Historians largely believe that the apocryphal “Let them eat cake!” quote was never actually said by Marie Antoinette, but in seeing her lifestyle at the Trianon Palace one can certainly see where the common Frenchman of the 1700’s might believe her capable of such a statement. Le Grand Trianon and […]
Europe
The Gardens of Versailles: My Favorite Escape
The Gardens of Versailles Perhaps two instances of an event is a bit on the early side for calling it a ‘tradition’, but spending an afternoon doing a lot of nothing in the Gardens of Versailles has been one of my favorite memories of both trips I’ve made to Paris […]
The Palace of Versailles: End of an Empire
The Palace of Versailles To say that the Palace of Versailles was the reason that the Ancien Regime of France fell is, to be sure, a total oversimplification of complex social and economic factors that were in play in late-1700’s France. To walk these halls today, however, it takes little […]
Champagne on the Seine: A Booze Cruise with Views
Champagne on the Seine: A Booze Cruise with Views You know what makes even the most mundane experience a little bit better? Champagne.
Monet’s Garden: Biking to Giverny
Monet’s Garden: Biking to Giverny Much like the story of Monet himself, the story of a trip to Giverny starts most properly in Paris’ Gare Saint-Lazare. Looking very much the same today as it did when Monet lived just nearby in the late 1870’s, to wait for the train to […]
Le Paradis Latin: A Paris Cabaret.
Le Paradis Latin: A Paris Cabaret Walking past in the middle of the day, you might never notice this switched-off sign or neon-less exterior tucked away on 28 Rue de Cardinal Lemoine on an unobtrusive street just near Paris’ student district. Return at night, though, and it beckons like a […]