Wandering west of Paris for highbrow & lowbrow pursuits

[bixaorellana]

One thing to know about setting out on an excursion organized by Kerouac is that there will be at least one surprise built in to add to the fun. Even so, as we set off to see the gardens of Versailles, I had no idea that there would be more in store that day.

Most garden lovers have pored over pictures of Le Nôtre's magnificent achievement, perhaps only admiring the breadth of the work but being somewhat dismissive of what might seem excessive formality in our time.
I was one of those people, plus from pictures I could never get a grasp on the gardens beyond the well-known shot of the vista from the palace.

What comes to life on a visit there is the sheer grandness of the artistic whole. It encompasses wild areas, serene pockets, severe formal plantings, sunny lawns, and an overall invitation to stroll and enjoy it all.

There was no doubt we'd arrived at our intended destination ~

The upper level has the expected parterres & gumdrop trees, but softened with a cheery mix of flowers ~











The statuary was appropriately large and regal and displayed on grand uncluttered terraces ~

[bixaorellana]

Descending to the next level, where the Bassin de Latone appears quiescent for the moment ~

I found the big metal thing sticking up out of the canal quite jarring and didn't understand it.
Stick around -- all will be revealed!

The walkways between the walls of greenery were a sudden and delightful change from the elegance that preceded them.It was easy to imagine the sweep of skirts as ladies strolled or the stifled giggles as bewigged courtiers flirted with incautious maidens ~

The areas beyond the lattice were quite untamed ~

[bixaorellana]

The first sight of the fountains doing their thing ~

And on into peaceful planted areas ~















Full disclosure: I walked on the forbidden grass to get these pictures ~







~ Tune in tomorrow, please. There's more to see! ~

[bjd]

Interesting that they keep up the French tradition of formal gardens there, given that in so many big parks in Paris a new style of more informal gardening has taken over in the past 15-20 years. I'm glad to see there are areas where things are a bit more natural.

[Deleted]

Since gardens designed by Le Nôtre are part of French heritage, I don't think they would be allowed to change the layout of the main formal gardens even if they wanted to.

[lagatta]

A feat of engineering back then as well.

[mossie]

Those first shots of the palace are super. Looks like you had the right weather for the trip.

[bixaorellana]

Bjd, in line with what Kerouac says about Le Nôtre's gardens as part of French heritage, the gardens have been restored as much as possible to the original design. And really, as works of art they should be allowed to stand unaltered by changing tastes. At any rate, the gardens at Versailles always included areas of wilderness and of softer design. My own preference has always been for the more natural seeming English style of gardening, but visiting Versailles is a perfect introduction to appreciating the classic French formal style. www.apartmenttherapy.com/a-war-of-roses-the-french-vs-english-garden-168600

So true about the engineering, LaGatta. The link in the OP gives some insight into that.

Thanks, Mossie. Yes, I can't help but think that the gods wanted to give me gardens, as even in England the sun shone and the birds sang every time I visited a garden.

Moving right along into the afore-mentioned softer, gentler parts of the garden ~

These grounds don't groom themselves ~





Ahhh -- here we go! And at this point I still don't get it ~

[bjd]

I guess that's the Versailles' equivalent of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

[bixaorellana]

Ha ha! I'd been told it was an art installation and actually considered what you said as the reason for it.
I was wrong, as you will see later in the thread.

[bixaorellana]

If some of the gardeners at Versailles subscribe to the French passion for shrub clipping,
they must be in hog heaven at their jobs ~

The fountains are lovely when they're quiet ~



But dramatically exciting when they play ~





That looks like some real action up ahead ~



Ooooooo ~







And looking back the other way, I finally understand the art installation -- a glorious slot in the sky ~

[mich64]

It is quite a magnificent place. Fabulous photographs Bixa. Did you get there early in the morning?

[bixaorellana]

Thanks, Mich! What is so wonderful about it is that everyone is allowed to wander around so that you can get the feel of what is was like for the privileged few for whom it was originally meant.
I don't think we got there super early, although my companions might correct me on that. I see online that it opens at 8 a.m. for the early birds.

We've now ascended to the level just below the palace.
The 21st century just fades away in some of the views from here ~

[bixaorellana]

Looking back to where we've been ~



Then turning back toward the palace ~







If they could only tell what all they've seen ~













Taking in a last long look at magnificence ~



Bye-bye, Versailles!



This was wonderful, but hardly the end to our day out.

Please check back here to see the next two destinations.

