Le Chateau de Versailles

Bonsoir a tous,

My French diploma exam is tomorrow, and so I really ought to be revising, but somehow I am as ever an expert at procrastination and will therefore write a little bit about my recent visit to Versailles.
Versailles is a town in the South West of Paris, a 45 minute train journey from Saint Lazare station. The train ride was free thanks to my navigo pass. Entrance to the castle was also free (to EU members under 26!) although the 6 euro entrance fee to the gardens was inevitable but completely worth it. Have you ever heard of Versailles? It's famous as one of French royalty's most exhibitionist indulgences in grandeur and luxury.

It is the castle that the much despised and notoriously greedy "sun-king" (so called for his love of all things shiny and bright, as well as his own love of the divine right of kings) Louis XIV had built. It is also the location of perhaps the most important event of the French revolution of the 18th century: it is where King Louis XVI and his wife Marie-Antoinette were hunted down by their own infuriated subjects. Always one for a love of all things history-related, this story fascinates me. And Marie-Antoinette is a main selling point of the castle - her image can be found more than any other in the caste's many gift shops.

The castle has been host to many French Kings and Queens and is as can be expected dripping in exquisite detail and gold furnishing (the man to the left is only one detail of a chimney decoration). The hall of mirrors is always fun to walk down, and the lavish displays of ceremony as well as rooms for play and luxury (mostly linked to Marie-Antoinette) are interesting to say the least. It is of course painfully ironic when compared to the famine and debt France was suffering from at the time. Marie-Antoinette (I know you're dying to hear about her, wasn't she fabulous, with her youth and her beauty and her fancy things?) left her mark on the place by establishing what is now known as her "domain" within the extremely large gardens.

This domain is almost hidden away about a 20 minute walk away from the Grand Lake and is comprised of what is known as a Hamlet (smaller than a village, but only just). The King gave the building known as "Le Petit Trianon" to her as a gift. There's no doubt that Le Petit Trianon is a luxurious building, and it's said to be Marie's favourite place. The gardens around it are also pretty nifty (see photo) I also liked that Le Petit Trianon had simply furnished (albeit undoubtedly expensive) spare bedrooms and a billiard room.

Being not overly keen on gardens (they're alright I suppose, but you know, a garden is a garden) I wasn't expecting much from the Jardins de Versailles and was a bit annoyed at having to pay the 6 euros to get in. But they were exquisite, and it was a beautiful day (30 degrees celsius!) and it was easy to imagine the sorts of courting that would have gone on back in the day. It was all very Mark Darcy ish, if you know what I mean. Also, for the high season of summer only, the fountains of the jardin de versailles harmoniously play classical music, of the kind designed to encourage your gaiety and make you feel like you are a lady of the court partaking in her daily walk back in the 18th century, pondering what you will be wearing to the ball this evening. Maybe this is where the idea of Mark Darcy popped into my head. The photo doesn't do them any justice - there were grand gravel paths, meticulously arranged greenery, small and big lakes, fountains, mazes and the fabulously large Grand Lake where you could hire a rowing boat which I imagine to be ridiculously expensive but very idyllic. If you visit Versailles, taking a peek at the gardens is a must.

I have other things to tell you about things that I've done recently, but really have to go do some last minute revision now, donc je vous ecrirai bientot!

Bonne Nuit xx

Giverny

Ah, the joy of bank holidays! I know most of you in England would have enjoyed last Monday off, but thanks to the French system I have both yesterday and today off.

We made the most of yesterday's bank holiday by travelling to Giverny, the location of Claude Monet's house and famous water lily gardens. Giverny is a small town in the South-West of Paris, about an hour's train ride and 15 minute bus ride from Paris' Saint Lazare station. The train journey cost only 20 euros, and the entry to La Maison de Monet was 6 euros (student prices). Luckily, and somewhat bizarrely, temperatures here are already at an average of about 28 degrees celsius so it felt like high summer, and the picturesque gardens and village reminded me of Southern France.

The house itself was very idyllic - Monet lived there from 1883 to 1926, and as a man with an intense eye for detail and beauty, the gardens adjacent to the house are beautiful almost to a fault. The many rose bushes and array of flowers reminded me of Alice's adventures in the garden in Lewis Carroll's "Through the looking-glass". Pictures inside the house were forbidden, but the tour takes you (amongst other things) through Monet's collection of Japanese engravings, his bedrooms, the cheerfully yellow dining room, and his atelier of paintings which, although adding a funny smell to the room, were varied, often breathtaking and interestingly dynamic.

The ever so famous Japanese bridge can be found in the Water Lily Gardens, which are about a 5 minute walk away from the house. These gardens, even when hounded by multiple tourists, are peaceful and one feels far away from city life or troubles - it is easy to see how the place could have given Monet both the inspiration and space for contemplation he undoubtedly used for many of his paintings. The Japanese bridge, which the garden is so famous for, loses most of its magic by the sheer multitude of people that seem to be standing on it at all times posing for photos, but is nonetheless pleasing to the eye. After taking this tour of the house and gardens, we decided to explore the village of Giverny.

