Our Parisian adventure continued on the Friday morning after the gentlemen returned from a day at the Normandy Beaches. As a Platinum Elite member of the Marriott Bonvoy Program, we chose breakfast as our Welcome Gift Choice upon arrival at the Westin Paris Vendome Hotel and it was being served in Le First Restaurant. The breakfast buffet offerings were ample, including the normal array of pastries, fruit, yogurt, juice, coffee, tea, toast, meats/cheeses, bread, salads, eggs cooked to order, as well as bacon, sausage and breakfast potatoes. It was satisfying and fortified us for the busy day ahead.
The nearby Tuileries Garden beckoned us for a morning stroll. I later discovered they date back to 1564 and Queen Catherine de Medici. She commissioned the construction of a new palace in Paris at that time. As a Medici, she was passionate about music, art, literature, and science, and decided to model the gardens of her new palace after the Medici Garden in her native Florence. She organized palatial banquets and soirees for Parisian high society in the Jardin des Tuileries, where high walls then surrounded its fountains and sculptures. It was eventually opened to the public in 1667 and when the French court was moved to Versailles in 1682, the palace and its gardens were abandoned. The gardens became a public park after the French Revolution but weren’t fully restored until the Eighteenth Century. Today, Tuileries is the oldest and largest garden in the city. Located in the very heart of Paris, the garden is a popular gathering place for tourists and locals alike.
We walked to the western end of the garden to the nearby Place de la Concorde, one of the major public squares in the city. The Place de la Concorde is famous for its 3,300 year old Egyptian Obelisk from Luxor that was erected on the square in October 1836, as well as the surrounding prestigious hotels, and the two monumental fountains inspired by those found in St. Peter’s Square in Rome. Created in 1772, Place de la Concorde is perhaps best well known for having been the execution site for over 1,200 people during the French Revolution. King Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette met their end by guillotine here. Between 1836 and 1846, the architect Jacques-Ignace Hittorf redesigned the square into what it is today, the largest public square in Paris occupying an area greater than 18 acres! As we were enjoying “people watching” in the square, it started to rain rather heavily. We hailed an enclosed tuktuk to take us along the Champs-Élysées to the Arc de Triomphe.
Frequently described as ‘the world’s most beautiful avenue’, the Avenue des Champs-Élysées is an iconic two-kilometer stretch between the Place de la Concorde and the Arc de Triomphe. Like the Eiffel Tower, the avenue is a symbol of Paris. It’s lined with famous restaurants, luxury boutiques like Louis Vuitton, Mont-Blanc, Guerlain, and Ferrari, along with flagship stores, nightclubs and hotels. It’s also the setting each year for major events such as the Bastille Day military parade, the arrival of the Tour de France and the Christmas lights. Passing by the Marriott Hotel, we decided to take a detour there and were very impressed with the prowess of our driver as he was able to make a U-turn on that busy boulevard with seemingly little to no effort. Following a few afternoon libations, a few of us walked several blocks to see the monument. The Arc de Triomphe is impressive and rises more than 160 feet into the sky. It was designed to honor those who fought and died for the nation during the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars. The names of all French victories and generals are inscribed on its inner and outer surfaces and under its vault lies the country's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from the First World War.
Later that afternoon we met Joel who would guide us on our tour of the world-famous Palace of Versailles. The suburban town is only about 12 miles southwest of Central Paris but it took us about an hour to navigate the traffic through the city and its nearby environs. King Louis XIII first built a simple hunting lodge on the site of the Palace of Versailles in 1623 and replaced it with a small château beginning in 1631. His son and heir, King Louis XIV, expanded the château into a palace in several phases from 1661 to 1715. It was a favorite residence for both kings, and in 1682, Louis XIV moved the seat of his court and government to Versailles, making the palace the de facto capital of France. This state of affairs was continued by Kings Louis XV and Louis XVI, who each made a number of interior alterations to the palace, during which time some 1,000 courtiers and 4,000 attendants were in residence. But, in 1789 the royal family and the French capital returned to Paris at the start of the French Revolution and the Palace of Versailles was largely abandoned and emptied of its contents, while the population of the surrounding city plummeted. The end of the Nineteenth and the early Twentieth Century saw the beginning of restoration efforts at the Palace. The conservation and restoration were interrupted by two world wars but have continued until the present day. And those efforts have certainly paid off.
Joel expertly guided us through the public rooms and the royal apartments and his knowledge of the palace history and that of its occupants was remarkable. Versailles contains over 6,000 paintings and 3,000 sculptures vividly telling the story of Sixteenth and Seventeenth Century France and Joel was a walking encyclopedia of all that we came across during our visit. One of the highlights was the Hall of Mirrors, the most famous space in the palace The Hall of Mirrors is a grand Baroque style gallery and one of its most emblematic rooms. Its grandiose design was intended to vividly illustrate the power of the absolutist monarch Louis XIV. And it succeeds. History was made in this space on June 28, 1919 when the Peace Treaty putting an end to World War I was signed in the Hall of Mirrors. As we were there on a Friday afternoon, the rooms and apartments were very crowded with other visitors and we were thankful and appreciative that Joel took us on a tour of the downstairs rooms before leading us out to the beautiful gardens. Unfortunately, it was quite a windy day and only the gentlemen ventured out for a walk. We learned that following damage caused by a series of storms, including one in December 1999, which was the most devastating, the garden has since been fully replanted. It now boasts a fresh, youthful appearance similar to how it might have looked to Louis XIV in the Seventeenth Century.
Back at the Westin, we had dinner on the Summer Terrace and four of us later took a taxi to the Moulin Rouge for the 9:00 PM show. The Moulin Rouge was founded in 1889 and is best known as the birthplace of the modern form of the can-can dance. Originally introduced as a seductive dance by the courtesans who operated from the site, the can-can dance revue evolved into a form of entertainment of its own and led to the introduction of cabarets across the whole of Europe. At the beginning, the Moulin Rouge would throw champagne-filled parties during which famous dancers performed. Drinks were served during shows and often spectators themselves would take to the dance floor to admire the performers up close. Here was a venue for colorful and daring entertainment that welcomed people of all walks of life, from the very wealthy to the lowliest laborer. With an unconventional architectural style and extravagant decoration (including a colossal model elephant once placed in the garden), the Moulin Rouge was more than adept at attracting clients who simply wanted to have fun. And that hasn’t changed a bit over all these years!
Shows at the Moulin Rouge sell out months in advance and we were thankful the Westin Guest Relations staff were able to secure tickets for us on that Friday evening. The theatre is very crowded and it seems that every available inch of space is taken up with tables and chairs. When the doors opened, patrons were taking any available seats and we were able to find some good ones with a rather unobstructed view from which to enjoy the show. However, one of the ushers did approach us at one point during the performance, telling us we weren’t supposed to be sitting at that particular table. We offered to move but he told us to stay put, which of course we did, so we weren't sure what all the fuss was about. At any rate, the wonderful shows at the Moulin Rouge feature feathers, rhinestones and sequins, fabulous settings, original music and of course…" the most beautiful girls in the world.” Between the musical numbers performed by a live orchestra, the singing and the incredible dancing, we witnessed several outstanding acts, including contortionists and a pair of roller skaters performing amazing feats of daring in an area no bigger than a small round tabletop! We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and were very pleased to have included the iconic show on our itinerary.
We still had one more full day in Paris and I’ll tell you all about it in a future post.
Until next time…safe travels.
Great descriptions and beautiful pictures. Thanks for creating and sharing the post.