[Deleted]

I had completely forgotten how perfect the weather was that day, although I do recall now that it started to get a bit hot by mid afternoon. But the gardens of Versailles were starting around 9 a.m. and the fountains were turned on at 10 a.m. Unlike the interior of the château, the gardens themselves never get too crowded even in July, simply because they are so vast.

In any case, you have done full justice to them with these extraordinary photos, Bixa.

[breeze]

If they could only tell what all they've seen ~

Read more: anyportinastorm.proboards.com/posts/recent#ixzz4ggExj2Ae

Unfortunately, every one of them has firmly sealed lips, but the first guy, with the eyebrows, obviously feels there's a lot he could say if he hadn't signed that nondisclosure agreement with the sculptor.

[bixaorellana]

Yes, it was a perfect day. Thank you for the lovely compliment, Kerouac.

Ha ha, Breeze -- yes, he's itching to spill all.
and someone looked at this thread from "Recent threads" rather than from The Source.

Our next interlude also had a royal backdrop, but a more bucolic feel.
That was the Parc du Chateau de Saint-Germain.

It has a beautiful view over the Seine with Paris in the distance. Paris is twelve miles from our vantage point so yes, some of the pictures are zoomed.

Imagine -- we're looking all the way to la Défense!

[bixaorellana]

Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye (click here for its history and a map)





I hope you all are refreshed and relaxed from the country air.
The next stop with be a radical change in mood.

[bixaorellana]

So where to now?, you ask.
We have trodden where once only those close to the king were welcome to tread.
We have filled our nostrils with salubrious forest air while gazing at Paris in the distance.
What's gonna live up to that?

It seems we are now in the realm that unabashedly caters to popular, even childlike tastes.  

Yet this is no 21st century upstart, but a fair that had its beginnings in the 1600s when a yearly pilgrimage to St. Fiacre's shrine soon had a fair attached to it. The loges in the name refers to gamekeepers' sheds and the like that served the king when he came to hunt in this clearing in the forest.

People in the old days having fun ~



People of today having fun ~

[bixaorellana]

[bixaorellana]

Much as I like crowd scenes, it was fun taking pictures at the relatively uncrowded fair,
as we were there well before the peak hours ~

French women are terminally chic no matter their age ~





Obviously I am not terminally chic, as I only got ogled by Freddy ~

[bixaorellana]

Where would youuu fall on this scale?

[bixaorellana]

Taking pictures of fair rides is as close as I ever want to get to them.

Let's have a quick interlude to capture the feeling of a fair ~



Hope you're not too dizzy from the rides to look at the food. Hey, it's France! ~













Check it out: it's a fair and they serve lobster!

[bixaorellana]

Just a few more shots, then it will be time to leave this fun place ~

I find this picture rather sad, with the dad all in the moment and the kids so dreadfully blasé ~

[Deleted]

Excellent, but it would be so much more convenient if they moved the Fête des Loges inside the gardens of Versailles. There's plenty of room, and it would be fun to see Marie Antoinette strapped into the reverse bungee in her dress and wig, for example.

[bixaorellana]

Actually, Marie Antoinette did not come to mind while visiting Versailles, (nor, oddly whilst in the Fête des Loges) but your comment has made me want to go back & watch the Sofia Coppola movie, which I didn't care for all that much. (except for Bow Wow Wow doing Fools Rush In as MarieA. rushes through the countryside in her carriage -- that was great!)

[lagatta]

I'd like to show the authors of books such as "Why Frenchwomen don't get fat" some of these photos, but we know that they are thinking of certain chic arrondissements.

The small children do seem to have learnt that studied world-weary look from their older relatives and friends...

[nycgirl]

You managed to get some really nice uncrowded shots of the gardens. And I agree, that water feature does look pretty neat from afar. When I visited, there was an installation of big, rust-colored steel sculptures that I think did not go well with the gardens aesthetic at all.

Love that vantage point from the Parc du Chateau de Saint-Germaine. I've never had the pleasure of seeing the Seine completely surrounded by lush trees and bushes. Very pretty.

The fair looks like a good time. I'd take the modern-day fair and all its oddities, like aquatic hamster spheres, over the stuffy olden days any day.

[bixaorellana]

Thanks so much NYCGirl! Really, it was a perfect day out. I have apparently lost some of my pictures, but even the town where we stopped for a potty break was charming. It was a nice to be a modern person in the olden settings. That viewpoint over the Seine is immensely long and open to anyone.