It was a very short exploration due to the miniscule size of the village's centre, which consisted of a narrow and long-winding road with small cafes and museums on either side. For such a small village in the countryside, it must be very odd to receive hundreds of visitors on a daily basis. Claude Monet's grave is located 10 minute's away from the house in the village's church graveyard.


The train ride back was admittedly tiring and weary - the train was crammed full and we were forced to stand for the duration of the journey. We dealt with this by giggling uncontrollably and annoying everyone around us (a very satisfying way of spending the time).

I'm off to enjoy the rest of my freedom until Monday, a bientot xxx

How to get Something for Nothing

Welcome to what I can assume is my last post of the month! I technically only have one month left here, but will be staying a little longer as Paris has proven too seductive for me to leave her just yet.

Due to working a lot recently, I've been feeling tired, but the weekend I've just had has left a huge smile on my face. I'm very, very poor at the moment but the things we did hardly cost me anything (they would have been completely free were it not for the need of alcohol and food). We had a picnic (with wine and beer, bien sur) by St Martin's Canal yesterday and the weather was beautiful and the company was brilliant. We couldn't have asked for anything more. But more we did get: we walked from the canal in the 19th arrondissement (the canal is home to many bar boats and there are always many people and activities at this time of year) to the Parc de la Villette, to enjoy the free music there held as part of the "Villette Sonique", which lasts until the 1st June. Parc de la Villette is full of post-modernist architecture and is home to the Parisian iMax (seen as a big bubble in the photo below). It was designed and built in the 1980s as an open space to be used for art, exhibitions, music and other such engaging activities.

I'm not going to lie to you - the music was atrocious (it consisted of angry yelling and mismatched instrumentals, all deemed to convey some sort of message of what I can only assume was teenage angst, although the singer seemed to be in his 50s), but it was free, and the atmosphere was energetic, cheerful and 100% summer. Pure bliss. Drink prices also weren't too unreasonable, the usual 5 euros per pint (you think that's alot? For Paris it really is the norm, another reason I'm looking forward to being home).

Today after a shockingly difficult French lesson - my diploma exam is next week - I happily went along to a current exhibition at the Pompidou centre. The exhibition, entitled the "Inside Out" project, consists of a huge photo booth which after taking your picture spits it out from a great height in a terrifyingly large black and white image of yourself. Every pore becomes visible and as such open to criticism. The idea of the project is much less vain, and encourages you to take the poster and, having put it up in a place of importance/significance to you, to take a photo and send it to them so that they might construct a definition of identity. Or so I understood in any case. My picture is indeed terrifying and I will be doing nothing of the sort but it's a good souvenir and in theory the project could work. The entire project had an Indian theme (the image places a Bindi in the middle of your forehead), although it was not made clear why, and neither is it particularly obvious on the website. It didn't cost a penny, however.

That's it for now. Bonne Soiree xxx

Midnight in Paris

Ah, Paris - an inspirational city for many, and in particular Woody Allen it would seem. I went to see his new film, a hit in the recent Cannes film festival, fully expecting to love it (due to my love of Paris, not Allen). And love it I did. It was of course un petit peu previsible (predictable) but the shots of Paris were breathtaking and Owen Wilson did well as the inspired writer who loses his way and is tied down by a witch of a fiance (Rachel McAdams) and eventually refinds his mojo in the arms of the city (and her many beautiful women). The story is like I said: predictable, but oh so delicious. Against all odds Wilson finds himself in Paris in the Roaring Twenties, surrounded by the likes of Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Salvador Dali and Gertrude Stein, to name but a few. It is in short, any young writer's dream.

Although sold as a romcom, it is refreshing to see that McAdams and Wilson make an appallingly ill-suited couple and all is not well in the land of the spoilt and wealthy. Wilson's interest in other women is a factor of the film but not it's main focus - that is centred on Paris of course. Allen succeeds in many a name-dropping (Wilson's love rival teaches at the Sorbonne, they go drinking in Montmartre, Hemingway is found staring down the nose of a red wine bottle at all times) which made it fun for us as we are now well-acquainted with many of the city's hotspots. If you're reading this, go and watch the film! You will see why I'm here, and maybe even be inspired to come here yourself.

My only criticism is as follows: I've yet to walk through the streets of Paris after midnight and encounter anyone other than drunken people or bums, never mind Dali or Hemingway. Maybe I'm just not doing it right...?

Bisous xxx

Europe's Oldest Science Museum... Just Too Old?

