A Visit to Versailles

Bonjour Mes Amis,

How is your week going so far?

Today I wanted to share with you our trip to Versailles.  Hard to believe we were there a week ago today!

This was our third trip there, and let me tell you, the place is amazing!

Versailles is just a short 30 minute train ride from Paris, making it super easy to reach.

If you ever have the opportunity to visit, go!

But be prepared for lines, very long, long lines!

 We thought we were being oh so smart and bought our tickets on line.  We figured that would cut our wait time to get in.  Well, weren't we in for a surprise when we got there and found this?  Yikes!  Yes, that is the line for people who already have their tickets!

We later heard that Tuesday is not the day to go!  It wasn't nearly that busy on our previous visits.  If we hadn't already paid for our tickets, we seriously would have hopped right back on the train for Paris!

 Thank goodness it wasn't raining or anything, as we stood outside waiting to enter for nearly 2 hours!

 And once inside, it was elbow to elbow.  Geez, you would think a place this huge couldn't possibly become crowded, but it does!

Can you believe that it's more than 721,000 square feet, and 700 rooms???

 I snapped so many pics, I'll let the photos do most of the talking.

 To say the palace is sumptuous is putting it mildly.  No surface was left bare and unadorned.  The ceilings were amazing!

Below is the chapel.

 It was so crowded that I had a hard time getting some good shots.

Below is a painting of the young Louis XVI.

Just look at that amazing wallpaper, which actually is fabric!

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 I was drooling over the chandeliers!

 One of the most fabulous rooms in the palace is the Hall of Mirrors.
Note the crowds?

 How would you like to clean all of those chandeliers??

 At the time it was built, most people didn't even own a mirror. They were a rare luxury item.

So to have a huge room lined with floor to ceiling mirrors was unheard of.

 Imagine waking up in this bed, below.

 Marie Antoinette's bedroom, below.

Did you know that the queen had to give birth in front of the public?

Yes, that's right!  As was the custom of French royalty back in the day, public births were a way to prove the new baby was actually of royal blood.  Can you imagine????

 Below is the Hall of Battles.  Huge paintings depicting French wars lined the enormous room.

   

A goofy picture of me, below.

 The grounds were equally amazing, and provided a welcome relief from the crowds inside!

Lots of fountains.

 The Orangerie, below, was one of my favorite gardens.

Amazing topiaries, huge potted lemon and orange trees, and perfectly groomed grass.

 I can only imagine the work involved maintaining it all!

 Thanks for joining me on my little tour.  Hope you aren't getting tired of my trip pics, I have more to share in future posts!

Au revior!

Paris, Part Deux

Bonjour Mes Amis!

Ready for another day in Paris?

Well today I thought I'd share with you some random shots that I snapped while visiting my favorite city.

I just love all of the amazing window displays, so full of creativity and unexpected delights.

Just look at this Eiffel Tower covered in macarons!  

Can you say "Oooh, la, la?"

Macarons are very popular in Paris, and you will find them in just about every patisserie and boulangerie.

They are a meringue based sweet treat, and come in such amazing colors.

 Ok, if a macaron covered Eiffel Tower is not up your rue, then how about this Arc de Triomphe?

 On nearly every corner is a flower shop, and flower markets also abound thru out Paris.

So of course I just have to stop and admire, smell, and enjoy all of the wonderful blooms and scents!

I really loved this pretty herb and vegetable display, below.

 I can almost smell the French lavender now!

 Aren't these hydrangeas just stunning?  I wish I had better luck growing them.

 They were so perfect looking, they didn't even look real!

 Another lovely display at a flower shop.  I was in love with all of the beautiful pink roses!

 I think the French must have perfected the art of display!

 Another pretty window.  Look closely and you will see a beautiful "cake" of lady fingers and roses in the center of the top shelf.

 Nothing is more quintessentially Parisian that a sidewalk cafe.  There must be literally thousands thru out the city!  And of course the folding bistro chairs are also a common staple.

Doesn't this just make you want to pull up a seat and enjoy a hot cup of caffe au lait, or perhaps a nice glass of chardonnay?

Ok, this shot is totally random, but I couldn't resist sharing.  I was so surprised to see an Office Depot in Paris!   We have never come across them in our travels to Europe, so I got a real kick out of spotting this little slice of home!

Remember I told you that we enjoy lots of great food on our trip?

Well I just love chocolate mousse and of course it is oh so French, and on nearly every menu.

I am rarely one to order dessert at home, but on vacation, well, that is another story!

And how many chances does a girl really get to indulge in one of her favorite treats, and in Paris?

 I don't even want to know how many calories was in this little dish!

Thanks so much for joining me on my little tour again!  Stop back in a few days and I'll share pics from our visit to Versailles!

Au revoir!

Bonjour, Paris!

Bonjour Mes Amis!

Hubby and I just returned last night from 6 days in Paris, and I have so many photos to share with you!

