the Seine and just took in Paris, enjoying our last afternoon there. We also went to Pierre Herme (the queue was way out the door) and bought some macarons, which were totally delicious! We also bought mini-Kouign-amanns, which I've grown to love thanks to Anna. Unfortunately though, you can't each much Kouign-amann because it's so bad for you!

Oscar Wilde's tomb at Pere Lachaise

Edith Piaf's grave

Jim Morrison's grave

Musee Rodin

The Gates of Hell by Rodin

A closeup of the Gates of Hell

The Thinker

The Thinker again

From the garden

A man - not sure of the name - but it was incredible

A closeup 

I'm going to run out of things to say for Rodin's sculptures

Closeup

Rodin's signature

Rodin really knew how to convey emotion through his sculptures

Not sure on the name, but from what I gathered it's three stages

The third stage

Another closeup

Another angle

Elephant outside the Musee d'Orsay

Pont des Arts 

Pont Neuf

Pont Neuf

Meagan on the Pont Neuf

The Conciergerie

What the sign says

Mmm vanilla macaron from Pierre Herme

Overall, I've absolutely loved Paris. It was everything I hoped it would be. I wasn't at all disenchanted by the crazy drivers and the pushy people on the metro - it's all part of the experience. Paris really is a beautiful city - the architecture is amazing, and you feel as though you're in a film as you walk through the streets and boulevards. It was also wonderful to visit The Netherlands again, and it was still as lovely as I remembered it.

I'm already dreaming of visiting again...