I recently visited the Arts et Metiers (Arts and Trades) museum in the 3rd arrondissement. As Europe's oldest science museum, it had quite an appeal! Having now been, I have to admit that it was certainly old, although I think this was more of a fault than an advantage. I think around 3,000 objects are on display, ranging from scientific instruments and construction to energy and transportation. Don't get me wrong, the objects themselves as individuals were for the most part rather interesting, but to force them together in an organised jumble in large rooms killed any inspiration they may have given. Have you ever been to the Natural History Museum in London, or the Science Museum? There you can interact with fascinating objects, and come face to face with dinosaurs (call me shallow but the dinosaurs were definitely missing here). I wish we could have interacted with something in this museum, apparently it was renovated in the year 2000 but they must have missed the memo!

As you can see however, the stop is interesting and demands attention when passing through on the metro. Luckily, the museum was once again free for those aged under 26 (there's no point staying in Paris once you've reach the ripened old age of 26 I'm afraid, everything will cost you a fortune). Upon first entering, we appeared to be the only ones there which I suppose was due to it being a weekday and the time of day. Not much later, we were bombarded by huge groups of school children and decided to scarper, so maybe I missed something - like the interesting parts? I fear my evaluation of the Arts et Metiers may be overly harsh, so I will tell you that you can find a scale model of the Statue of Liberty and many curious objects such as early models of typewriters, carriages and planes.

I suppose there's no harm in taking a look around if you're in the area, just be aware that you'll be hard pressed to make a day of it! I'll be heading to the Dali museum in the near future and will hopefully be able to give an altogether more rose-tinted account of that.

A bientot xxx

An emotional post that has absolutely nothing to do with Paris

Sometimes, there are moments in life when things happen that you can't control, or that you just don't want to believe. When these things happen (and they are inevitable), the way you react to them can define who you are. Now, I know I'm only 23 but that's long enough in this world to realise that. I'd also like to reassure you that it's nothing major that has happened to me, that myself and those I love are fine, my host family is still lovely and I'm still loving Paris, and I'm very lucky to have all that. I won't go into detail on what it is that's happened as this is after all a website which anyone can read, but suffice it to say that things are changing and for once I don't really feel in control anymore.

My day to day life here is focused a lot on responsibility - I'm in charge of two small beings who depend on me, and it can be emotional. Working with children is draining. I know I'm a good au pair, I praise them often, push them hard into being the best they can be, make sure they've got everything they need when they're in my care, support them, help them learn and interact with them during games and sports and playtime. And over my time here I've come to really care for those kids and I wish them the best in life.

So I'm sad that it's all coming to an end soon (but whoever said that an ending was a new beginning in disguise was a wiseman indeed), although I know the next phase of my life is beginning and is exciting. I'm sad that the genuine, be-there-for-you-no-matter-what friends I have made are going to be my penpals for the foreseeable future (although I AM roadtripping through California somewhere in that future). And now I'm sad because of the mysterious (to you, in any case) thing that has happened. I feel sad and drained and even slightly unable to cope. Then I remember who I am - I'm Nathalie Jane Flaxington, I can cope with anything, right? Right. Just now it doesn't feel that way.

I have to remind myself that these things are inevitable, and that it isn't the end of the world. I'll let you in on a little secret - when the Spicegirls split up, I was so upset my parents were worried about my mental state to the extent that they bought me a pet hamster in the hope that its gain would aid in my loss of Ginger. I may only have been 10 years old, and a pet hamster may not make things better this time, but they will get better.

Over and out xxx

Stuck on where to go?

If you're looking for somewhere nice in Paris to enjoy a fancy cocktail or two, there are an abundance of places dying to take your money. However, knowing a good place from a bad one and parting with your money only for real quality and atmosphere can be tough. The 6th arrondissment boasts home to famous pioneers of Left Bank society and history through places such as Cafe de Flore. The trendy and overpriced (but delightfully Parisian) cafe is open and as such busy at all times of day and night. They do a splendid champagne house cocktail, but you will certainly be paying dearly for the honour of perching your derriere where the likes of Simone de Beauvoir once sat.

If on the other hand you'd like somewhere a bit more low key and less in your face touristy, there is a cocktail bar a 2 minute walk away from the Jardin du Luxembourg that goes by the name of Le Crocodile. Here you will find a choice of 312 cocktails, each of which can be bought for the reasonable sum of 6 euros during Happy Hour. I would recommend the Don de Ciel (literally translated as a "godsend"), which is once again champagne based. Trendy places such as the Panic Room in the Marais, and believe it or not the Irish bar named Hideout located by Chatelet, offer welcoming atmospheres and drinks at reasonable prices.

Speaking of things to do in Paris, if you'd like to spend a night at the cinema but don't fancy paying the 9 euro something fee per film, the cinema Gaumont Gobelins in the 13th arrondissement is a tempting 4 euros for those aged under 26.

There you have it, my helpful array of tips is on halt until the next time! I hope you've all had a wonderful weekend.

Bonne Nuit xxx