Monday (Versailles)…

 





 Perfect sleeping temps combined with delightful exhaustion for a re-energizing rest. Add stimulating espresso, and we off for what was to be a ten mile walking day. 

We spent the morning exploring the Saint-Louis neighborhood, starting with its name-sake Cathedral. Monday’s are VERY quiet in Versailles, because the Chateau is closed, and we took full advantage of this calm. 

The proud-yet-simple 18th century church had its own sense of serenity. Soaring ceilings that muffled footsteps. Church workers gently sweeping well-worn stone floors. A few quiet visitors respectfully gazing up at colorful figures tucked away in a dozen-or-so chapels. 

We continued our stroll to Parc Balbi, a tiny walled park with a quiet looped path past a lazy duck pond. Students from a nearby school gathered in quiet groups. Continuing on, we took a gravely footpath to one of the Palaces grand water basins–the Pièce d’Eau des Suisses (Swiss Ornamental Lake) built in the late 1600s. A shady tree-lined path ringed the lake. Joggers and bikers shared our peaceful loop back to the chateau. We grabbed a simple lunch from a patisserie and ate on the Saint-Louis church steps.  

After a quick Uber ride thru an amazing underground tunnel between Versailles and Rueil-Malmaison, we arrived at the country home of Napoleon and Josephine. This relatively simple country home was their first splurge as Napoleon’s star was rising within the French army and political system. This home remained Josephine’s favorite and her refuge after divorce from Napoleon until her early death. The house is a beautiful example of Empire style with daring use of colors and design which exuded luxury without the ostentation of prior regimes. A music room with bright strawberry fabric chairs and settees set against olive green felt walls. Entire bedrooms draped as if the insides of tents. Many aspects would still feel contemporary today. The large billiard table in the room just beyond the entry vestibule would be the envy of any guy or gal cave. 

The tour was a simple audio tour with a sparse crowd, allowing a tranquil viewing of the intimate spaces enjoyed by this illustrious couple during the height of their power. Unlike their many other residences in and out of Paris, this is the only that remains standing or with the look and feel as if they had just stepped out. With many artifacts concentrated here, this is the spot any Napoleon aficionado should visit. 

Finishing the house tour, we ventured into the surrounding gardens to take in views of the chateau across rolling lawns, thru dense platings of flowers, and even it’s reflection in the gentle pond stretching across the back garden. Josephine was quite the gardener and would be proud of the care taken today to provide as close to a historical replica of what she left and additions in the style that should would consider pleasing. 

We Ubered back to Versailles–albeit with a few Uber hiccups. After a quick stroll in the Versailles gardens, we ventured close by to have drinks at the popular Le Coup D’état restaurant in Saint-Louis. Dinner at a nearby crepery really hit the spot: gooey galettes filled with ham or sausage and sunny-side-up eggs. For dessert, a decadent crepe with peaches, ice cream, and whipped cream. Oh yeah…drizzled in chocolate. Yum!!