First off, we had such a great time, and celebrated my birthday (which was yesterday) while we were there.

Thankfully, the weather was beautiful and we were so glad it didn't rain the entire trip.

 The flowers were glorious, including this arch of roses that I'm standing beneath, with Notre Dame in the background.  Notice all of the pretty fox glove too?  I just loved them!

And of course I had to snap lots of shots of fleurs at the street markets!

Here are just a few I took.

 It's a good thing we walked alot, as we ate very, very well!

I had a hard time saying no to all of the wonderful baquettes and butter (European butter is much richer than ours!), not to mention the wine, croissants, and Nutella filled crepes!

 The highlight of the entire trip was the day we climbed the towers of Notre Dame.

We've climbed just about everything else in Paris on previous trips, but never here at my very favorite church.  It was even more amazing than we expected!

(not to mention a whole lot easier than climbing the Eiffel Tower on our last visit!)

 Notice all of the people lined up in front of the church? They are actually waiting to get in!

Thank goodness, we weren't in that line for the towers!

That was just about a 45 minute wait, not so bad.

We did spent alot of time waiting in lines on our trip, though.  The craziest was Tuesday, when we went to Versailles and spent almost 2 hours just waiting to get in!  Ugh!  I'll share that for another post, though!

 Ok, back to the fun stuff!

The climb was well worth it, as look at what we got to see!

Gargoyles, and lots of them!  Up close and personal, too!

The panoramic views of the city were just gorgeous, including the Eiffel Tower, in this shot I snapped, below.

An aerial view of the line waiting to get into the church.

 Sacre Couer,  which means "Church of the Sacred Heart", perched on the highest point in the city.

 In the photo below, you will see the stunning and ornate opera house, near the horizon.

 Check out my new French friend, below!

 It was so neat to be up with the spire!

 A pretty view of the Seine.

 We were pleasantly surprised that we got to climb into the belfry!

There were two of these bells, and they were huge, each weighing over 19 tons!

Since the bells ring several times every hour, I was more than a bit concerned that they would start ringing when we were standing next to them!

So when we found out they only rang during special religious holidays, I was very relieved!

It is the bells in the north tower, not the south that we climbed, that ring each hour. 

 Another amazing view.

 This guy looks pretty hungry!

 And below is my favorite view of the church.

Unfortunately, several years ago people started putting locks on the bridge, which I personally hate the look of.  They are called "locks of love", and the new tradition is that the couple in love writes their initials and date on the lock, then tosses the key into the Seine river.  I was shocked how many more locks are there since we visited Paris two years ago!  In fact, there are even locks on top of locks now!  Ugh, what an eyesore!

I am hoping that one day, they will get removed!

Thanks for joining me on my little tour.  I have many more photos to share, including our visit to Versailles.  Stop back in a few days!

Au revoir!

Vintage Inspired Wooden Tool Box

Bonjour Mes Amis!

Hope you are enjoying a nice weekend.

Today I wanted to share with you one of my latest creations, or rather, a joint creation between hubby and myself.

Awhile back, I shared with you a cute vintage wooden tool box that I put in my shop (and have since sold).  Well, that was the inspiration for this project.

Good thing I have a handy hubby around!  After giving him my specks, he went and bought the materials, and in no time had built this beautiful tool box/caddy for me!

 It is even larger than it looks in my photos, at 2 feet long, and quite heavy, too!

I love green, and thought it would be the perfect shade to paint this box.  Unfortunately, I didn't have just the right color on hand, and I didn't want to go out and buy more paint.  So, what is a girl to do?

Well, mix up her own custom color using what she already has on hand, that's what!

 So, I pulled out my DecoArt chalk paints, and set to work playing with colors.  I think I have just as much fun creating new shades as I do the actual painting process!

I'm so happy with the way it turned out, and can think of so many uses for this piece.

Filled with potted flowering plants, used to carry garden tools around, or even enjoyed indoors to hold books, magazines, and more.  I had hubby build this for my Etsy shop, and it sold just a few days after I listed it!  I was super excited, so now I've put in a request that he build me some more:)

 I had fun during our little photo shoot, placing the tool box/caddy (or whatever you feel like calling it!) on my picket fence plant stand.  I plopped my pretty African violet inside (which always lives indoors, by the way), and added to the vignette my Grandma's vintage watering can and a cute little soapstone bunny, a gift many years ago from my mom.

Oh, a little side note about my Afrian violet.  My mom started this plant for me many years ago, from a plant of her own.  During the course of several cross country moves in the past few years, we had to get rid of nearly all of our houseplants (we had alot of plants!!).  But, this was one that I just wasn't willing to part with!  It traveled with us all the way to Washington State and then back here to Michigan in the shower of our motor home!  And for the past two winters, I took it with us when we headed south to Savannah, also toting it along in the motor home's shower!

So this puppy has put on alot of miles, and she still is blooming her heart out!

Thanks so much for popping by, hope things are blooming at your home!