Again, I am out of order. Below you can see me snapping a picture of myself in the Hall of Mirrors. At the end of this long hallway the King would sit upon his thrown. To visit the King you would walk the length of the hall by yourself. Even royalty from other countries were required to do this. A little reminder as to whom THE king of Europe was.
On Saturday we went to Versailles. This was every kings envy and aspiration also Europe's political hub for 100 years, until the French Revolution of 1789.
King Louis the XIV or "Sun King" changed this hunting lodge into an elaborate palace and moved from the Louvre Palace in Paris. He moved all of the nobilities here to keep a tight reign on them. Louis the XIV was very personable, handsome approachable King, which might explain why France was the cultural capital of that time. King Louis XIV passed and so did his charisma.
His grandson Louis XV kept to his grandfathers traditions, but struggled to maintain the country's strength. After the death of Louis the XV, Louis the XVI took over. He was shy and kept to himself. He married Maire Antoinette of Vienna Austria and together they enjoyed their beautiful gardens and palace as the commoners struggled for a meager meal. Which set the stage for the French Revolution.
A beautiful window in the palace
The view from the Sun King's bedroom
A window shutter inside of the palace
The back of the palace
This view was taken from behind the palace. In the distance you can see a manmade cross shaped lake . Here nobility would have boat parties.
Leah, Jody, Marianne and Christina resting in Marie-Antoinette's gardens.
This was Marie-Antoinette little getaway
Hamlet Palace about a 10 minute walk from the main Versailles Palace
. Here she was able to escape the troubles that were beginning to swirl all around her politically. Here she cared for her animals and tended her gardens. She also had another palace called
Petit Trianon (not pictured) in which she could escape the reality of the French Revolution.
The
Hamlet Palace was my favorite. It seemed nearly untouched and you could really imagine Marie-Antoinette escaping to these beautiful cottages.
After Versaille we went to the Arc de Triompe. Napoleon had this commissioned to celebrate his victory in the battle of Austerlitz, the largest triumph arch.
A view of a very famous street. This is THE street to go and browse the upscale shops. I think it's the Champs Ellysees. During our trip I massacred the French Language and I can't be certain this is the correct name of this street.
I did hike up the 284 steps
Under the arch is the French tomb of the unknown soldier. Every day the at 6:30 the fire is lit and flowers placed to remember those unknown soldiers of WWI.
This is Lyndi's favorite spot in the house. She loves to sit on this first stair eat crackers, look at books or just sit.
Outside playing. Please forgive the snotty nose. I had to choose between the picture and wiping.
beautiful Ayla
Ayla spinning in her favorite shoes, EVER!
King Louis the XIV or "Sun King" changed this hunting lodge into an elaborate palace and moved from the Louvre Palace in Paris. He moved all of the nobilities here to keep a tight reign on them. Louis the XIV was very personable, handsome approachable King, which might explain why France was the cultural capital of that time. King Louis XIV passed and so did his charisma. 
A beautiful window in the palace
The view from the Sun King's bedroom
A window shutter inside of the palace
The back of the palace
This view was taken from behind the palace. In the distance you can see a manmade cross shaped lake . Here nobility would have boat parties.
Leah, Jody, Marianne and Christina resting in Marie-Antoinette's gardens.
This was Marie-Antoinette little getaway Hamlet Palace about a 10 minute walk from the main Versailles Palace. Here she was able to escape the troubles that were beginning to swirl all around her politically. Here she cared for her animals and tended her gardens. She also had another palace called Petit Trianon (not pictured) in which she could escape the reality of the French Revolution.
The Hamlet Palace was my favorite. It seemed nearly untouched and you could really imagine Marie-Antoinette escaping to these beautiful cottages.
After Versaille we went to the Arc de Triompe. Napoleon had this commissioned to celebrate his victory in the battle of Austerlitz, the largest triumph arch.
A view of a very famous street. This is THE street to go and browse the upscale shops. I think it's the Champs Ellysees. During our trip I massacred the French Language and I can't be certain this is the correct name of this street.
I did hike up the 284 steps
Under the arch is the French tomb of the unknown soldier. Every day the at 6:30 the fire is lit and flowers placed to remember those unknown soldiers of WWI.
They had the yummiest looking bakeries all throughout Paris. Finally, on the last day we endulged.
Our first stop was the market. They had inexpensive, delicious produce and flowers.
beautiful artichokes
It was fun to start out our trip seeing how a true Parisian might live. I always love getting away from tourists.
We spent some time looking at various fabric stores near Sacre Couer. There were so many gorgeous fabrics to choose from. I now have a greater understanding of why Paris is the fashion hub of the world. I bought a few meters in various prints to make some summer clothes for my girls.
Christina, myself and Jody in front of Sacre Couer. This beautiful white Roman Byzantine basilica sits on top of the biggest hill in Paris. It was built in only 44 years 1875-1919.
Here I am in front of the Eiffel Tower
Built 100 years after the French Revolution by Gustav Eiffel. There was a competition for design and the Eiffel Tower won over a giant gullitoine design.
I declined a 2 hour wait to climb to the top, but hold no regrets for my decision.
Marianne, Leah, Christina and Jody enjoying the view before we enjoyed a dinner of ham and cheese crepes.
Keanna wiggled the tooth all day long. A half an hour after we put her to bed she came downstairs to show us her progress and shortly thereafter she yanked out her tooth.
As you can see, her mouth was quite bloody. Intially, she didn't realize the amount of blood she had produced and was a little suprised after seeing pictures. However, she seemed fine with the blood. Now we hope that it's not too late for the Tooth Fairy to make a visit to our house.
They went to see the Frog Princess I think they all had a fune time
The girls are very lucky to have such a wonderful, fun, patient and caring Father. I am certainly grateful for him.
